Crock Pot Braised Beef Shanks


Not sure where I originally found this one, if you know, drop it in the comments and I can update my page : )

Yield: Approximately 3 servings.

Click herefor estimated nutrition facts.

Ingredients

2 large grass-fed beef shanks (the ones I used were around 7-8oz each raw)
4 large cloves of garlic, smashed

a splash of red wine 
(or you can try balsamic or apple cider vinegar if you don’t want to use or don’t have red wine)
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Sea salt 
(I like Redmond Real Salt) to taste
cracked black pepper
 to taste
Homemade broth to cover the meat around 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up (roughly 1-3 cups depending on how much you fill your crockpot. I used chicken stock and it was still very cold so there are some chunks floating in the picture to the right.)

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
2-3 cups of raw kale, rinsed & roughly chopped
1/4 Tsp onion powder (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Preparation

  • Place all ingredients in your crock pot on low for around 4-6 hours until the meat is tender and falls apart easily with a fork.
  • When the meat is nearly done or is just keeping warm in the crockpot, place the coconut oil in to a large cast iron skillet and then cook the still-damp kale over medium heat until it’s softened. It’s okay to put the kale into the pan with some water on it so that the kale half steams and half sautées to cook.

Serve with gluten-free mustard mixed with horseradish and a side of raw sauerkraut to enjoy it as we did.

Variations

  • You can also braise lamb shanks with this method.
  • If you don’t want to use wine, try using some balsamic, apple cider  or red wine vinegar.
  • Add different aromatic herbs to the mix before cooking for a change of pace- cinnamon can be a fantastic and surprising flavor to add.
  • Add root vegetables to the pot to braise with the meat (be sure the liquid is covering everything 1/2-3/4 of the way up)