Shin of Beef Casserole

Andrew's Quality Butchers
Shin of Beef Casserole
Shin of Beef Casserole
March 1, 2018 Team

Shin of Beef Casserole

(Serves 2 for 2-3 meals,  or 4-6 in one sitting)

I always used to wince when I was a child and my mum said casserole was for dinner, but I’ve since grown to love making my own beef casseroles, discovering different beef cuts that are perfect for slow cooking. Chuck and shoulder steak is what is cut and sold on the counter as casserole steak which takes around two hours to cook in the oven, but Andrew has since introduced me to feather blade (apparently my Grandfather’s favourite) and shin of beef which I’ve used today.

As you can see from the picture it is a complex, textured muscle and because of this it needs longer cooking. I found 4-5 hours is sufficient. If you are patient, this cut really is worth the wait, as the gelatinous membrane that patterns the meat breaks down and adds amazing flavour and texture to the sauce. The casserole is particularly nice eaten the next day reheated, but still delicious on the day. Using a tin of chopped and peeled tomatoes adds a special something to the sauce.

You will need:

1 kg shin of beef (ask the butcher to dice if you don’t have a sharp knife) | one onion diced | 2- 3 carrots chopped | 3 garlic cloves- left whole, peeled | fresh bay leaves and sprigs of thyme | tin of peeled and chopped tomatoes | tablespoon of flour (optional) | 1l boiling water and stock cube |

How to

– In a heavy casserole dish, brown off the meat, if using sprinkle over flour and continue to stir- this should help thicken the sauce later
-Add the other ingredients, stir and add hot water from the kettle, covering everything, and adding a stock cube. Boiled stock will always be better, but I find this works just as well for those with less organised pantries like me.
-Place in an oven preheated to 150C and let it do its work for 4 hours. After this time check a piece of the meat- if there still seems some fat attached to the meat, let it cook for another hour, until it has all dissolved into the sauce.
-If you want to cook gluten free and feel like you need to thicken the sauce, I would add hot water to corn flour (usually gluten free) to make a paste and stir into the casserole dish on a high heat on the hob. Annoyingly the sauce always seems thicker the day after, it really is a take-it-easy, don’t-rush kind of dish! The good news is that it gets better every time you eat some.
-Don’t forget to remove the bay and thyme sprigs before serving!

Recipe by Lauren

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