Post by: jrebel on December 04, 2023, 12:51:42 PM
My hunting partners, for as long as I can remember, have always just tossed it....especially on deer. Their argument was there is not enough meat on it to make it worth their time to deal with it....to many tendons, not enough meat, to much grey skin, etc. etc. etc.
About 10 years ago, and after watching an episode of meat eater, I started keeping it. I now look at shank meat as a prime cut of meat. I love...and I mean love...slow cooking it a crockpot all day long to break down the tissues, making it edible. I love the gelatinous membranes mixed in with the meat, the flavor is second to none.
I will say, my family is not a huge fan.....which is good because it means there is more for me.
What say you all????
Post by: KillerBeee on December 04, 2023, 12:56:14 PM
Post by: Twispriver on December 04, 2023, 12:57:25 PM
Post by: fowl smacker on December 04, 2023, 12:57:45 PM
Post by: dreadi on December 04, 2023, 01:02:56 PM
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Post by: pianoman9701 on December 04, 2023, 01:08:22 PM
Post by: addicted1 on December 04, 2023, 01:17:52 PM
Post by: callturner on December 04, 2023, 01:21:45 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 04, 2023, 01:37:27 PM
Post by: Bullkllr on December 04, 2023, 01:39:32 PM
Braise- current favorite
Can- always decent
Grind- used to always just grind as it seemed easiest. Goes better if you crosscut the tendons ime
Post by: Rainier10 on December 04, 2023, 01:44:22 PM
Post by: ganghis on December 04, 2023, 01:47:37 PM
IMO it comes out a little better if done with bone on, but I usually do it deboned, either because I had to debone it in the field or because it won't fit in the pan.
Speaking of tendon, I've started saving clean tendon from other parts as well, either for pho or for making stock.
Post by: Angry Perch on December 04, 2023, 01:54:04 PM
We are equal opportunity shank people.
Post by: wannabhntr on December 04, 2023, 01:56:59 PM
Post by: Jonathan_S on December 04, 2023, 01:58:38 PM
Braised and pulled in taco meat or into a pot roast.
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 04, 2023, 02:00:03 PM
They get braised whole in my house. Sear well and braise with red wine, stock, root veggies. Melt in your mouth. Lamb, deer, bear...
We are equal opportunity shank people.
I do love lamb shanks.
Post by: Buckjunkie on December 04, 2023, 02:02:53 PM
We grind into burger but do try to get the larger tendon pieces out first.
:yeah:
Post by: Chesterdog on December 04, 2023, 02:04:20 PM
Pianoman - I have a sous vide and will be trying your recipe this week. It made me hungy. Thanks
Post by: MeepDog on December 04, 2023, 02:06:54 PM
Post by: Fletch on December 04, 2023, 02:24:25 PM
Post by: hunter399 on December 04, 2023, 02:41:55 PM
I always grind twice anyway. Course then fine.
Never noticed anything in my burger. :dunno:
Most grinder meat ,silver skin goes in too.
All that stuff just holds your burger together better .
Post by: brokentrail on December 04, 2023, 02:58:25 PM
Post by: jrebel on December 04, 2023, 03:12:34 PM
If you’re the person that likes a good ribeye and eats all of it….fat, gristle, etc.!!! You really need to braise a shank and give it a shot. You won’t like it if you’re offended by a little fat/gristle.
Post by: pickardjw on December 04, 2023, 03:13:00 PM
I’ve tried meateater osso buco. Wasn’t the best in my opinion, I just grind it.
My buddy tried it with a non-shank piece and thought it was good enough to save his shanks bone in next time. He's a good cook though, maybe he tweaked the recipe a bit. Probably like me, I get to a part in the recipe that sounds dumb or see something not included that should be and freestyle it a bit haha
Post by: ducks4days on December 04, 2023, 03:21:58 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 04, 2023, 03:43:21 PM
Post by: CP on December 04, 2023, 03:49:03 PM
Post by: wadu1 on December 04, 2023, 03:53:52 PM
I've only ever had elk and deer shanks. I cook them for 24 hours sous vide at 160-165F with aromatic veggies, lots of garlic, a cup of red wine, sage and rosemary, and 2 cups of beef stock. After, I remove the shanks and strain the solids out of the liquid and reduce the liquid to viscous, adding salt and pepper AFTER reducing to taste. They fall off the bone. Serve the meat over mashed potatoes and the reduction over the top of all.I've done the same with deer, elk, moose and lamb. Best meats bar-none, I do like garlic mashed taters with mine.
Post by: lewy on December 04, 2023, 04:28:16 PM
Post by: hunter399 on December 04, 2023, 04:47:53 PM
In the grind bucket it goes.
Looks like it's still on the bone.
Probably all that grissel and tendon holding it there.
I seen the meat eater episodes eating and all that.
Didn't they eat coyote one time too.
Nope not doing that either.
I'll be eating it on a cracker with cheese on my lunch break.
After I grind it into summer sausage. :chuckle:
Nothing against it. If you like it that way,it's great.
It's first thing I cut off and throw in the grind pile.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on December 04, 2023, 04:48:34 PM
Post by: jrebel on December 04, 2023, 04:51:38 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on December 04, 2023, 04:53:27 PM
That looks delicious...just nasty old shoe leather. Could barely choke it down :chuckle:
Post by: hunter399 on December 04, 2023, 04:55:39 PM
I'm afraid to see what goes into your grinder meat pile.That looks delicious...just nasty old shoe leather. Could barely choke it down :chuckle:
I will admit it looks pretty good.
There is a big difference between shank and neck meat.
If that's what you get out of shank meat,that's pretty good .
You better share that recipe so others can benefit.
Post by: jrebel on December 04, 2023, 04:57:17 PM
That looks delicious...just nasty old shoe leather. Could barely choke it down :chuckle:
Send it my way if it becomes to much to chew....I'll give it a go and see if my chompers can handle it. :chuckle: :chuckle: :tup:
Post by: callturner on December 04, 2023, 04:57:27 PM
Post by: hunter399 on December 04, 2023, 05:03:23 PM
Ha ha, all of my game necks get corned. You cannot tell them from good corned beef. I also corn ducks and geese. My front shoulders on deer are usually made into large roasts they will feed a family and make the best as you sandwiches or French dips whatever you wanna call them that you can eat most of the time you can barely get two days out of a shoulder.I have done that before with neck,not shanks.
Corned is pretty good . :chuckle:
I can't remember what I did 8 day soak I think.
Post by: Fidelk on December 04, 2023, 06:07:35 PM
Post by: buglebuster on December 04, 2023, 06:53:37 PM
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231205/1f0153398dd115090535bd1440df7714.jpg)
Post by: Buckhunter24 on December 04, 2023, 07:03:01 PM
Post by: jrebel on December 04, 2023, 07:08:22 PM
Post by: lewy on December 04, 2023, 07:14:45 PM
Post by: slavenoid on December 04, 2023, 09:43:52 PM
Post by: huntnnw on December 04, 2023, 10:20:12 PM
Post by: Snakeriver on December 04, 2023, 11:21:26 PM
Post by: bigdub257 on December 05, 2023, 06:12:48 AM
Post by: Sneaky on December 05, 2023, 07:49:44 AM
Post by: Okanagan on December 05, 2023, 08:36:27 AM
The taste is great in many of these ways to cook shank, but all of them are describing how to overcome the tough and tangled fibers of the ingredient. All seem to take a long time to cook and get table ready. I'll gladly sup on shank at your table and say bravo to you who prepare it well, but one of my life choices is to not put that much time into so little complicated meat. Go for it.
Post by: Angry Perch on December 05, 2023, 09:40:37 AM
Post by: Fidelk on December 05, 2023, 10:14:12 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 05, 2023, 10:14:53 AM
There is a reason people invented grinders... :)
The taste is great in many of these ways to cook shank, but all of them are describing how to overcome the tough and tangled fibers of the ingredient. All seem to take a long time to cook and get table ready. I'll gladly sup on shank at your table and say bravo to you who prepare it well, but one of my life choices is to not put that much time into so little complicated meat. Go for it.
It's also the reason some of us learned to cook decently. A bit like hunting, sometimes a long effort is well worth the wait.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on December 05, 2023, 10:37:31 AM
I watched a random YouTube video of a guy making Mississippi pot roast the other day and he used bottom round. It was the driest chunk of meat I've ever seen. Replace that with a neck roast, make a gravy out of the drippings, and serve over rice and now you've done something. Half gallon of water to choke down your chalky roast not required :chuckle:
Cooking a good meal is immensly rewarding. If it takes a bit more time and effort so be it.
Another thing to note is your burger meat is only as good as the cuts you put into it. I'd much rather grind whole muscle groups and get a really quality burger then use cuts with lots of connective tissue that make a lesser quality burger but excel in the braising department :twocents:
Post by: Jonathan_S on December 05, 2023, 11:00:06 AM
There is a reason people invented grinders... :)
The taste is great in many of these ways to cook shank, but all of them are describing how to overcome the tough and tangled fibers of the ingredient. All seem to take a long time to cook and get table ready. I'll gladly sup on shank at your table and say bravo to you who prepare it well, but one of my life choices is to not put that much time into so little complicated meat. Go for it.
:dunno:
1) take off bone (or don't)
2) put in oven or slow cooker
Post by: Angry Perch on December 05, 2023, 03:20:32 PM
They do take time to cook but it's not like it's even remotely hard. Season, sear, add liquid, and into the oven at 250° for 5 or 6 hours. And that's just a dummy version of the endless possibilities with braising cuts.
I watched a random YouTube video of a guy making Mississippi pot roast the other day and he used bottom round. It was the driest chunk of meat I've ever seen. Replace that with a neck roast, make a gravy out of the drippings, and serve over rice and now you've done something. Half gallon of water to choke down your chalky roast not required :chuckle:
Cooking a good meal is immensly rewarding. If it takes a bit more time and effort so be it.
Another thing to note is your burger meat is only as good as the cuts you put into it. I'd much rather grind whole muscle groups and get a really quality burger then use cuts with lots of connective tissue that make a lesser quality burger but excel in the braising department :twocents:
It's like someone doing pulled pork with a loin. Don't walk away. Run! The viscosity that connective tissue adds to a sauce is irreplaceable.
Post by: pd on December 05, 2023, 03:27:04 PM
Use a pressure cookers. The result is not dissimilar to P-Man's sous vide method. Canning will do the same, of course.
For deer I tend to bone everything, and shank is no different. Throw the shank meat in a pressure cooker with root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips, whatever you like). I like a sprig of rosemary as well. Cook for 30 minutes or so. The meat will be tender, but the tendons will be gelatinous. Absolutely delicious. No sauce needed, just salt (not iodized, of course), and black pepper. Heavenly.
Post by: Taco280AI on December 05, 2023, 03:29:33 PM
Post by: pickardjw on December 05, 2023, 04:02:12 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on December 05, 2023, 04:06:27 PM
Say a guy doesn't have access to a band saw. I assume you can buy food grade stainless blades for a hacksaw. Do you score the meat with a knife and saw the bone or just take the hacksaw to the whole thing? Maybe while frozen?score and saw. I despise bones though so anything I do is boneless.
Post by: wadu1 on December 05, 2023, 04:08:47 PM
Say a guy doesn't have access to a band saw. I assume you can buy food grade stainless blades for a hacksaw. Do you score the meat with a knife and saw the bone or just take the hacksaw to the whole thing? Maybe while frozen?I use a meat saw, frozen is the easiest way to cut them. Just make sure you clean off the bone particles.
FYI, they are not expensive, all SS at Home Depot $36.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on December 05, 2023, 05:55:08 PM
Post by: lewy on December 05, 2023, 06:07:10 PM
Post by: PeninsulaPariah on December 05, 2023, 06:28:33 PM
Post by: WSU on December 05, 2023, 09:24:58 PM
You can get ss meat blades for your sawzall as well
I use a sawzall sometimes. Not as pretty but way faster. Tastes the same in the end.
Post by: NOCK NOCK on December 06, 2023, 04:47:42 PM
Thanks to a member on here I will always use them for Osso Bucco. Delicious.
This :yeah: dont remember who though. Low and slow in the crock.....will never grind them again.
Post by: JDArms1240 on February 03, 2024, 11:35:36 PM
my wife and i are usually lucky enough to tag 4 deer a year, between washington and idaho, so we vacuum seal and save all of our shanks and save until 1. the end of the season and 2. the proper motivation has been achieved, and what we do when these two things are met:
I like to take all the meat off the shanks (and sometimes neck meat cause i hate burgering that also) and cube it up to about 1"-2" pieces. I put it all in a big bowl and mix it with a healthy portion of taco seasoning and pop it in the smoker @ 175º for a couple hours (not enough to cook it), while it's in there i cut up a whole lotta Anaheim peppers, Serrano peppers, lots of garlic and an onion. After the meat has been in the smoker for a couple hours and all the vegetables have been cut up i throw it all in a big cast iron dutch oven and mix it all together with what seems like more red enchilada sauce than i need (itll evaporate and leave behind good flavor). if there is room i will also throw in some of those bones i took the meat off of. cook it in the oven at 300º till the meat is easily shredded with a fork. ill keep checking it every 45-60 minutes and add more enchilada sauce as it evaporates, to keep the liquid level to my liking. when its tender enough to shred, i take the lid off to let it evaporate off (again to my liking) and when that happens, take it all out and shred it up.
and there ya go, the best taco/enchilada meat known to man, there will be no sign of sinew, tendons or silverskin since all of that will just melt and become part of the liquid in the pot. last step is to let it cool and vacuum seal it in 1lb portions and stuff the freezer
hopefully all of that made sense
Post by: jrebel on February 04, 2024, 07:44:44 AM
i know this is a couple months old and voting closed a while ago, but i want to add my :twocents: since we just did all of our shanks in my household (and i just discovered the "butchering" portion of this forum)... shanks in my household are worth gold and i'm always happy to take them off anyone's hands!
my wife and i are usually lucky enough to tag 4 deer a year, between washington and idaho, so we vacuum seal and save all of our shanks and save until 1. the end of the season and 2. the proper motivation has been achieved, and what we do when these two things are met:
I like to take all the meat off the shanks (and sometimes neck meat cause i hate burgering that also) and cube it up to about 1"-2" pieces. I put it all in a big bowl and mix it with a healthy portion of taco seasoning and pop it in the smoker @ 175º for a couple hours (not enough to cook it), while it's in there i cut up a whole lotta Anaheim peppers, Serrano peppers, lots of garlic and an onion. After the meat has been in the smoker for a couple hours and all the vegetables have been cut up i throw it all in a big cast iron dutch oven and mix it all together with what seems like more red enchilada sauce than i need (itll evaporate and leave behind good flavor). if there is room i will also throw in some of those bones i took the meat off of. cook it in the oven at 300º till the meat is easily shredded with a fork. ill keep checking it every 45-60 minutes and add more enchilada sauce as it evaporates, to keep the liquid level to my liking. when its tender enough to shred, i take the lid off to let it evaporate off (again to my liking) and when that happens, take it all out and shred it up.
and there ya go, the best taco/enchilada meat known to man, there will be no sign of sinew, tendons or silverskin since all of that will just melt and become part of the liquid in the pot. last step is to let it cool and vacuum seal it in 1lb portions and stuff the freezer
hopefully all of that made sense
That sounds delicious. :tup:
Post by: Pudelguy on April 08, 2024, 08:39:39 PM
They get braised whole in my house. Sear well and braise with red wine, stock, root veggies. Melt in your mouth. Lamb, deer, bear...
We are equal opportunity shank people.
:yeah: This! Served on mashed potatoes. :drool:
Post by: OutHouse on April 12, 2024, 11:45:08 AM
Post by: mburrows on April 12, 2024, 01:50:46 PM
Post by: Pete112288 on April 12, 2024, 03:02:04 PM
Pulled meat sandwiches are my go to. Or just put it over mashed potatoes with gravy made from the leftover liquid.
One of my favorites is to braise it with a lot of citrus notes for street tacos with fresh pico. The wife really likes that one.
There have been quite a few people that have been shy of trying game meat, esp with my last bear. They ended up destroying the BBQ pulled sandwiches. I like em with a thin spread of horseradish on the bun.
Shanks have turned into my #1 hands down, no question, favorite cut of any animal I have had.
Post by: mossback91 on April 12, 2024, 06:21:16 PM
Post by: jrebel on April 12, 2024, 07:15:39 PM
Cure em for soups!
We need more!!!
How are you curing them? Sounds delicious…. :drool: :drool:
Post by: mossback91 on April 15, 2024, 10:35:30 AM
Cure em for soups!
We need more!!!
How are you curing them? Sounds delicious…. :drool: :drool:
https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/smoked-venison-ham-hocks-recipe
a lot like this. A long brine followed by a good smoke. Make any soup you’d normally use ham hocks for
Post by: Pete112288 on May 22, 2024, 09:33:30 PM
Post by: Platensek-po on May 22, 2024, 10:19:19 PM
Post by: PsoasHunter on December 06, 2024, 11:12:29 AM
Post by: jrebel on December 06, 2024, 11:24:27 AM
Regardless, you don't need to do a lot of trimming, the slow cooker will make it all tender.
Post by: High Climber on December 08, 2024, 07:13:57 PM
Post by: DeerThug on December 08, 2024, 07:34:15 PM
Just remember the joint is lower than you think it is.