Sous Vide Beef Shank

Serves 4

Beef shank can be one of the toughest cuts of meat if cooked incorrectly.  Using the sous vide method allows you to cook the beef shank for a long amount of time without overcooking it.  Beef shanks are an often overlooked cut of meat that can be intimidating for the home cook to attempt.  This recipe has simple ingredients that can be found at any local grocery store and is easy to follow.  Serve with some garlic mashed potatoes for a great family dinner.

Ingredients
4 large beef shanks
4 bunches of fresh thyme
1 white onion, sliced into 1cm thick rounds
4 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the water bath to 155°F.
2. Season the beef shanks with salt and pepper on all sides.  
3. Put two shanks in a bag and place a slice of onion, bunch of thyme and clove of garlic on each one.   Vacuum seal the bags closed.  Because of the length of cooking time you may want to double bag each of them to prevent any possible leaks.
4. Insert the bags into the water bath and cook for 20 hours.
5. Remove the shanks from the water bath and the bags.
6. Discard the onions, garlic and thyme.  Pat the shanks dry using a paper towel.  
7. Turn the oven broiler to the highest setting and move oven rack to the uppermost level.  
8. Place the shanks on a broiler safe pan and insert into the oven under the broiler.  After approximately a minute remove the shanks and flip them over and place back in the oven to sear the other side.  Again it should take about 1 minute until a good browned crust is formed.
9. Remove from the pan and serve.