Slow Braised Beef Shin with Ginger & Soy

Another recipe taken from River Cottage Every Day. I've actually made a heavily tampered with version of this before, for friends, but decided this time I would stay true to the original recipe.

Shin is a fantastic cut in my opinion. It is cheap, due to the fact that it is also the driest, toughest cut of beef but it is perfectly suited to long and slow braising in liquid where it becomes deliciously flavoursome and meltingly tender. It is the sinewy bits in the cut that melt into the sauce adding extra flavour and richness while also accounting for the full-bodied almost gelatinous texture of the meat so don't be tempted to trim them off.


Shin of Beef with Ginger & Soy
Serves 2

1 tbsp groundnut oil
600 - 750g beef shin, cut into 2cm thick slices
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
thumb sized lump of ginger, thinly sliced
1.5 tbsp tart fruit jam or jelly - I used Swedish cloudberry jam but redcurrant would work well
75ml soy sauce
200ml apple juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 long red chilli
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 140C.

Season the chunks of meat with salt and pepper and heat the oil in a heavy bottomed casserole. Brown the pieces of meat, in batches, on all sides, setting each batch to one side as you go.

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and ginger slices, cooking gently until they are softened but not coloured.

Add in the jam and soy sauce, mixing together then add the meat on top. Try as far as possible to keep the meat in a single layer then pour in enough apple juice to barely cover the meat.

Finally add the vinegar, whole chilli and some freshly ground black pepper before covering and putting  in the oven for at least 3 hours until the meat is completely tender.

Serve with some noodles and greens sautéed with a touch of garlic and sesame oil.

The ginger and garlic slices should be eaten with the meat - as for the chilli, discard or eat depending on your preference and how brave you are feeling!