Beef Shin and Bone Marrow in Taddy Porter - The Perfect Gravy

Northern boys love their gravy and after spending ten years up in Yorkshire I’ve grown pretty fond of it as well.  Back in my kitchen days we’d make vats of the stuff fresh every Sunday.  Beef, Lamb and Chicken to go with the roasts and my god we got through a lot of bones.

Well I say we...  I actually mean we’d watch the head chef make it, it was his job and he wouldn’t trust anyone else with it.  “My pub - My gravy” and that was the way it stood.  He never took a Sunday off, planning holidays carefully so he’d always be there when it mattered.

Despite his secretive ways I picked up the art but for some reason I’d forgotten how much difference a few bones can make.  So when I stumbled on the Bone Marrow Gravy at the Hawksmoor it was like a switch was flicked in my head.

After spending days wistfully thinking about the gorgeous brown stuff I had to get a fix.  So here’s my recipe for the perfect meat and gravy – Beef Shin and Bone Marrow cooked in Taddy Porter.

Ingredients:

2 x Thick slices of Beef Shin with the Bone in.

2 x Additional Marrow bones.

2 x Large Onions – Sliced.

75g of Butter and a handful of flour

1 x Pint Bottle of Sam Smiths Taddy Porter – You can use any Porter really or Stout (Mackeson’s would be great in here as well)

A Splash of Beef Stock – Helpful but not essential

Salt and Pepper to season.

Get a thick bottomed pan on the heat and let it warm up for a while.  You want to colour the meat and bones in a dry pan first.  Once nicely coloured remove the meat, throw in your butter and soften your sliced onions till golden brown.  Throw in handful of flour, make a roux and make sure you scrape any sticky bits into the mix.

Cook the roux out for a minute or so and return the meat, pour in your Porter and stir till smooth add your splash of stock now if you have some.   You want to cook this on a low heat for a good couple of hours; realistically you are looking at three if possible.  The key here is that you want to cook the shin through gently but not reduce the sauce.

When the dish has cooled a little scoop the Marrow out of the bones, mix it into the Gravy if it hasn’t already escaped and shred the beef shin.  Get rid of any really gristly bits and return the meat to the pan.  If you want to gnaw on the bones at this stage before you chuck them I’d recommend it but otherwise put the pan in the fridge for tomorrow!

You absolutely must let this rest overnight, it will be so much better for it.  Everyone knows it Chips & Gravy right?  This is the only acceptable accompaniment so deal with it.  Warm up your meat and gravy and season before you serve.  This is simple food but so delicious, if you only ever cook one of my recipes make it this one!