Beef shin ragù
Amazing. Easy. Inexpensive. This recipe will make you look really, really good when you serve it.
‘Ragu’ more or less refers to a slow-cooked meaty sauce (Bolognese is a type of ragu). This beef shin (or beef cheek) version is a sensationally tasty dish, as the cut is packed with flavour. It’s a really easy way to make a rich, flavoursome sauce (and it’s equally as tasty using beef cheeks). I like the way the meltingly tender chunks of meat add a great texture to the sauce too. The sauce freezes well so it’s easy to whip up a quick meal on a week night, or you can use the slow cooker for the ragù during the day and cook the pasta when you get home. I tend to sieve the veges out at the end and serve with freshly steamed veges – there’s not much left to the cooked stuff after 4 hours!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Beef
Rice bran or grape seed oil, for frying
1-1.5kg Quality Mark beef shin (or use beef cheeks or chuck steak)
50g butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves (or use 1 tbsp dried)
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
½ cup tomato paste
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 ¼ cups red wine (or use extra stock)
2 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
To serve
Cooked pasta (the wider the better), or mash
Fresh Parmesan, grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 140c conventional bake (120c fan bake).
Beef
Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper all over. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a very high heat, and sear the beef to brown all over (you may need to do this in two batches). Set the beef aside.
Tip the oil from the pan, reduce the heat to medium, add the butter (or olive oil) onion, garlic, celery, carrot and herbs. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Add the tomato paste, anchovies, wine, stock and bay leaf. If your pan is ovenproof, add the beef and its juices back to the pan and cover with the lid or, transfer everything to a covered casserole dish.
Bake in the oven for 3 ½ – 4 hours – the beef should be pulling-apart tender. Remove the meat with tongs and place on a clean board. Remove and discard the bones/skin and pull the beef into small chunks with two forks.
Add the sauce to a saucepan (can you sieve it to remove the veges if you like, for a silkier sauce) and boil it on the stove-top to reduce and thicken it.
Add the meat back into the sauce and season to taste. Toss the meat sauce with the hot pasta and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
Chelsea’s tips
- The red wine add a lovely richness and flavour to this dish ,and you needn’t worry about any alcohol in the finished dish – it all evaporates during cooking. If you would rather not use it, you can just use extra stock instead.
- Don’t be afraid of the anchovies – you won’t even know they’re there but they add a great savoury, salty depth of flavour.
Hello, If I wanted to double this recipe to feed 10 people. What should I do for cooking times?
Hi, could I substitute the red wine for white wine? I have an opened bottle of white that needs to be used up…
Yes, sure!
Hi, I’m going to make this in the coming week. I don’t have red wine, but do have some white wine I need to use up in cooking. Would this be ok as a substitute?
Hi just clarifying – when you say to sieve out the vegetables do you intend that I strain it and discard the vegetables or do you mean to push the veges through the sieve and discard what doesn’t push through? It just seems wrong to discard all the vegetables so I just wanted to check – although you do say there isn’t much value left them anyway so I have discarded them when I’ve made it before. Lovely recipe!
Some people prefer a silkier sauce without the veges. It’s up to you! x
I just made this for dinner, first time cooking beef shin on the bone. It was divine, the meat was so tender and juicy. It is now on the whānau favs list! Thank you very much ????
Amazing! x
Do you cut the meat up into pieces before cooking? What size approx?
Do you use beef shin on or off the bone?
Made this for a dinner party last night and it was incredible! Used Beef Cheeks and was a bit nervous as had never cooked them before. They were really big I tried to cut them but they were really tough so just cooked them whole, I was rather worried how they’d go! 4 hours cooking and they just fell apart amazing recipe thank you for making me look like a good chef!!
Which book is the Ragu recipe in?
Scrumptious x
Fantastic recipe Chelsea :-) and kids loved it, I subbed brisket for the beef chin so there were no bones and brisket has less sinew too so it literally fell apart, kids were asking for more!!
I made this the other night with beef cheeks and it was absolutely fabulous! I will definitely make it again.
Hi Chelsea – have made this recipe twice now and both times my meat has been chewy after 4 hours in the oven at 120 fan bake!! Not sure what I’m doing wrong!? first time I used chuck steak and second time Beef Shins. Was I meant to cut the meat up into small pieces first? please help! :)
Sounds like your oven isn’t hot enough – turn it up to 140 :)
You have some amaaaaazing recipes Chelsea! Just wondering what cut of lamb you would recommend for this recipe =)
Hi Chelsea, this is one of my all time fave, I’m going to revisit this week. What do you think about switching the pasta up with zucchini noodles? Could it work, or not enough substance to soak up the sauce?
This is the perfect meal for a student like me!! Protein, vegies, and pasta mmmm :) so good and healthy!
Hi Chelsea! This was amazing I made it for my husband and I and we loved it! Is this recipe in one of your cook books?
Nope, this one is just online :)
Could you use short rib for this?
Yes indeed.
Wow! Cooked this in the slow-cooker using beef shin & it was amazing – served with garlic cauliflower mash! Left the meat a bit chunkier – turned out fab!
I made this in the slow cooker yesterday (4-5 hours). Lovely recipe Chelsea. I did add two things. One, I deglazed the pan (after browning the beef) with 1/4 cup of sweet port (reducing quantity of red wine slightly) and added 1 T of oyster sauce (adding richness & more seasoning to the sauce).
After cooking it in the slow cooker, I strained the cooking liquid / sauce through a sieve, then heated it in a pot, reducing it by about a 3rd. Wow! Best ragu ever!
saw this recipe pop up on my Facebook this morning, inspired me to try make something similar. I didn’t have beef shin but had heaps of diced venison so used that instead, smells amazing in the slow cooker. Looking forward to trying it when we get home from the kids league training tonight.
thanks for the inspiration Chelsea
Sounds delicious! I’m going to try it with venison shin…..in the slow cooker.
Hi Chelsea, I’m wanting to serve only 3-4 people, should I just half the recipe?
I’d just make the whole lot and freeze some.
Hi Chelsea, I’m wanting to only 3-4 people, should I just half the recipe?
I too have put all into a slow cooker and added two more ingredients since its quite a cool day here in Central Otago – a solid pinch of chilli flakes – tasted it during the cook and it seems to add just that little extra zing, as well as some little bits of parsnip. Also used mashed Vivaldi Gold spuds instead of the lasagne to help soak up that lovely sauce that is going to come out of it. When I’m searching for a recipe I have to say that you are the first place I look.
Hey, to make this recipe using a slow cooker can you just add all the ingredients into the crockpot from scratch or do you still need to carry out the first steps of searing the beef and cooking everything on the stove top before adding to the crockpot? Thanks!
This was AMAZING!! Followed recipe, but made in a slowcooker. Was so rich and delicious – loved the idea of cutting up fresh lasagne sheets – next time will try make my own pasta! Thanks Chelsea !
Hi Steph, did you have the slow cooker on low for 8 hours? And did you reduce any of the liquid?
Hi Chelsea. Would it be okay to use a cut such as brisket for this recipe?
Yes!
Hi Chelsea. Is this recipe ok to make the day before eating and just reheat in oven? Would you shred the meat the day prior or day of eating?
Absolutely and yes, shred while it’s still warm then just reheat.
Hi Chelsea! My partner hates anchovies, so want to know if omitting them will make a huge difference to flavour? Is there a substitute I can use? Thanks x
Hi Cate, your partner won’t even know they’re in there – they don’t taste anything, they just add a rich salty burst! Leave them out i you must, though!
Hi Cate
I used to be not that keen on anchovies but I think that goes back to having a pizza once where whole little poor quality dried anchovies were sprinkled over the pizza!! All I remember was a slightly fishy but very salty taste. Honestly they are worth adding as they do give a depth of saltiness as Chelsea says, and no one will ever know they are there when used in a dish like this.
Hi Chelsea,
Could I use a cut such as beef cheeks for this?
Thanks
Yep!
I haven’t cooked with anchovy fillets before. What is the taste similar too. Could I substitute it with something or is it a key ingredient? What aisle of the supermarket are they in?
Hi Melanie, they are near the tinned fish. They don’t taste fishy – they add a great salty depth of flavour to the dish. No one will every know they are in there!
Hi Chelsea could you use beef checks in this recipe? Cheers Kelly
Yes you could.
This was delicious as was the lamb shanks. Thanks Chelsea, your recipes are delicious and so easy to follow. My hubby likes the fact that you use a good glug of red wine in your cooking…LOL
this sounds soooooo freaken goood! :) I am going to try this one day, hopefully soon! :)
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Hi Chelsea,
I made this tonight, it was so delicious! I LOVE looking through your website, so many recipes I want to try…. I dont have your book yet but am planning on getting it soon. Thanks for being so involved with us too (on facebook etc) you seem cool! :)
Hi Chelsea
Made this last night and it was delicious! We all loved it. I have done several of your recipes from your website and your book (which I love) and every one of them has been a hit with the family.
I did find there was a lot of pasta but will do this recipe again perhaps piled on roasted potatoes or as suggested use filling in a pie.
I don’t think I’ve ever made so many recipes from one cook and enjoyed them all. Thank you.
Thanks for that Jo, it’s lovely to hear! Glad you’re enjoying my book.
How much would you reduce the liquid by if you’re using a slow cooker?
Maybe put about 1/2 a cup less – it doesn’t matter too much as you thicken and reduce the sauce at the end!
This is a delicious recipe, so scrummy and easy. I used extra stock as I had no red wine and it was so full of flavour.
I have some roast beef left over from last nights roast, could I make this recipe using shredded leftover roast beef? Or does it need to cook in the sauce for a long time? Love your recipes – perfect for a stay home mum trying to be economical but look a lil fancy!
How long do you cook this for in the slow cooker Chelsea?
Hi Louise, if it’s on low, about 8 hours or so – if high, 5-6 hours.
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Just chucked it all in the casserole dish without browning. Yum!!!!