Shanks good for smoking?

[jeff lowe]

Shanks, shanks, shanks a lot. Veal, beef, lamb shanks. I love them braised but are they good smoked? Any hints or recipes appreciated.

 

[Guest]

I don't see why not. Traditionally, bar-b-q has featured the same tough cuts of meat that lend themselves to braising. A full pork shoulder certainly contains some shank

The long, slow cooking at moderate temperatures breaks down the connective tissue in a similar way and the smoke from a wood-ember fire carmelizes the outside of the meat in pretty much the same way as searing/browning the exterior in a hot skillet.

With the price of good veal shanks and their delicate flavor, I would probably save those for osso buco. But, beef and lamb shanks should be excellent choices.

Hmmm, I might have try some lamb shanks, cooked the same way as ribs! Great idea.

I'd probably replace my standard rub with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary and substitute a nice home-made mint sauce for the bar-b-q sauce! I bet they would be outstanding.

 

[Guest]

I agree with all that Webb says, for the reasons he gives.
There is a good sounding recipe in "Smoke & Spice", which involves q'en shanks for a few hours followed by cooking for half an hour in a stewpot with some vegetables (onion, tomato, etc, I seem to recall). I think the method helps keep th emeat moist and also infuses the whole dish with the smoke flavour.

Jock