Beef Shanks
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This braised beef shank recipe is a mouth-watering, hearty dish made with one of the most underrated cuts! It’s deceptively easy to make, and the meat falls off the bone.
I like to make these braised beef shanks on cozy evenings when I want a hearty, hands-off dinner that fills the house with the best aroma. I first started cooking with beef shanks because my partner loves beef cheeks, and I wanted to see how I’d go with turning this leaner cut into something truly tender and comforting.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, I replicated the same cooking technique used for the cheeks and found that slow braising delivers fall-off-the-bone meat every time. Now, it’s a staple in our home during the cooler months. I love to serve it over egg noodles or rice, so the rich sauce seeps into every bite. It’s one of those meals that tastes like you spent all day cooking (you can pretend you did!), even though it takes care of itself.
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
- Affordable. Shanks are one of the cheapest cuts of beef and can be found at any basic grocery store or butcher.
- Easy to make. You only need one Dutch oven or soup pot to make this dish.
- Healthy. With protein, vegetables, and a low-sodium broth, this recipe has it all.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “Best beef shank recipe ever. Meat melted in my mouth.”– Caroline
Key Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients for my beef shank recipe. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Beef shanks. For this recipe, I use 2- to 3-inch-thick shanks. I recommend choosing cuts with visible marbling throughout, as the fat renders into the rest of the meat, making it fall off the bone once cooked.
- Onion, celery, and carrot. Chopped vegetables to create a flavor base for the dish.
- Tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes create a hearty sauce. Canned crushed tomatoes will also work.
- Beef stock. To make the sauce more flavorful. Chicken stock will work too.
- White wine. Choose a light-bodied wine, such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Don’t want to use alcohol? Just add more beef broth.
- Flour. To dredge and brown the shanks. Doing this helps create a richer flavor, as the flour locks in all those delicious juices. You can skip this step if you are trying to eliminate carbs.
- Olive oil. To saute the vegetables.
- Herbs. Fresh thyme and bay leaves are my favorites when working with tough cuts of meat.
How to cook beef shanks
Step 1- Prep the meat. Pat the shanks dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Tie kitchen twine around the meat to secure it to the bone. Season the shanks with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour.
Step 2- Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven pot. Shake off the excess flour from the beef, then brown them evenly on all sides.
Step 3- Cook the vegetables. Add diced onions, carrots, and celery sticks to the same pot. Saute for a few minutes, and add the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4- Simmer. Add the white wine to the cooked vegetables along with the shanks. Let everything simmer, then cover the pot with the lid and place it in a preheated oven for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Step 5- Remove from the oven and serve. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard it. Serve immediately.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Deglaze the pan. When you add the white wine, scrape off any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. These food particles add immense flavor to the dish (I promise!).
- Serve shanks with something creamy, such as cauliflower mashed potatoes, polenta, or risotto. The braising liquid acts like a sort of gravy.
- Use tomato paste. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use a small amount of tomato paste instead to build a rich tomato flavor. I find one tablespoon is plenty.
- Adjust the cooking time. The time it takes for the shanks to become fork-tender may vary slightly depending on their thickness. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Fully cooked shanks should reach at least 160°F.
- Change up the herbs and use rosemary, parsley, or sage.
Frequently asked questions
If you are aiming for fall-off-the-bone tender beef shanks, cook them in a hearty sauce for the minimum cooking time recommended (45 minutes) or up to 2 hours. Low-and-slow cooking is the key to turning tough shank meat into tender, juicy meat. I also find that cooking in wine does help tenderize the meat even more.
I don’t recommend frying shanks, as the meat will remain tough and chewy. Instead, fry the shanks lightly to give them color and extra flavor, then continue cooking them on low heat for a few hours.
No beef shanks? You can replace them with veal shanks without affecting the cooking time or other ingredients.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Braised Beef Shank Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef shanks appoximately 3 portions
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion dliced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 200 mls white wine or more beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cups beef broth
Instructions
- Pat dry the beef shanks to remove any excess moisture. Secure the meat to the bone with kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess.
- In a Dutch oven pot, add oil and place it over high heat. Once hot, Add the beef shanks into the pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes each. Remove the shanks from the pot.
- In the same pot add onion, carrot and celery and saute until translucent. Add fresh thyme, bay leaves and tomato. Cook for 10 minutes then add white wine, beef stock and return the shanks in the pot. Once it boils, remove the pot from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours until fork tender.
- Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and cut off the kitchen twine and discard. Pour all the sauce from the pot over the shanks and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
More cozy beef dinners
- Albondigas soup
- Beef tips and gravy
- Homemade Salisbury steak
- Instant Pot chuck roast
- Sirloin tip roast
- Instant Pot steak
- Instant Pot brisket
Originally published November 2022
This was an excellent way to use beef shanks. It turned out so delicious. We threw in some mushrooms with an hour left and cauliflower mash.
I’ve made this recipe three times and it’s delicious every time. I follow the recipe with the addition of 4 cloves of smashed garlic and braise it for 2.5-3 hours, flipping it halfway through. The meat is extremely tender and the veggies get all of the flavor from the beef bones, tendons, and marrow. Yummy!
Fabulous! Veggies made great side! Served with mashed potatoes and gravy from the broth! Grands biscuits too!!! 10 STARS!!!
Made this recipe tonight and added chopped fennel. I didn’t have any white wine so I used a local winery’s blueberry wine. It was unbelievable!!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Made this over the weekend and we loved it! We served it over polenta with sauteed spinach. Makes great leftover bowls! Basically made as written, but used red wine since it was open. This is going into the keeper pile!
Love the addition of red wine- thanks Jules!
Use chicken broth and fresh garlic and rosemary from the garden. Served with rice. Very very good
Beef shanks I never tried. Looks good really. I like beef.
First time I’ve had beef shank. It was absolutely delicious
Thank you
So delicious. Doesn’t need anything. Have made it multiple times and it’s perfect every time.
Excellent recipe for a cut of meat I never tried before. I added a square of 85% cacao to the sauce when I put it in the oven for added deliciousness.
I made this with elk shank in a slow cooker, turned out great, I used red wine instead of white
I used beef and elk, red wine and a little balsamic vinegar. Cooked on 300 degrees for about 4 hours.
I boil my red wine in the pot for a little bit to get rid of the raw wine flavor.
I substituted the dredging flour for a gluten-free blend and these were perfect for me!
Turned out well. Took almost 2 hours to braise. Glad I tried it. So easy!
It’s scrumptious delicious 😋 I add potato,also can’t go wrong every one 😋 loved it simplely out standing don’t need teeth to eat this beef
Amazing, added spices, garlic powder, rosemary, fennel seed, salt, pepper rubbed on before browning. This was the bomb!
I’m trying recipe for Braised Beef Shank tonite… ..