Smoked Beef Shank Recipe: Tender, Delicious, Chopped Beef

Beef shank is one of my favorite meats to smoke for chopped beef.

The rub in this recipe is also savory and features sumac which really elevates the bark.

Rub for Beef Shanks

Apply this rub to all sides of the beef shank:

• 1/4 cup 16 mesh black pepper
• 1 Tbsp Cured Sumac*
• 1 Tsp Celery Salt
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp granulated onion
• 1/2 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp Diamond crystal kosher salt
• 1/4 Tbsp table salt

*If you don’t have cured sumac, feel free to omit. The one I use is from Burlap and Barrel.

The sumac is also the main taste contributor in this recipe.

Even without it though, this rub is still better than just salt and pepper.

Get Your Smoker to 250F

Then place your beef shanks on your smoker.

Throw on a few chunks of hardwood – for this recipe I used pecan and I added a new chunk every hour.

Wrap With Foil at 175F

Wrap in foil when the bark is to your liking – for me this is 175F.

Simply grab some aluminum foil and wrap the shanks so that no steam can escape.

I didn’t wrap with any liquid but you could add some beef broth to the wrap to add some moisture and flavor.

Cook the Shanks Until They’re Tender

All you’re waiting for is for the beef to be tender. This will happen at around 195-205F internal.

With your probe thermometer or a toothpick, poke into the meat – there should be absolutely no resistance; Like you’re sliding in and out of a warm stick of butter.

Once they’re tender, allow them to rest or 30 minutes.

Shredding and Chopping the Shank Meat

Once your shanks are tender, remove the meat from the bone.

Set the bones aside as you can mix in some of the roasted marrow into your chopped beef!

With a sharp knife like a cleaver, you can then begin chopping the beef shanks up.

As you’re chopping you’ll come across bits and pieces of tendon. These aren’t super appetizing and are quite chewy – you’ll want to remove these.

Once chopped up – mix in your roasted bone marrow with your chopped beef to add extra flavor and then enjoy!

If you need some inspiration for how to use:

This type of chopped beef I love with loaded baked potatoes, on nachos, or on top of some white rice.

Print Pin Recipe

Smoked Beef Shanks

Tender, Delicious, Chopped Beef

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Active Time5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Resting Time30 minutes mins

Total Time6 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Cross cut beef shanks

Beef Shank Rub

• ▢ 1/4 Cup 16 Mesh Black Pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Cured Sumac
• ▢ 1 Tsp Celery Salt
• ▢ 1 Tsp Paprika
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp White sugar
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Granulated onion
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Diamond crystal kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 Tbsp Table Salt

Instructions

• Combine rub ingredients in a bowl. Then apply to the surface of the beef shanks.
• Get your smoker to 250F.
• Once at 250F, place your beef shanks on the smoker. Add a few chunks of your favorite hardwood – I used pecan.
• Smoke until 175F internal or when you're happy with the bark.

  I smoked the beef shanks for 3 hours.
• Wrap your beef shanks in aluminum foil so that no steam can escape.

  If you have some beef stock or beef broth, add a few tablespoons to the wrap.

  Once wrapped, return back to the smoker.
• Take the beef shanks off the smoker when they're tender. For me this happened after roughly 2 hours of smoking.

  You want your probe thermometer or toothpick to glide in and out of the meat with no resistance.
• Rest the shanks wrapped for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove the shanks from the bone and set the bones aside.

  Use a sharp knife like a cleaver and chop the shank meat up. While you're chopping up the shank meat you'll notice bits of tendon.

  You'll want to remove this and throw them away as they're not appetizing and are quite chewy.

  Once the meat is chopped up, add the bone marrow from the bone and mix it into your chopped beef.

  Then enjoy!