Beef Shin Gravy

Shin is the most collagen rich cut on the animal and it is sold with the bone right through the middle, which is exactly what you want. Braise it slowly and the connective tissue melts into the liquid, so the gravy thickens itself. The meat is a stew for the next day and the gravy is the point.

Ingredients

Makes about 550ml, plus 800g of braised shin

• 1.3kg (3lb) bone in beef shin cut into 4cm thick rounds
• 2 tbsp beef dripping
• 2 onions diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 sticks celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 250ml (9fl oz) red wine
• 1 litre (1.75 pints) beef stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 strip orange peel no white pith
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Heavy casserole with a lid
• Tongs
• Fine sieve
• Wide reduction pan

Method

1. Season the shin rounds well and let them sit for 20 minutes so the salt draws moisture and then reabsorbs. Pat them dry, because a wet surface will steam instead of searing.

2. Heat the dripping in a heavy casserole until it shimmers and brown the shin rounds hard, 4 minutes each side, until a deep crust forms. Do them in two batches with space between. This crust is the entire foundation of the gravy's colour.

3. Lift the meat out, drop the heat and cook the onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 10 minutes until soft and browning. Stir in the tomato purée and cook it out for 2 minutes.

4. Pour in the wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half while scraping the base clean.

5. Return the shin, add the stock so it comes about three quarters of the way up the meat rather than covering it, then add the bay, thyme and orange peel. A partial cover concentrates the braising liquid rather than diluting it.

6. Lid on, into a 150C fan oven (170C conventional, gas 3) for 3.5 to 4 hours. It is ready when a fork goes into the meat with no resistance and the marrow has melted out of the bones into the sauce.

7. Lift out the meat and the bones. Strain the liquid, pressing the vegetables lightly, then let it stand 15 minutes and spoon the fat off the top.

8. Reduce the strained liquor in a wide pan to about 550ml, roughly 15 minutes. It will thicken to a glossy coating consistency on its own from the gelatine alone, no flour needed. Taste, season and serve. Shred the meat back into it if you want a stew, or keep the two separate.

Tips worth knowing

• Buy shin on the bone. Boneless shin is still good meat but you lose the marrow and about a third of the gelatine that makes the sauce set.
• Do not cover the meat completely with stock. Half to three quarters up gives you a concentrated braising liquor rather than a thin soup you then have to boil for an hour.
• Make it the day before. Chilled overnight the fat comes off cleanly and the flavour is noticeably better.
• The strip of orange peel is not a garnish. It brightens a very heavy braise and most people cannot identify it, they just say the gravy tastes better.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps five days in the fridge, setting to a firm jelly, and freezes for six months. Reheat gently with a splash of water, whisking as it loosens.

Questions people ask