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Crockpot Beef Shank

Crockpot Beef Shank Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 380
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs bone-in cross-cut beef shanks
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced into ½-inch rounds
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ½ cup dry red wine (or extra broth)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (optional)

Method
 

  1. Pat shanks dry, season with salt and pepper. Sear in oil over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Do in batches.
  2. In the same pan over medium heat, cook onion, carrots, and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, stir 1 minute. Deglaze with wine, scraping up browned bits, then transfer to slow cooker.
  3. Place shanks in slow cooker, pour vegetable mixture over. Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low 8–9 hours or high 5–6 hours, until meat shreds easily.
  4. Remove shanks, discard bay leaves, shred meat. Skim fat from liquid. If using, whisk cornstarch slurry into liquid and cook on high uncovered 15–20 minutes until thickened. Return meat to gravy, ladle over your choice of base.

Notes

The gravy will continue to thicken slightly as it sits, so pull it when it just coats the back of a spoon. Leftovers taste even better the next day, and you can lift the solidified fat off the surface before reheating.