Chinese Braised Beef Shank is a traditional cold sliced beef dish that’s often found as an appetizer at Chinese banquet-style dinners. It’s great on its own or garnished with some sesame seeds and chopped scallion. Oh yeah, and this is also one of our “Cooking with Grandma” recipes, so it’s totally coming from a reputable source.
It’s also lovely in noodle soups. Just boil up some rice noodles, heat up some chicken stock with a few slices of ginger, get yourself some raw bean sprouts, thinly sliced onion, chopped scallion, lime wedges, fresh cilantro and thai basil, and throw this beef into the bowl.
Voila! You’ve got a pretty good mash-up: Chinese braised beef shank in a Vietnamese pho. Add some Sriracha to the mix, and you’ve got a party.
Just an idea.
…a really good idea.
You should totes do it.
Just sayin’.
Moving on.
Recipe Instructions
First, you’re going to want to trim the excess fat off the beef. Just carefully slide your knife across the meat, pulling up the fat as you go. Here’s a photo of the process, as demonstrated by Grandma. Look at that expert skill!
Then cut the shank into two to three 1 lb. chunks. This’ll make it easier to fit all the meat into the smaller pot that we plan to use. You don’t want to use a pot that’s too deep or wide for this recipe, since you want the meat to be submerged as much as possible by the braising liquid.
Boil a pot of water and boil the beef for about 8 minutes. This mellows out the flavor and gets rid of any excess fat or other impurities.
Drain and rinse the meat.
Put the boiled beef shanks in a small, deep saucepan over medium-low heat and add the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, dried red chili, rock sugar, and Chinese cinnamon.
Make sure the meat is all coated in the sauce, rolling it around in the pot for a few minutes.
Add enough water to submerge the meat about 2/3 of the way (you may need more or less depending on the size and shape of your pot). Turn the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Every 30 minutes or so, uncover the pot and flip over the meat. This ensures that the marinade distributes evenly.
Turn off the heat and allow the meat to sit in the covered pot for about 2 hours, turning once again halfway through the cooling process.
Then allow the meat to cool completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. This is a crucial step, as it allows you to slice the beef without it falling apart later. (Don’t worry. This will alllll be worth it in the end).
Take it out of the pot, slice it thinly, and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
See?
Glorious.
Chinese Braised Beef Shank
Ingredients
- 2-2/12 pounds boneless beef shank (about 1 kg)
- ½ cup shaoxing wine
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 7 pieces star anise
- 1 dried red chili (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick (Chinese cinnamon/ceylon preferred)
Instructions
- Trim the excess fat off the beef and cut the shank into two to three 1 lb. chunks. Boil a pot of water and boil the beef for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse the meat.
- Put the boiled beef shanks in a small, deep saucepan over medium-low heat and add the wine, 2 kinds of soy sauce, star anise, chili, rock sugar, and cinnamon.
- Make sure the meat is all coated in the sauce, rolling it around in the pot for a few minutes.
- Add enough water to submerge the meat about 2/3 of the way (you may need more or less depending on the size and shape of your pot). Turn the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Every 30 minutes or so, uncover the pot and flip over the meat. This ensures that the marinade distributes evenly.
- Turn off the heat and allow the meat to sit in the covered pot for about 2 hours, turning once again halfway through the cooling process.
- Then allow the meat to cool completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Take it out of the pot, slice it thinly, and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Hi Sarah, this recipe brings back so much memory for me. My mom would make this dish along with others in preparation for Vietnamese New Year when we were still in Saigon, VietNam. It is great sliced and serve with steamed rice, cucumber or tuck into a baguette with pickle and all the fixing just like banh mi. Last but not least, I love your blog and all the bloggers that contribute to this blog.
Hi Ann, all the bloggers on this blog are family members, two parents and 2 daughters. Thank you for your love and support.
Thank you so much, Ann! So glad to hear this recipe brings back memories. :)
so ah… will there be any liquid left after 2 hours? and if so what can you do with the leftover braising liquid?
the pics look gorgeous btw..
Hi Sisca, you can freeze the leftover braising liquid for next time. You can also use it as a sauce base in stir-fries.
Thank you for sharing. I made this recipe a few days ago. It’s not exactly like my mom’s, but pretty tasty. I’d definitely make again.
Thank you for your approval, Susan!
Thanks for the recipe- looks very appetizing and not to complicated, but a bit surprised no ginger is called for in this rendition.
Hi Fred, feel free to add 2 to 3 slices of ginger.
I have a question about the blanching process: I want to make a beef stock from beef bones, etc. Shall I blanch th beef bones first? The recipes I found states to roast the bones first then proceed with the stock making. It doesn’t mention anything about blanching. However, I notice most Chinese recipes blanch the beef first. What does blanch do exactly? Would it weak the flavor of the stock since the blanched water is to be thrown out. Thank you!
Hi Lu, all these are very good questions. The main purpose of blanching the meat is to get rid of any excess blood and impurities. If you are making beef stock, I suggest that you follow the recipe and roast the bones, because like you said, the blanching water gets thrown out and it will “weaken” the flavor. I did the same thing when I made the stock for Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup.
I have done this type of beef in my slow cooker which is much easier than having to turn the beef in the pot. As long as the meat is submerged, it seems to turn out the same.
Hi Pat, yes, you are right! A slow cooker is great to use for this recipe.
How long do you cook this in a slow cooker? Thanks.
Hi Steph, I am sorry, I don’t cook with a slow cooker, so I don’t have much experience!
My girlfriend is from Guangzhou and I’m alway’s looking for new recipes to make her at least eat like she’s back home. I’ve been looking for a new way to cook beef shank’s instead of in a stew, and I thank you for making such a ascetically pleasing blog! Is this traditionally eaten cold? I saw someone post tin he comment section saying he would serve it luke warm and I was just curious. This is going to be the main course in tonight’s dinner and would prefer to serve it the same way they do in China. Does your family plan on doing some YouTube video’s to accompany these recipes? I typically do a video search, but luckily today I happened to do a Google search and found your blog.
HI Joe, This dish is traditionally served cold but you can also eat it warm or hot as well. Personally, I like it warm because of the soft and juicy texture. The good thing about eating it cold is that there is no pressure to get other elements of the dinner together to serve it all hot. Also eating it the next day cold has its own merits!
I just love this recipe! And I really love your blog! I found you via Pinterest and I just had to come past to let you know that. I love cooking Asian dishes and look forward to some amazing inspirational dishes. Thank you again and keep up the beautiful work
Thanks so much for commenting. Each and every comment we get just makes our day a little brighter. : ) Keep on keepin’ on with your blog as well!
I say forget the cooling process. It is totally awesome sliced and eaten warm about halfway through the cooling process – just heavenly!
Ooh how I love the flavours of Chinese braising. Fanned across a bowl of steaming noodles…drooling already!
Totally in agreement! Thanks Irina. Now I have a major craving for noodles.