Smoked Beef Shank (Thor's Hammer)
This smoked beef shank goes by many different names, like Thor’s Hammer or a volcano shank, but I just call it delicious! A cross-cut beef shank is simply seasoned with an all-purpose barbecue rub, and smoked to perfection on the grill or smoker for tender, rich and beefy meat that’s perfect for tacos, sliders, or even pot roast!
Servings: 5 people
Equipment
- 2 sheets aluminum foil or butcher paper about 24-30" long, see notes
- smoker or grill with your choice of wood or pellets
Ingredients
- 4-6 lb bone-in beef shank see notes
- 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce as a binder
- 2-3 tablespoons Texas-style rub recipe
- 1 tablespoon 'Que That Rub and Seasoning or your favorite BBQ rub (optional)
- ¼ cup beef tallow
Instructions
- Prep the beef shank - Score the fat and silver skin in a cross hatch pattern, about 1/4" deep. Then rub a thin layer of Worcestershire sauce all over the meat as a binder. Season with Texas-style rub and your favorite BBQ rub, is using. Allow the seasoning to sweat in to the meat while the grill heats up.
- Prep the grill - Heat a pellet grill, smoker, or other grill to 250℉ with your choice of wood or pellets. Prepare the grill/grates for an indirect heat cook.
- Smoke the beef shank - Place the beef shank directly on the grill grates, and smoke at 250°F until the internal temperature reaches about 165°F – for me, it was about 5 hours to reach that temp.
- Wrap the shank and braise - Prepare the foil or butcher paper by tearing two long sheets (about 24-30" in length) and laying them out flat overlapping by about half to make the wrap wider. Once the shank reaches 165℉, transfer to the center of the foil or paper. Cover the shank with the beef tallow, and wrap tightly with the foil or paper.
- Braise the smoked beef shank - Increase the grill or smoker temp to 300℉. Place the wrapped beef shank back on the grill, and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches about 200-208℉, and the meat is probe tender. *You can start checking for temp and tenderness at about 198℉, but the shank probably won't be done until at least 203℉.
- Rest and shred - Remove from the smoker and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to rest, still wrapped, for about 45 minutes. Then shred the meat and serve immediately. See notes for optional pot roast-style preparation with gravy.
Notes
- For the Texas-style rub – This is our go-to rub recipe for all types of smoked meats. It’s a great all-purpose, classic Texas BBQ rub. Get the recipe here: https://pelletsandpits.com/texas-style-rub-recipe/
- Butcher paper or aluminum foil -We chose to wrap in foil only because we were using the drippings to make a beef tallow gravy. Foil traps more moisture and ensures you collect all the rich beef tallow and drippings, essential for making the gravy. If you’re going to shred the meat for tacos or sliders, you can use butcher paper if you prefer a slightly drier, barkier exterior.
- For the beef shank - For Thor's Hammer, you'll need a cross-cut, bone-in beef shank that is french trimmed to expose the large bone. Look for this cut at a specialty butcher, or you can also find it at online butcher shops.
- For pot roast-style beef shank and gravy:
- Prepare the pot roast-style vegetables – While the beef shank is smoking, cut celery, carrots, and an onion into large pieces (similar to how you would for pot roast). Add the vegetables to a large oven-safe pot or pan with about 3-4 cups of beef stock or bone broth. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Reserve the beef stock – Transfer the vegetables to a serving plate, and reserve the remaining beef stock to make a gravy with the beef tallow drippings from the shank.
- Make the tallow gravy – When the beef shank is done braising in the foil, carefully pour the tallow drippings into a large skillet. The smoked tallow will act as the fat component for your roux. Add an equal amount of flour to the skillet with the tallow. Then whisk and cook until lightly browned. Whisk in the beefy vegetable broth made with the root vegetables. Simmer until you reach desired thickness. Don’t season the gravy with salt and pepper until the very end – the gravy may already be plenty seasoned since it’s made with the drippings from the smoked beef shank.
- Make your favorite mashed potatoes recipe – Boil peeled potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Mash with a good amount of butter and your favorite mashed potato mix-ins.
- Serve the smoked beef shank pot roast-style – Serve hunks of shank meat over mashed potatoes with carrots, onions, and a ladle of rich smoked gravy.