Pork Shanks Recipes

BRAISED PORK SHANK

Steps:

• For the brine: Bring the water to a simmer in a large non-reactive pot. Turn off the heat and add salt, sugar, coriander, peppercorns, rosemary, bay leaf and garlic and bring to a simmer. Whisk until the salt and sugar is dissolved, and then let it cool in the fridge or an ice bath until the brine hits a temperature of 35 degrees F.
• Add the shanks to the cooled brine and weigh down with a plate to ensure that the shanks are completely submerged. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
• After brining, remove the shanks from the brining liquid to a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel to dry off a bit. Discard the brining liquid.
• For the braise: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil so that it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven or roasting pan completely. Put some flour in a shallow dish. Add a heavy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the flour and whisk to combine. Dredge the shanks in the flour, shaking off the excess, and add them to the pan. In order to get a nice even golden-brown sear, you don't want to overcrowd the pan. (Do this step in two batches if necessary.) Brown the shanks on all sides, a few minutes per side, then remove to a plate while you sear the rest.
• Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary and thyme with a large pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add the apple cider and reduce by half. Add half the chicken stock and bring the braising liquid up to a simmer. Taste it for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if necessary. Place the shanks back into the pan; the liquid should go about halfway up the shanks. If it does not, add the rest of the liquid until it reaches the desired half. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the meat is tender, about 200 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the shanks from the oven and carefully transfer the shanks to another large pan. Then strain the braising liquid over the shanks. Cool them in the liquid overnight in the refrigerator.
• The next day, reheat the shanks in their liquid. Then remove them to a large serving platter. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat.

CRISPY BRAISED PORK SHANKS

Steps:

• Coat a large pot or Dutch oven with peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, celery and onions. Cook until the vegetables are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shanks to the pot along with the salt, peppercorns, bay and thyme. Pour in the chicken broth and wine, then add enough water to just barely cover the shanks. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Remove the shanks from the pot and set on a wire rack over a sheet tray. Allow the shanks to drain and cool, 25 to 30 minutes. If you have time, you can also place the shanks in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours (this will really help dry the outsides of the shanks so that when you fry them they will get super crispy and also won't splatter as much).
• Pat the cooled and drained shanks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 3 inches of peanut oil in a deep, heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven or tall stock pot, to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, carefully add the shanks to the pot, skin-side down. Cover and leave slightly ajar until the oil settles. Cook, turning once, until the shanks are golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining shanks. Serve crispy fried pork shanks with the Fried Caper and Lemon Gremolata and chimichurri sauce if using.
• Place the golden raisins in a bowl of hot water with 1 tablespoon of the honey and gently squeeze them with the back of a spoon to plump them back up. Rehydrate for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 1/2-inch oil to 350 degrees F in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Fry the capers for 30 to 45 seconds. Drain and set aside.
• Combine the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, fried capers and raisins in a mixing bowl and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and set aside to allow the flavors to come together, 10 to 15 minutes.

PORK OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Salt and pepper both sides of pork shank sections.
• Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown pork until it gets a nice sear, 3 or 4 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate; reduce heat to medium. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot. Sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir until onions start to turn translucent. Add tomato paste; cook and stir until tomato paste starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour; stir for 2 minutes. Add white wine and raise heat to medium high.
• When sauce comes to a simmer, cook until sauce reduces slightly. Add bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and ground cloves. Add chicken stock and return to a simmer. Transfer pork back to pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring mixture to a very slow simmer. Cover and cook until fork tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Serve shanks with plenty of sauce, topped with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

SMOKED PORK SHANKS RECIPE

Steps:

• Begin by trimming your pork shanks with a sharp knife.
• This means removing any stray bits of meat, fat, silverskin, and bone from the outside to make the shape more uniform, potentially requiring a rinse under cold water at the end just to get any stray particles off.
• If desired, you could also cut off any skin left on the outside, though this will crisp up during cooking.
• If you do leave it on, make shallow cuts in a diamond pattern along the surface to create more surface area for browning and seasoning to adhere.
• Once trimmed, pat the shanks as dry as possible.
• Using the dry ingredients listed above, mix up a spice rub for your pork.
• Next, paint down your shanks with yellow mustard using a food safe brush, ensuring that each one is thoroughly coated in a thin layer.
• This gives the spices some extra help in sticking to the surface and provides more flavor as well as moisture.
• After slathering them with mustard, begin patting your seasoning into your pork shanks.
• Rub as much of the spice mixture into the meat as you can, making sure to work it into the cuts you made on the skin earlier and into any crevices in the meat.
• There's nothing worse than an under seasoned bite of otherwise delicious barbecue.
• Additionally, while the recipe calls for uncured shanks, you can get similar results with cured pork if you cut the salt by around half.
• When you've seasoned the pork as much as reasonably possible, wrap them in plastic wrap and set them in the fridge for at least twelve hours and up to a full day to give the spices time to penetrate the meat.
• Thirty minutes or so prior to cook time, take your shanks out of the fridge to give them a chance to warm up to room temperature.
• Blot the surfaces dry of any moisture that might have collected during this time, reasoning with a bit more spice if needed.
• You should also soak your wood chips in hot water if you're using them instead of chunks.
• Head outside and fill your smoker with plenty of charcoal.
• Light it and get the fire roaring before closing the lid and letting it burn down.
• If you're monitoring the temperature, you'll want to get things to around 300 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal smoking conditions.
• When the temperature is around where you want it to be, toss on some extra coals, add your wood, and fill the water tank, letting the heat and steam build up inside for another few minutes before you introduce the meat to the heat.
• With your smoker ready, you can confidently place on your meat and get to cooking.
• As always, smoking is a long cooking process, so don't expect things to be ready for quite some time.
• Your target temperature is around 190 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of each shank, so you can expect a wait time of around four hours at minimum.
• During this time, you'll want to monitor the amount of charcoal, wood, and water in your smoker, adding more of each as needed.
• Keep the temperature consist during these changes by adjusting your air vents, too.
• Additionally, to help add more flavor and keep the meat moist, spritz it down with some apple juice or apple cider every half hour or so during cooking.
• Work quickly to avoid letting out too much heat or smoke, though.
• After the meat hits that target temperature of 190, remove it from the smoker and wrap each shank in aluminum foil.
• Place the wrapped shanks into one or two clean towels and store everything inside a large cooler.
• This provides the perfect resting environment for your meat where it can finish cooking and reabsorb some of its delicious juices, making for a more tender and more flavorful bite.
• It also helps to keep everything piping hot after the hour or so it takes for a proper rest.
• The resting process is always a good way to get yourself ready for a great meal, so don't wait any longer.
• Dig into your delicious hot smoked pork shanks and taste the fruits of your labor in all their glory.

ROASTED PORK SHANKS

Steps:

• Put 4 large pork shanks into a large pot, and cover with brine solution made from 2 T salt per 1 quart of water. Leave in refrigerator overnight.
• Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with one layer of thickly sliced onions. Discard the brine that the pork shanks were soaking in and place the shanks on top of the layer of onions in your roasting pan. Season with garlic salt and pepper.
• Slow roast the pork shanks at 300 degrees until they are 160 degrees and very tender with a brown, crispy skin. This will take at least 3 - 5 hours depending on the size of the shanks that you use. Baste with a good amber or dark beer (not guiness) every 30 minutes. The drippings in the bottom of the pan make an excellent gravy!
• Serve with Spatzle and Red Cabbage for a great German meal!

OVEN ROASTED PORK SHANKS

Steps:

• combine 1/2 of marinate in a large zip lock bag. add shanks. massage, flip and coat shanks well. refrigerate over night.
• preheat oven to 325 degrees. place shanks on a large oven roasted pan. pour reserved marinate over roast and tent with aluminum foil. bake for 4 hours. baste during the baking time...add a little water to pan jucies while basting. the last 30 minutes un-tent and allow skins to crisp up. shanks are done when juices run clear and meat is tender. allow to rest before slicing.