An eye-catching haunch of beef on a big fat bone was staring at me behind glass in the butchery section of a fancy new supermarket. It called my name.
I had to cook this cut of meat. The great haunch staring at me was beef shin that had been chined so that a chunky section of its bone protruded proudly. It’s known as a Beef Hammer, for reasons that are obvious when you look at it. And it’s a winner.
The bone is abundant with marrow all the way through, and that is to be exploited for the punch of flavour it brings to a dish. And beef shin, though it is among the toughest of cuts, is packed with beefy flavour. So it demands a long, slow cook for the meat to become fall-off-the-bone tender and to accumulate all the flavour that will be your reward.
The size of the cut and the fact that it is tough dictates two things: that it must be cooked for a long time, at a low temperature, and that it needs to be entirely covered with liquid. The only suitable vessel was my heavy cast-iron Dutch oven but to fill it up enough to submerge the meat would require several litres.
I did not want to over flavour this shin, but rather to bring its own flavours to the fore. So I used a great quantity of beef stock (not too strong) after starting it off by frying some onion, carrot and celery with lots of garlic, very gently. The plan was first to get the beast tender, then to remove it from the pot and reduce the liquid down. With every minute of reduction, the flavours became more and more intense and wonderful.
Then, halfway through, I added black olives and the brine from their jar. That turned out to be the clincher. Best thing I’ve cooked this year by far and a contender for recipe of the year.
A good butcher will be able to prepare this cut of beef shin for you. Never be shy to ask; they’re creative people who like to please and to show us what they can do. Most butchers appreciate being asked for something specific. You could show them the photo above on your phone if they don’t know the cut. Then leave them time to do it while you do the rest of your shopping.
When I say it serves ...