Bones make a massive difference when you cook with them, it seems such a waste to trim them off and throw them away without getting every ounce of taste out of them, they thicken up the sauce with their gorgeous marrow, and add an unbelievable richness to sauces, so when making a lovely braise such as with this wonderful Pipers Farm shin of beef, ask the butcher to give you some bones, and add them to the braising meat while it cooks. Just look at the amazing colour of that beef.
Also great at this time of year, and a real “hungry gap” staple is “wet” garlic, the immature garlic bulb that is a lot milder and really fresh tasting, if you haven’t tried it, then next year grow some bulbs to pull early.
IPA braised shin of beef with wet garlic
A kilo of good quality shin of beef cut into 2″ chunks with a couple of good sized bones
2 wet garlic bulbs chopped, save the green top for garnishing
A large onion, a carrot and a stick of celery finely diced
A bottle of IPA beer
2 bay leaves, and a sprig of thyme
Brown off the beef in batches in a casserole or pressure cooker in batches in a little rapeseed oil, and set the meat aside. Soften the vegetables in some more oil add the herbs, and beef and bones back in. Pour in the beer and bring to the boil. Either cook in the pressure cooker for 30-40 minutes or slow cook at a low to moderate temperature with the lid on for 4 hours until the meat is tender, take the lid off and allow to reduce for another 30 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Season to taste.
Remove the bones, the meat should be falling apart soft. Serve with a spoonful of the rich gravy, some new potatoes and some seasonal spring greens, garnish with the wet garlic top, sliced.
Enjoy with a bottle of IPA and some crusty bread to mop up the rich marrow gravy.