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1
Brown the Shank
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season the shank pieces with half the salt and the black pepper, then brown them in batches, about 4 minutes a side, until deep brown all over. Lift out and set aside.
Brown in batches and never crowd the pot — crowded meat steams grey instead of browning, and the crust is where the flavour lives.
Done when: Deep brown crust on all sides; the pot bottom is coated with browned bits.
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2
Build the Braising Liquid
10 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Lower the heat to medium, add half the sliced onion and cook 4 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, tomato paste and cumin and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and 1.2 litres of water, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Scraping up the browned bits — the fond — is the cheapest flavour in the pot. Do it properly before the meat goes back in.
Done when: The pot bottom is clean, the tomatoes are breaking down and the liquid is brick-red.
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3
Slow-Braise for Two Hours
2 Hours
Low heat, bare simmer ~95°C (203°F)
Return the shank to the pot with the bay leaves and the remaining salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook on the lowest heat for 2 hours, turning the meat once halfway. The meat must stay below a boil the whole time.
A bare simmer — a bubble breaking the surface every few seconds — is the whole secret. Boiling toughens shank instead of tenderising it.
Done when: The meat yields easily to a fork and the broth has turned silky.
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4
Add the Vegetables
30 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F); meat above 74°C (165°F)
Add the carrot, sweet potato and eggplant, with the remaining sliced onion, and simmer 30 minutes more until the vegetables are tender. The beef's internal temperature should be well above 74°C (165°F) — after 2 hours it will be, but check the thickest piece if you are unsure.
Add the vegetables late, not at the start — two and a half hours would turn sweet potato into soup.
Done when: Vegetables are tender, the meat slips from the bone, and the broth coats a spoon.
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5
Pull the Meat and Serve
10 Mins
Serving temperature, above 63°C (145°F)
Lift the shanks out, pull the meat from the bones in large pieces and return it to the pot. Fish out the bay leaves, stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt. Serve in wide bowls with the broth ladled over.
Taste the broth only after the lemon goes in — the acid changes the salt balance, and most stews need less salt than you think at this point.
Done when: Meat in tender pieces, broth balanced — savoury first, with a bright finish from the lemon.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Lift the shanks out, pull the meat from the bone in large pieces and return it to the pot. Taste and adjust the salt, stir in the lemon juice, and serve in wide bowls with steamed millet or rice and the cooking broth ladled over.
Chad
1h
France
Vietnam