The beef shank is the leg portion of a
steer Steer, Steers or Steering may refer to:
Animals
* Steer or bullock, castrated male cattle
* Ox, a steer used as a draft animal
People
* Steer (surname)
* Steers (surname)
Places
* Steer Creek (West Virginia), a tributary of the Little ...
or
heifer. In the UK, the corresponding
cuts of beef
During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work ...
are the shin (the foreshank), and the leg (the hindshank).
Due to the constant use of this
muscle by the animal, it tends to be tough, dry, and sinewy, so is best when cooked for a long time in moist heat. It is an ideal cut to use for
beef bourguignon
Beef bourguignon () or bœuf bourguignon (; ), also called beef Burgundy, and ''bœuf à la Bourguignonne'',''Random House Dictionary'online at dictionary.com/ref> is a French beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, ty ...
. As it is very lean, it is widely used to prepare very low-fat
ground beef. Due to its lack of sales, it is not often seen in shops. However, if found in retail, it is very cheap and a low-cost ingredient for beef
stock. Beef shank is a common ingredient in
soups.
Accessed on 25 May 2008.
/ref>
In Australia, it is commonly sold from butchers as ''gravy beef'' for bone-less shanks or as '' osso buco'' with bone-in.
In Asia, braised beef shank is very popular.
See also
* List of steak dishes
This is a list of steak dishes. Steak is generally a cut of beef sliced perpendicular to the muscle fibers, or of fish cut perpendicular to the spine. Meat steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled, while fish steaks may also be bake ...
References
Cuts of beef
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