Beef Shank

Beef shank is the lower leg portion of the cow. It contains dense muscles and abundant connective tissue that break down into gelatin during long cooking, yielding a silky, beefy broth and tender meat. Best suited to moist heat methods like braising and pressure cooking, it is sold as whole shanks or cross-cut rounds often with a marrow bone center.

Cooks across Europe and Asia developed shank dishes to make use of this hardworking cut, from Chinese red-braised beef shank to Vietnamese noodle soups. Italian ossobuco traditionally uses veal shank, but beef shank is a common, economical alternative in many regions.