These braised beef tacos with cabbage and apple slaw are a flavor-packed meal that’s great for any taco night. Cross-cut beef shank pieces get slow-cooked in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, orange juice, and soy sauce seasoned with fragrant cinnamon sticks, star anise, garlic, and ginger. The long braising time results in melt-in-your-mouth beef that pairs well with the crunchy, tangy-sweet cabbage and apple slaw. The slaw doubles as a delicious side salad.
- Prep Time:
45 mins - Cook Time:
4 hrs - Total Time:
4 hrs 45 mins
How many taco recipes are too many to have in your cooking back pocket? In my opinion, the limit does not exist. So even though I have recipes for pan-fried fish tacos, blackened salmon tacos, and plenty of others, I didn’t have one like this recipe for braised beef tacos whose flavors lean more Asian than Mexican. While classic Mexican braised beef recipes use spices like cumin, oregano, and chipotle chili, this recipe takes a different direction. It uses cinnamon, star anise, and ginger in the braising liquid and fish sauce and lime juice in the dressing for the slaw which are more reminiscent of Asian cuisine.
When is the braised beef done cooking?
Although I am usually a big fan of using an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness, this is one situation where a thermometer won’t help. Technically, the meat is cooked through after a couple of hours meaning the meat will have reached the recommended internal temperature for that particular cut. However, the texture of the meat will still be pretty tough. The trick with braising meat is to let it cook until the meat practically shreds itself with just a little pressure from a fork. For this recipe, I find that I need to cook the beef shanks 3 1/2 to 4 hours to get the desired level of tenderness.
Cabbage & apple slaw
The slaw portion of most tacos often feels like heavy garnish. It enhances the dish but isn’t especially noteworthy. I feel differently about this cabbage and apple slaw. It’s substantial with a hefty amount of cabbage, carrots, and apple slices. And the dressing is good enough to stand on its own. In fact, I like to make extra slaw so I can also serve it as a side salad to round out this meal nicely.
Braised Beef Shank Tacos with Cabbage & Apple Slaw
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dinner, Main
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: American
Description
These braised beef tacos with cabbage and apple slaw are a flavor-packed meal that’s perfect for any taco night. Cross-cut beef shank pieces get slow-cooked in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, orange juice, and soy sauce seasoned with fragrant cinnamon sticks, star anise, garlic, and ginger. The long braising time results in melt-in-your-mouth beef that pairs well with the crunchy, tangy-sweet cabbage and apple slaw. The slaw doubles as a delicious side salad.
Ingredients
For the braised beef
- 6 pounds cross-cut beef shanks (about 1 1/2-inches thick)
- Salt and pepper
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 8 whole star anise
- 4 cinnamon sticks
For the slaw
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups julienned cut carrots
- 1 apple, peeled and julienned cut (see Note 1)
- 3 green onions, cut into thin strips about 2-inches long
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Fresh cilantro and/or mint leaves, optional
For serving
- Your favorite flour or corn tortillas
- Fresh cilantro and/or fresh mint leaves, if desired
- Avocados, if desired
- Lime wedges, if desired
Instructions
For the braised beef
- Prep. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Brown meat. Season beef shanks on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot and shimmering, add the seasoned beef shanks (in batches, if necessary). Cook 4-5 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer beef to a plate and repeat with any remaining pieces.
- Deglaze. Deglaze the pan by adding the wine and using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits that may be on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine is reduced by half.
- Simmer. Add the butter, orange juice, beef broth, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon to the wine. Bring to simmer and then add the beef pieces back to the pan along with any juices on the plate.
- Braise. Cover the pan and then transfer to the heated oven. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until meat is very tender and can be easily shredded with a fork (see Note 2). While the beef is braising, use tongs to move the pieces around about every hour so that all the meat spends some time in the braising liquid.
- Shred. Discard the star anise, cinnamon sticks and bones. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a quarter-size sheet pan or 9×13 baking dish. Using two forks, shred the meat. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
For the slaw
- Toss. When the meat is almost done cooking, make the slaw. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, apple, and green onions. Set aside.
- Make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, olive oil, cider vinegar, and honey.
- Dress slaw. Drizzle the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss together until evenly mixed. If desired, toss in chopped cilantro and mint leaves with the slaw or reserve them to serve with the tacos.
For serving
- Make tacos by layering desired amounts of shredded beef, cabbage slaw, avocados, cilantro, and mint leaves in warm tortillas. Drizzle with a squeeze of lime, roll up, and enjoy.
Notes
- Use a sweet crisp apple variety. I like Gala and EverCrisp apples for this recipe.
- The meat will start to get tender after 3 hours but let it continue to cook for at least 3 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender.
- Recipe adapted from the Sourdough cookbook by Sarah Owens.
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