Fennel & Orange Braised Beef Shank

To braise meat means to first brown in fat, then simmer in a small quantity of liquid in a tightly covered vessel, at a low temperature for a long time preferably with rough and tough cuts of meat. When meat is cooked slow and low the collagen, which would be tough if cooked improperly, dissolves and melts into gelatin creating fall of the bone, nutrient dense, tender meat with a remarkably smooth rich sauce. For this recipe we use a beef shank, which includes a lovely-buttery marrow bone.

When you cook meat on the bone you infuse the meat with the nutrients from the bone, ad well as complex flavors that would be otherwise hard to accomplish. Braising is a low maintenance meal because you simple mix your aromatics with your stock, brown the meat and let the oven do the work, the best part is these cuts of meat are affordable and will fill your home with an intoxicating aroma. This recipe for Fennel + Orange Braised Beef shank is especially wonderful in the cooler winter months. I always pair braised meat with some kind of mash to catch the bone broth reduction, so that not a single morsel is wasted.

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Active time: 35 minutes - Total time: 4-5 hours / Serves 4

ingredients

• 4 GRASS FED BEEF SHANKS
• 1 ½ CUP BEEF OR CHICKEN BONE BROTH
• ½ CUP ORGANIC RED WINE
• ½ TEASPOON OF BLACK PEPPERCORNS
• 1 LARGE ORANGE, JUICED
• 3 CLOVES OF GARLIC
• 1 FENNEL BULB, CUT INTO 1/8 WEDGES
• 1 YELLOW ONION, CUT INTO 1/8 WEDGES
• 2 LARGE CARROTS, QUARTERED
• 2 TABLESPOONS OF GHEE (TALLOW, LARD, OR DUCK FAT WILL ALSO WORK) SALT TO TASTE

method

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Using a medium sized bowl, combine bone broth, and orange juice. Set aside. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven. The pot should be very hot, but be careful not to let the fat smoke.

Pat the shanks dry, and season them with salt and pepper. Place the shanks into the hot fat to sear the outside until they have caramelized. Rotate the shank until all sides are a golden brown. Remove the meat from the pot and place on a plate nearby.

Reduce heat and carefully add the carrots, onion, and fennel. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes until they start to caramelize.

Add the garlic the last 30 seconds or so, stir into the vegetable mixture. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then add the broth and orange juice mixture.

Return the shanks to the pot, cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours. The shanks are finished when the meat falls away from the bones.

Bone Broth Reduction Sauce (optional)

Remove shanks from the pot, and place on a clean plate. Strain remaining contents, and discard the vegetables. Pour the liquid into a gravy separator.

Return the liquid back into the dutch oven over high heat. Be careful not to pour the fat layer back in.

Reduce until the sauce is thick, and clings to the back of your spatula. Finish with a pat of butter and crème fraîche, or heavy cream.

Pour over meat, and serve.

Want to learn how to make your own bone broth?

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