My bone-in beef shank recipe is easy and delicious! Baked in the oven with potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables, the braising liquid tenderizes the meat and softens the marrow until it’s fork tender. The braising liquid is flavored with Worcestershire sauce and red wine, giving it an umami flavor that brings out the beefiness even more. And since this dish includes both meat and vegetables, it’s a one-pan meal that’s sure to please everyone. If you want to learn how to make my bone-in beef shank recipe in the oven, follow my step-by-step directions and watch the video below!
Bone-In Beef Shank Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs bone-in beef shanks (I used 2.5 pounds / 3 shanks)
- 3-3.5 lbs vegetables (I used baking potatoes, Vidalia onions, red onions, celery, and carrot)
- 2-3 cups vegetable stock (I used 2.5 cups)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1 oz packet onion soup mix
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 small bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- *about 2-3 teaspoons of oil for searing the shanks
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and butter a 9×13 baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brown the beef shanks for about 3–5 minutes per side on medium or medium-high heat, then transfer them to the prepared baking dish. (This step is optional but recommended for deeper flavor.)
- Deglaze the skillet by pouring in the red wine and then scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir the onion soup mix into the red wine until combined, then turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
- Slice the potatoes into rounds and then half-circles. Slice the onions and celery. Arrange the vegetables around the beef shanks in a single layer. Do not stack them or completely cover the meat, as this helps them cook evenly.
- Tuck the garlic cloves and bay leaves into open spaces around the meat and vegetables.
- Pour the red wine and onion soup mixture evenly over the beef and vegetables.
- Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce over the top of the beef shanks and vegetables.
- Sprinkle the meat and vegetables with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Pour in the vegetable stock (and a little water if needed), aiming for about 2½ cups total liquid. The liquid should almost cover the shanks or just barely cover the tops.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 2 hours. Do not disturb while it braises.
- Remove the dish from the oven after 2 hours and baste the shanks and vegetables with the braising liquid.
- Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 40 minutes to reduce the liquid and crisp the vegetables. Begin preparing rice or your preferred side dish during this time.
- Turn off the oven and let the dish rest 20 minutes in the oven before removing.
- Serve the shanks and enjoy.
Recipe Review
My bone-in beef shank recipe in the oven was a big success—the meat was tender and the marrow soft, enough to cut into it with a fork or spoon. The vegetables were perfect as well, the potatoes pillowy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The onions, carrots, and celery were great as well, the combination of texture and flavor being perfect. The braising liquid was the most important part of this dish, the umami taste taking the beef flavor to the next level and making the meat fork-tender.
Although there was plenty of meat and vegetables in this 9×13 dish, you could argue that the best part was the bone marrow. Since the shanks were braised the marrow was soft but not totally melted, preserving a special treat for you to enjoy. The silky texture and unique flavor is very memorable, so if you’ve never had it before, you’ll have to give it a try.
And best of all, once you put this dish together, you can put it in the oven and basically forget about it. Even though you do have to baste it once at the 2-hour mark, it’s very much a hands-off recipe, allowing you to do things like laundry or cleaning while lunch or dinner bakes and braises in the oven.
Overall, this bone-in beef shank recipe was absolutely fantastic. Even though it would be great as a one-pan dinner, I highly suggest serving it with rice, polenta, or even mashed potatoes to soak up the braising liquid—it’s full of flavor, so you don’t want to waste it. And don’t forget some bread to spread the bone marrow on–it’s one of the best parts of this dish!
Bone-In Beef Shank Recipe FAQs
Take a look at these answers to frequently asked questions to get a deeper understanding of this recipe:
A beef shank is a cross-section of a cow’s leg. Almost always sold bone-in, they have plenty of collagen and connective tissues, as well as marrow in the middle of the bone. Although shanks have a lot of beef flavor, this cut has a reputation for being tough, but if cooked properly, it tenderizes nicely.
Braising is the best method. Cook the shanks in enough liquid to almost cover them—either on the stovetop or in the oven—so the collagen breaks down, the meat becomes tender, and the marrow softens. I baked mine in a 9×13 dish with vegetables, and it turned out absolutely incredible.
Beef shanks have a deep, beefy flavor that’s often described as slightly earthy or gamey, likely because they’re from a part of the cow that’s constantly moving. Old-fashioned southern cooks often say that the flavor is similar to oxtails, so if you’re a fan of those, you’ll probably like shanks as well.
It takes about 3 hours of cooking in the oven to tenderize beef shanks to the point of being fork-tender. Even if braised in a pot or boiled in water, 3 hours of cooking on medium heat (350F or medium/medium-high heat on the stove) is needed to soften the collagen and connective tissue completely.
Beef shanks are great with rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, or even crusty bread to soak up the flavorful braising liquid. Vegetables from the pan can also be served alongside the meat. In Italian, Argentinian, and Uruguayan cuisine, polenta is a common side dish for beef shanks as well.
The most important ingredient in this recipe is actually TIME! Not only do the beef shanks need time to tenderize, but also the flavors need to marry and the liquid needs to reduce. Thankfully, it’s 3 hours of mostly hand-off cook time, so you can do other things while your dinner is in the oven.
Worcestershire sauce is key to this recipe because the umami flavor really brings out the beef flavor in the shanks. It’s a great flavor enhancer in other recipes as well, so give it a try in meat loaf, hamburgers, and other recipes.
Beef shanks are often used in soups, stews, and braises, including the Italian (and Argentinian/Uruguayan) osso buco, Mexican caldo de res soup, Filipino bufalo soup, and many more!
Yes! It works especially well in soups and stews. In fact, my beef shank vegetable soup turned out great—it added a depth of flavor that you can’t get with ground beef. Just make sure that your recipe includes 3 hours of cook time.
If you don’t see beef shank at your local grocer, check meat markets or butcher shops. This cut of meat is popular in many Latin and Asian cuisines, so supermarkets that cater to those cuisines would be good places to find it as well.
Other Beef Recipes:
If you love this recipe, here are some more you might like as well:
Beef Shank Vegetable Soup – My version of this old-fashioned southern classic uses frozen vegetables to make it easy.
Mississippi Pot Roast – Ranch dressing mix and pepperoncini pepper juice give this southern classic a tangy flavor.
