by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: December 23, 2009

How to cook shin of beef is sadly something which a great many people never bother to establish. This is for two principal reasons. The first reason is purely psychological in that people believe that because shin of beef is one of the most inexpensive cuts of beef one can buy, it naturally follows that it be of considerably inferior quality. The second reason is that to the ill-informed or uninitiated, shin of beef - with its thick, intense marbling - looks unattractive and unappetising.

The reality is that shin of beef - which can be purchased for a tiny fraction of the price of quality steak - can be just as tasty and tender as the finest fillet or sirloin of steak if it is cooked in the correct fashion. This is indeed quite a statement to make but if one follows the precise details below for how to cook shin of beef, the results will speak for themselves.

In order to cook shin of beef stew for two people, one will require half a pound of shin of beef (cut in to one inch pieces), a little flour, one tbsp of sunflower oil, two large potatoes, one large onion, one large carrot, one large parsnip, a generous pinch of dried thyme, two pints of fresh beef stock and up to a pint of boiling water. The seasoning of the stew with salt and freshly ground black pepper should be performed immediately prior to serving. This is because salt serves to draw moisture from food - particularly meat - and is the last effect one wishes to create when cooking a meat so potentially tough as shin of beef.

The shin of beef should be dusted in a little flour and the sunflower oil added to a large stew pot or pan. When the sunflower oil has been brought up to a medium heat, the shin of beef should be added and quickly browned, stirring constantly with a wooded spoon. The beef stock and thyme should be added at that stage and brought up to a simmer. The stew should be left to simmer in this way for at least two hours, the liquid level being checked occasionally.

After two hours, most of the cooking liqueur will have evaporated. The vegetables should then be peeled and chopped in to bite-sized chunks and added to the stew, along with enough boiling water to ensure all the solids are submerged. The stew should then be simmered for a further half hour before being seasoned and served with some crusty fresh bread a glass apiece of quality Australian Shiraz.

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