Cut · Shank, tendon and marrow

Shank

The shank, called shin in Britain, is the lower part of the leg, fore and hind: lean muscles sheathed in tendon around a marrow-filled bone. Cut across the bone it is osso buco; boneless, it is the Vietnamese bắp bò. It is braised or simmered for hours, until the tendons turn to gelatin and the meat comes away from the bone.

Also known as: shin · Bắp bò · Osobuco · chambarete · jarreteLast reviewed 25 Oct 20265 sources

Small muscles that work all their life

The shank is the lower leg of the animal, between the knee or hock and the hoof. Each one is a bundle of small, hard-working muscles that move the lower limb, wrapped in thick tendon sheaths and running along the shin bone, which is filled with marrow. Because the animal stands and walks on these muscles all its life, they are lean, full of collagen and tough when cooked quickly.

That collagen is what makes the shank valuable. Cooked slowly in liquid, the tendons and sheaths turn into gelatin: the meat separates into soft, glossy strands, and the liquid becomes rich enough to set when cold. A cross-section shows the pattern clearly, with pale bands of connective tissue between the muscles. In Vietnam the most prized piece, bắp hoa (flower shank), is named for the way those translucent streaks look like petals when sliced.

There are four shanks per animal. The foreshank (front) is meatier and is the one listed in US specifications as IMPS 117. The hindshank (rear) is larger, carries more tendon and a thicker bone, and is often the source of the largest osso buco slices.

Fore or hind, whole or cross-cut

The foreshank is cut from the forequarter below the chuck and in front of the brisket; the hindshank from the hindquarter below the round. Butchers sell it in three ways: whole on the bone, for slow roasting or braising; boned and trimmed, as boneless shin, often called gravy beef in Australia; or sawn across the bone into slices about 3–5 cm thick, each a ring of meat around a round of bone with marrow in the centre. That cross-cut is the Italian ossobuco, literally "bone with a hole".

Names change by country. In Argentina the cross-cut slices are sold as osobuco, from the fore (brazuelo) or the hind leg (garrón); in Mexico the shank is chambarete; in France jarret; in Korea satae; in Japan sune. Vietnamese butchers sell the boneless muscles as bắp bò, distinguishing bắp hoa, streaked with tendon, from bắp rùa, a single rounder muscle with a gelatinous core.

Cooking it: hours of moist heat

Shank is cooked for a long time in moist heat. Cross-cut slices are tied around their edge so they keep their shape, floured and browned, then braised covered at about 150–160 °C / 300–320 °F or at a bare simmer for two and a half to four hours, until the meat comes away from the bone at a touch. The Milanese ossobuco, traditionally made with veal shank, is braised with white wine and stock, finished with gremolata (lemon zest, garlic and parsley) and served with saffron risotto; the marrow is eaten from the bone with a small spoon.

The shank is a soup and stew cut throughout the world. Argentine puchero simmers osobuco with vegetables, and Mexican caldo de res is built on chambarete. French pot-au-feu uses jarret alongside other cuts. In Korea satae is simmered and then braised in soy sauce for jangjorim, and in China whole shank is red-braised or simmered in a five-spice brine and served cold in thin slices.

In Vietnam bắp bò is boiled whole, cooled and sliced thin, the gelatinous streaks holding each slice together; it is one of the well-done toppings (chín) in phở. Cut into chunks, it is the usual cut for bò kho, the lemongrass and star anise beef stew, where it stays in one piece after hours of simmering. Thin slices of raw bắp bò are also eaten quickly scalded in hot pot.

Choosing slices: 3–5 cm, marrow in the bone

For osso buco, look for slices cut evenly 3–5 cm thick from the meaty middle of the shank, with a generous ring of meat and a central bone full of marrow; hindshank gives larger, more dramatic pieces, foreshank meatier ones. For stews and phở, a boneless shank with visible streaks of tendon gives the best texture. A cross-cut slice of about 350–450 g (12–16 oz) on the bone is a typical portion.

The tendons that make shank tough also mean it can be bought for long cooking without worrying about drying out: it tolerates reheating well and often improves when braised a day ahead.

Names around the world

20

The same muscle, named by language and by trade system.

English	Shank · shin
Tiếng Việt	Bắp bò
Español	Osobuco · chambarete · jarrete
한국어	사태
日本語	スネ
Français	Jarret
Italiano	Stinco · ossobuco
Русский	Голяшка
中文	牛腱
Português	Músculo

All the cuts' names, country by country →

Trade and national systems

System	Name	Reference
United States	Foreshank · hindshank · shank cross-cut	IMPS 117
United Kingdom	Shin (fore) · leg (hind)	AHDB
Australia / NZ	Shin · shank · gravy beef	HAM
Argentina	Osobuco (cross-cut) · brazuelo (fore) · garrón (hind)	IPCVA
Brazil	Músculo dianteiro · músculo traseiro · ossobuco	Portaria 5/88
Mexico	Chambarete (chamberete)	—
France	Jarret	Larousse
Japan	スネ (sune)	JMGA
Korea	사태 (satae)	KAPE
Vietnam	Bắp bò · bắp hoa · bắp rùa	—

Frequently asked questions

Sources

5

1. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications: Fresh Beef Series 100. Washington, DC, 2014. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IMPS_100_Fresh_Beef%5B1%5D.pdf
2. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (UK). Beef Meat Purchasing Guide. Kenilworth, 2016. ahdb.org.uk
3. Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
4. Larousse Gastronomique, rev. ed. London: Hamlyn, 2009.
5. McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.

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