RCP: Braised Beef Shanks with Warm Spices

A Portuguese Azorean dish from the Hotel do Colégio on the island of Sao Miguel.

Braised Beef Shanks with Warm Spices
Serves 4

1 tsp. black peppercorns, cracked
1 tsp. whole Allspice Berries
6 whole cloves
Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
Two Turkish Bay Leaves
Tie these into a cheesecloth pouch, set aside.

A six ounce chunk of slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 thick center-cut beef shanks (about 3 1/2 lbs total)
Kosher salt and freshly gr. black pepper
Olive oil, if needed
2 large yellow onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups beef stock or store-bought low-sodium broth
2 cups dry red wine
2 Tablespoons dark molasses

Heat a large oven-proof pot with a tight fitting lid over medium-low heat, until hot. Add the bacon and render the fat and crisp the meaty bits, about 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Raise the heat to medium-high, season the shanks well with salt and pepper and sear until very brown, about 5 min. per side. Don't skimp-deep browning gives the dish more flavor. Transfer to plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium, add oil if needed and cook onions until softened, add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Heat over to 350°

Add the stock, wine, molasses, and 1 tsp. salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, return bacon, beef , and any accumulated juices to the pot and nestle in the spice pouch.

Cover and braise the beef in the oven, turning several times until fork tender, 3 1/2 to four hours.

Discard any rubbery bits still clinging to the meat and toss out the spice pouch. If necessary, reduce the cooking liquid over high heat to about 1 1/2 cups. Skim fat from the sauce and season with slat and pepper to taste.

Divide the meat, and bones with marrow among four bowls and ladle the sauce on top. This is nice served over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

**My Notes...not long after you put this into the oven, you begin to smell the warm spices. It soon fills up your whole house with the lovely smell.
This is from "The New Portuguese Table " which has many of the foods my Portuguese grandmother used to make.

[Jenise]

Boy does that sound good, Karen--I could eat a bowl for breakfast. And I think I'd want it on rice.

Yep, we had it on Jasmine rice. I actually had a little cilantro pesto type sauce left over from another dish, and I threw that into the rice. Gene really likes it, it was very tasty with the beef shanks. I'm so ready for fall cooking and we are looking at triple digits for this week.

And I think I'd want it on rice.

I think I'd want it slightly shredded over papperdelle.

Now, please!

Yum! That's on the list for the next not-too-hot day. (With mashed potatoes!)

Ah, don't wait for the next cool day...you are cooler than we are Mike. It was mid-90's yesterday. The smells from the warm spices made it all worthwhile and I woke up in the middle of the night and could still smell them. However, it would be nice on the fist rainy day!

Yep, we had it on Jasmine rice. I actually had a little cilantro pesto type sauce left over from another dish, and I threw that into the rice. Gene really likes it, it was very tasty with the beef shanks. I'm so ready for fall cooking and we are looking at triple digits for this week.

But Karen, are you ready for WINTER cooking. I will do even more on the grill in the fall, but I am not a fan of Kentucky winters? DO you even have winter out there in NoCal?

But Karen, are you ready for WINTER cooking. I will do even more on the grill in the fall, but I am not a fan of Kentucky winters? DO you even have winter out there in NoCal?

/ Am I ready for winter cooking? Oh yes....summer is very long inland in No.CA. We are very different than So. CA. Have you heard of Mount Shasta? It is 90 minutes from us and over 14,000 ft. tall. Just 20 minutes from us, the I-5 is closed several times each winter for hours or even a day or two with snow. No one goes through, not even truckers. We are inland and have temps into the twenties for days....we loose plants, and if not careful and proactive, water pipes freeze. However, for the most part, our winters are mild, with days of extremes. No. CA has four seasons, and that is why we love it. Also, just three hours away is the Pacific Ocean, so you see, how diverse we are.

We are still grilling, and doing the fresh tomato, cucumber, zucchini, peaches, berries, but days are getting shorter, dog is snuggling in more at night, the cat is screaming for more food and the birds are coming into our feeders and eating to fatten up. I can't wait for a fire, a good book and a dog on my lap! Oh, and my braiser happily cooking in the oven.