This is how to cook beef shank with bone on the stove in a rich tomato sauce packed with onions and garlic. If you loved our slow cooker Ossobuco Beef this is another way to make them fork tender fall off of the bone delicious.
What are beef shanks?
These are flavorful and relatively cheap cut of meat that comes from the lower leg of the cow. They offer a rich, beefy flavor that work well slow cooked in a pan so the meat pulls away from the bone and shreds easily. With our sauce it makes for one of the best dishes we have made in a while.
In this case we are not cooking the whole thing, that would take much longer. If you did want such a large roast of sorts you would need to follow the steps in How to Cook Pork Shank which is quite similar. Slices this way give you the same flavors but cooked quickly (or relatively so).
Sliced pieces pair well with a variety of seasonings such as garlic, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, red wine, and beef broth. These ingredients can be used to create delicious braises, stews, soups, and tacos like we do with Oxtails on the Stove.
Ingredient Notes
We will show you how to cook 2 medium sized beef shanks which fit snuggly in our large pan. You could use a Dutch Oven to make this too and fit one more probably.
Olive oil will allow you to sear and brown both sides before you slow cook them to get that rich flavor. Avocado oil would work too.
You want some All purpose flour or cornstarch is used to coat the meat to thicken the sauce and get a great outer texture.
An onion diced fine will add flavor and a bit of texture you’ll love. And I mean we add minced Garlic to everything so to me that cannot be skipped to amp up the flavors.
Tomato paste will give it that rich flavor and make the sauce thicker too, with diced tomatoes (I use canned with the juices, petite version) to create more texture with chunks of veggies in there.
Beef broth is better than water, even wine could be used half and half for added richness.
Variations and Substitutions
You could add bay leaves into the pot too if you wanted to. Always make sure you remove those at the end of course before serving. Diced carrots and/or celery are a good addition if you want more veggies, add with your onions if you wish.
There is plenty of liquid left in the pan you can use to drizzle on the shredded beef once removed but if you wanted more, or to make them spicy I would make our Birria Sauce. OH Yes.
How to Cook Beef Shank on Stove Top
Put flour on a plate. Blot meat with paper towels, sprinkle salt, pepper and coriander on both sides. (or seasonings of your choice) Cover outsides in flour or cornstarch can be used. Fry on both sides just to lightly brown, then transfer meat to a plate and deglaze (scrape off browned bits that may have become stuck).
Place any diced vegetables you like in the skillet to soften. Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes and broth (or use white wine) to the pan. Stir and wait 2 minutes. Place thyme and fried shanks in the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer to break down connective tissues until tender.
How do you know when beef shank is done?
Test with a fork. If it easily pulls away and shreds with very little effort you know it is done. If there is any effort to do so it needs more time. No need to rest, just serve with the sauce from the pan.
Beef Shank with Bone Recipe
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 plate
Ingredients
- 2 slices beef shanks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour, or cornstarch
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced, optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, canned
- 2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Put flour on a plate. Blot meat with paper towels, sprinkle salt, pepper and coriander on both sides. Cover beef shanks in flour.
- Set skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil or any other oil, fry the shanks on both sides for 4 minutes each side, then turn the heat to low. Transfer meat to a plate.
- Place onions, carrots and garlic in the skillet. Fry for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring until they begin to soften.
- Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes and broth to the pan. Stir and wait 2 minutes. Place thyme and fried shanks in the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, then turn over and continue simmering for another hour or until tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Serve Beef Shank Marrow
If you have never had the middle of beef bones before it can be quite delicious. You may or may not have some present in the center. If you do it will cook along with everything else in the sauce and get almost as tender as our Instant Pot Beef Bone Marrow. You can enjoy as is with the meat, or spread on bread on the side. 😉
How to Make Beef Shank Tacos
Once cooked, this osso buco recipe can be served in a variety of ways. It’s delicious served with mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread to soak up the flavorful juices. You can also shred the meat and use it as a filling for tacos, sandwiches, beef shank stew or pasta dishes.
Yes this may be more unusual than using another cut or ground beef but try it!! I did this before when I made Cow Tongue Tacos and didn’t tell anyone what was inside. 😉 They actually thought it was so delicious. I kept the secret to myself except later when I told my husband and he was super surprised but said I should make them again.
We also show you How to Cook Beef Shin which this is also called many times will use one of the two.
