Braised Pork Shank

This is one of my favorite dishes and one that I recommend to every guest that comes through our doors. You can taste and feel the love and care the Newman family puts into raising these beautiful animals. The team and I feel honored to be able to work with such a great product and we try and do our part to pass that love and care on. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

By: Chef Nick Sammelman, Bugattis

Ingredients

  • 4 each pork shank

  • 5 lbs rendered pork fat

  • 1 each white onion (medium dice)

  • 8 each garlic cloves (smashed)

  • 4 each sprigs fresh rosemary

  • 4 each sprigs of fresh thyme

  • 5 each bay leaves

  • 1 oz mustard seeds

  • 2 oz whole black peppercorns

  • 1/2 each cinnamon stick

  • 2 oz whole fennel seeds

  • 4 oz olive oil

Dry Rub Ingredient List

  • 8 oz Montreal steak seasoning

  • 3 oz kosher salt

  • 1 oz ground dry rosemary

  • 2 oz granulated garlic

  • 1 oz granulated onion

Directions

  1. Combine all dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well
  2. Lightly coat shanks with olive oil and then thoroughly coat with the dry rub, really massage the rub into the meat. Let shanks rest in cooler with rub for 12-24 hours.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees, gently brush a little more oil onto the shanks and place on a roasting rack. (if you don't have a roasting rack vegetable peels and scraps work great) roast shanks for around 20-30 minutes. Your looking for beautiful dark golden brown caramelization. This will also help the dry rub adheres to the shank.
  4. In a dutch oven or pot deep enough to cover the shanks, heat 2oz of oil and gently sweat the onion for 5-6 minutes on medium heat, then add the smashed garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, fennel, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, and bay leaf. Lightly toast garlic and spices for an additional 4-5 minutes and remove pot from the heat.
  5. Add the rendered pork fat to the pot with the onion, garlic, and spices and heat just enough to melt the fat. Gently place your partially roasted pork shanks in the fat and with tongs grab some of the onion, garlic, and spices and evenly distribute them around and on top of the shanks.
  6. Cover pot with plastic wrap and foil and place in a 275 degree oven for 2.5 hours. Remove from oven and allow to rest (in the fat) uncovered for about an hour.
  7. When ready to serve heat up in the same pot you braised them with the fat, gently take the shanks out of the pot and remove excess fat. Cover with your favorite sauce and serve over pasta, polenta, risotto, or mashed potatoes.

At the restaurant, we use a reduced stock of pork neck bones, sherry, and charred onion, serve over fregola (pearl-shaped pasta), and garnish with gremolata and roasted carrots.

 

*** This is a great dish to do the day before you want to serve. If doing so it is very important to let the shanks rest/cool down in the fat they were cooked in overnight or until ready to serve.

***Also worth noting is SAVE THE FAT!!!!!! Save the fat you used to braise your shanks, it can be used for so many amazing things. Strain it and freeze it for the next time you want to do this recipe (can be re-used up to 4 times). Use it instead of oil or butter to coat and roast carrots and onions for a side dish, cook it down with flour to make a roux instead of butter, the possibilities are endless!!!