Recipes Dinner Meat Dishes Beef Main Course Thor’s Hammer 4.2 (6) 4 Reviews A bone-in braised beef shank takes shape as the Avenger Thor’s Hammer in this impressive braised dish. By Craig Ruff Craig Ruff Craig has both a culinary education and professional training from his time in restaurants. He is an avid reader of food media and a dedicated cook. During his time in culinary school and in restaurants, he has much experience testing and developing recipes. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 29, 2024 Tested by Nicole Hopper Tested by Nicole Hopper Nicole Hopper is a recipe tester and developer based in Birmingham, Alabama. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Craig Ruff / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong Active Time: 1 hr 30 mins Total Time: 6 hrs 30 mins Servings: 6 to 8 Jump to recipe Get ready for the most impressive centerpiece dish ever to hit your table. A Thor’s Hammer is a large beef shank on the bone, which has been stripped and cleaned to look like the end of a hammer. Much of the flavors in this recipe are similar to those found in a classic osso buco, as these are very similar cuts. The red wine adds wonderful fruitiness and acidity, the beef stock brings tons of beef flavor, and the tomato paste adds a touch of umami. You have your usual aromatics — rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic — bringing a hearty aroma that compliments the rich, fatty beef. This dish is surprisingly simple but it results in something complex and showstopping. Serve it with mashed potatoes and crusty bread — this is cozy comfort food all around. Frequently Asked Questions What kind of meat is Thor's Hammer? Thor’s Hammer refers to the beef shank that is located above the knee on a cow. Often, a Thor’s Hammer is cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch steaks called osso buco, but in this case it is whole. Some of the bone is frenched too, which means to strip it of all the meat around a particular portion of the bone for presentation purposes — that is the handle portion of the Thor’s Hammer. How do you cook a Thor's Hammer steak? This beef shank is a cut that has little intermuscular fat because the muscles are part of the leg, which means they get used a lot. For these kinds of cuts with a lot of connective tissue, long braising or a low and slow barbecue method like smoking work best. Connective tissue takes time to break down and you don’t want to overcook the meat in the process, so slow is the only way to go. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Ordering a frenched beef shank directly from your local butcher shop is the best way to get your hands on a Thor’s Hammer but you can also order this cut online. Ask your butcher to trim off the fat and silverskin, if possible. Make ahead Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1 (6-pound) frenched bone-in beef shank (Thor’s hammer), trimmed of silverskin and excess fat 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 1/4 cup canola oil 7 large carrots, peeled and divided 2 large yellow onions, chopped (about 3 cups) 10 garlic cloves, smashed 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons black pepper, plus more to taste 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry red wine, divided 1 quart unsalted beef stock 8 thyme springs 2 rosemary sprigs 3 fresh bay leaves 10 ounces baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved (about 2 cups) 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges (about 2 cups) Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Preheat oven to 275°F. Tie beef shank using kitchen twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals; sprinkle evenly all over with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over high. Place beef shank in skillet, and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, and transfer beef shank to a 6- to 7 1/2-quart Dutch oven; position so bone is horizontal and is meat side down. (If it does not fit, position upright so that meat is on bottom of Dutch oven and frenched portion of bone is pointing up.) Do not wipe skillet clean. Chop 4 of the carrots; cut remaining 3 carrots into 1-inch pieces, and set 1-inch pieces aside. Place chopped carrots, yellow onions, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in skillet with the beef drippings; cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is darkened slightly and coats vegetables, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the wine; bring to a boil over medium-high, and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until raw alcohol smell is mostly cooked off, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour vegetable and wine mixture into Dutch oven with beef shank. Add beef stock and remaining 1 cup wine and 1 teaspoon salt to Dutch oven; bring to a bare simmer over medium-high. Tie together thyme and rosemary sprigs using kitchen twine, and add to Dutch oven along with bay leaves. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 3 hours. (If unable to cover because of bone, loosely cover using aluminum foil.) Uncover and bake until beef shank is very tender when pierced using a fork, about 2 hours, rotating meat occasionally; add potatoes and reserved 1-inch carrot pieces during last 1 hour of cooking. Add red onion during final 30 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven, and carefully transfer beef shank to a large plate or cutting board; loosely cover using foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a large bowl; remove and discard thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cover vegetables loosely with foil. Skim fat from top of braising liquid, and discard. Bring braising liquid to a boil over medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Remove and discard twine from beef shank; return vegetables and shank to Dutch oven. Garnish with parsley, and serve. Rate It Print