Guinness-Braised Pork Shank
Recipe courtesy of Tim Recher, CEC, AAC, MWMCS, CWX, Executive Chef, Frenchman's Creek Beach and Country Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Ingredients
- pork shanks - 6 ea.
- salt - to taste
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- all-purpose flour - as needed
- vegetable oil - as needed
- carrots - 75 gms., chopped
- celery - 75 gms., chopped
- onions - 150 gms., chopped
- garlic cloves - 8 ea.
- fresh bay leaves - 5 ea.
- rosemary sprigs - 3 ea.
- thyme sprigs - 8 ea.
- black peppercorns - 20 ea.
- sage sprigs - 2 ea.
- tomato paste - 50 gms.
- Guinness beer - 600 ml
- roasted pork stock - 600 gms.
- whole butter - as needed
- Ingredients for Vegetables:
- delicata squash - cut into half rings
- butternut squash
- carrots - cut batons
- parsnips - cut into oblique
- fresh peas - blanched
- vegetable oil - as needed
- salt - as needed
- pepper - as needed
- nutmeg - as needed
- whole butter - as needed
- vegetable stock - as needed
- Italian parsley - 2 Tbsps., chiffonade
- Ingredients for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
- Yukon gold potatoes - 8 ea.
- roasted garlic - 24 cloves
- soft butter - as needed
- heavy cream - as needed
- rosemary - 1 sprig
- thyme - 4 sprigs
- peppercorns - 4 ea.
- salt - as needed
- freshly ground white pepper - as needed
- freshly grated nutmeg - as needed
- Ingredients for Cornbread Crumble:
- prepared cornbread - crumbled
- chives - minced
- fresh corn kernels - roasted
- freshly ground black pepper - as needed
- Maldon sea salt - as needed
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat.
- Season shanks heavily and dust with flour.
- Sear all sides until deeply caramelized. Remove and set aside.
- Add mirepoix and sauté until caramelized, adding oil as needed.
- Add garlic and tomato paste.
- Sauté until aromatic and paste starts top brown.
- Deglaze with beer and reduce by half.
- Add stock, herbs, and peppercorns.
- Bring to a boil. Add shanks back to pot.
- Cover with a cartouche and lid.
- Braise in a 275°F oven until tender.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to almost room-temperature, covered.
- Gently remove shanks from liquid and set into clean pan.
- Strain jus oven shanks and allow to rest overnight in cooler—this will allow the meat to reabsorb juices and not dry out.
- The next day, remove shanks and bring liquid to a simmer on stove. Reduce until desired consistency is reached. Reserve to finish.
- At service add hot shank to saucepan.
- Add ladle of jus.
- Baste and glaze shank with jus.
- Emulsify in a knob of butter to finish sauce.
- Taste and season as needed.
Procedure for Vegetables:
- Season all vegetables except for peas and toss with oil.
- Roast in oven until tender.
- Reserve for final service.
- At service, melt butter over medium heat and allow to brown, add vegetables and sauté to finish cooking.
- Add a splash of vegetable stock and glaze with whole butter.
- Finish with parsley.
- Season as needed.
Procedure for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
- Bake potatoes in a 350°F oven until very tender.
- Cut in half and allow to steam for 5 minutes.
- Press potato flesh and garlic cloves through a tamis into a heated mixing bowl.
- Heat cream with peppercorns and herbs and allow to steep. Strain.
- Emulsify/stir in soft whole butter into the potato.
- Stir in cream to reach desired consistency.
- Taste and season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
- Reserve for service.
Procedure for Cornbread Crumble:
- Toast crumbled cornbread until golden brown and toasted.
- Combine with remaining ingredients to taste.
- Reserve for service.
