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A dish of braised shin beef and onions in a rich horseradish gravy.

Braised shin beef and onions with horseradish gravy

Braised shin beef with onions and horseradish gravy is a hearty, slow-cooked dish made with succulent pieces of beef shin, simmered with mushrooms and onions in a rich, savoury gravy. A spoonful of horseradish sauce adds gentle warmth and cuts through the richness, while a splash of brandy adds extra depth of flavour.
Recipe by: Veronica
Main Course
British, South African
Calories 620
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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Equipment

  • Large saute pan with a lid OR
  • Hob-safe casserole dish with a lid
  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 17 ounces / 500 grams beef shin cut into bite-sized pieced
  • 2 - 3 large onions peeled and diced or sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme optional
  • 8 ounces / 225 grams mushrooms white or chestnut - sliced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for softening the onions
  • 2 tablespoons / 20 grams flour for thickening the gravy
  • 2 tablespoons / 25 ml brandy optional (but good)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons creamed horseradish
  • 2 beef stock pots Red wine flavour if you can get it
  • 2 cups /480 ml boiling water
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Instructions

  • Slice or dice the onions, depending on your preference. Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat, add the onions and dried thyme and stir them until the onions turn translucent. About 5 minutes.
    2 - 3 large onions, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Add the sliced mushrooms.
    8 ounces / 225 grams mushrooms
  • Continue to stir until the mushrooms soften. This should take another 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the cubed meat and continue to fry until the meat changes colour. (3 minutes)
    17 ounces / 500 grams beef shin
  • Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. Stir in the brandy, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and horseradish and add the stock pots and water.
    2 tablespoons / 20 grams flour, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons creamed horseradish , 2 beef stock pots, 2 cups /480 ml boiling water, 2 tablespoons / 25 ml brandy
  • Stir well, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours until the gravy has thickened and the meat is tender. Halfway through the cooking time, taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper if necessary.
    ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Serve with your choice of starch (potatoes, rice, noodles) and freshly steamed vegetables.

Notes

Recipe tips:
  • Cut your onions according to your own preference. You can slice them, dice them or simply quarter them and separate them into petals. The long, slow cooking process will soften them beautifully, and most of them will simply disintegrate into the stock.
  • Slice or quarter the mushrooms depending on their size. Bear in mind that mushrooms shrink when they cook, so don't make them too small.
  • Take care not to burn the mushrooms and onions. They can catch easily, so keep the heat to moderate and stir continuously. It only takes a few minutes!
  • Cut the meat into bite-sized cubes. Sometimes shin has a tough layer of collagen around the edges. This is known as silverskin, and it should soften in the same way as the collagen inside the meat fibres. It doesn't look very appealing, so if you prefer, you can remove it with a sharp knife before cooking.
  • Check occasionally while the stew is simmering. You shouldn't have a problem if you have a tightly fitting pan lid and keep the heat low, but if your stew seems to be drying out, top it up with extra stock or water.
  • Taste for seasoning. Halfway through the cooking time, once the flavours have developed, taste and add salt and black pepper if necessary.
Substitutions:
  • The stock pots and water can be substituted with 2 cups of ready-made beef stock.
Storage and freezing:
  • Store leftovers in a covered contaner in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat in a saucepan on the stove.
  • Freeze in meal-sized portions for up to 3 months.  Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition

Calories - 620kcal | Carbohydrates - 24g | Protein - 38.6g | Fat - 40g | Saturated Fat - 13.6g | Cholesterol - 130mg | Sodium - 472mg | Potassium - 988mg | Fiber - 5.1g | Sugar - 12g | Vitamin D - 203µg | Calcium - 79mg | Iron - 7mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

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Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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