Smoked Beef Shank

Turn a tough cut of meat into the perfect shredded beef! Learn everything you need to know about smoking a showstopping beef shank (AKA "BBQ Thor's Hammer") recipe using this detailed tutorial.

Course Grilling

Cuisine American

Keyword bbq thor's hammer, smoked beef shank, smoked beef shin

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 412kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Equipment

Ingredients

8-10 lb. Bone-In Beef Shank Frenched
3 tbsp. BBQ Dry Rub of choice
2-3 tbsp. Olive Oil or other binder desired
2 cups Beef Broth
1 cup Beef Tallow

Instructions

Preparation

Remove the beef shank from the packaging and pat it dry with paper towels.
The fat cap and silver skin will not be trimmed off for this cook, but assess if there is hanging larger potions of the fat cap that are not attached to the meat. Trim and remove.
Apply the binder (olive oil) to the entire beef shank. Then coat it evenly on all sides, top, and bottom with a dry rub.
Wrap foil around the exposed bone.
Place in the fridge uncovered 12-24 hours prior to smoking for best results.

Smoking Process

Preheat your smoker to sit between 225 F. - 250 F.
Place the beef shank onto the smoker, insert a thermometer, and let it smoke for 1-2 hours.
Begin to spray it every 45-60 minutes with beef broth to help build the bark. Repeat this process until the beef shank reaches an internal temperature of 175-180 F.
Remove it from the smoker and brush on the beef tallow so the outside bark is nicely coated. Reserve the remaining tallow for serving.
Roll the beef shank up tightly with a long, double layer of peach butcher paper. Place the shank back onto the smoker and smoke.
Start checking for tenderness around 195 F. internal. For best results it will be better if it cooks to at least 203 F.
Remove and let it rest in a cooler for at least an hour. Resting is very important so do not skip this step.
Carefully shred and pull the meat off the bone by hand. Remove any cartilage or tough pieces that are often a part of shank meat. Dress the meat lightly with the extra tallow if desired and serve.

Notes

Pair with smoked mac and cheese for a killer meal!

Nutrition