Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef shanks
- 2 tbsp bacon drippings (or olive oil)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped) Thyme
- 1 tbsp oregano, dried
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 15 oz canned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olives, green or ripe, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup beef or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup red or white wine
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional thickener)
Instructions
- Let shanks sit at room temperature for 30 min, pat dry.
- Heat oil to medium high and sear shanks in bacon drippings or olive oil, 3 minutes on each side or until crusting forms. Don’t crowd in pan or they won’t brown properly. Do one at a time if they are large. Set aside in bowl to capture any beef juice.
- Saute the Holy Trinity (onions, carrots, celery), 4 cloves of chopped garlic, and green pepper until onions are soft, scraping pan to loosen any bits of beef.
- Stir in thyme, oregano, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, olives, stock, wine, Worcestershire Sauce, ground pepper, and any juice from browned shanks.
- Submerge beef shanks in vegetables and broth and cook in pressure cooker on high one hour, or in slow cooker 8 hours, or in dutch oven at 350*F for 4 hours.
- Check meat – it should be off the bone and fall-apart tender. If not, cook a little longer.
- Thicken broth if desired, by mixing corn starch with water, stirring into hot broth, and allowing to cool slightly.
- Prepare traditional Italian topping (“gremolata”) by mincing remaining garlic cloves, mixing with lemon zest and parsley, and sprinkling mixture on top as served.
This recipe was provided by Alex Miller, PhD. Alex describes himself as a flash flight farmer. He works during the day as a business farmer at the University of Tennessee and farms during nights and on weekends at Lick Skillet Farm. He’s a seventh generation farm with a farm located in the foothills of East Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. Lick Skillet practices regenerative agriculture and raises grass fed beef & lamb pasture raised chicken & pork.