Pork shanks with ginger ale

Pork shanks dressed up for a special occasion! When cooked properly, this cut of meat becomes so tender that it practically melts in your mouth. All it needs is a fragrant cooking liquid and plenty of time to simmer undisturbed. The meat will soften, absorb all those wonderful aromas, and become deliciously tender. We can cook the shanks a day ahead and keep them refrigerated in their cooking liquid until we are ready to finish the dish. We can serve them bone-in for a more dramatic presentation, or remove the bones before serving. Either way, they are absolutely fantastic!

Pork shanks with ginger ale

Galatia Pamboridis

Pork shanks dressed up for a special occasion! When cooked properly,this cut of meat becomes so tender that it practically melts in your mouth. All it needs is a fragrant cooking liquid and plenty of time to simmer undisturbed.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Main Courses

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4 pork shanks approximately 650 g each
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves lightly crushed
• 5 cm 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 5 –6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 litre 4 cups ginger ale
• 1 –2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• For the sauce
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 4 Tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 –2 tsp cornflour cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Season the pork shanks with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Sear the meat in batches of two, until nicely browned and a crust forms on all sides. Remove the first two shanks and repeat with the remaining two.
• Return all the shanks to the pot and pour over the ginger ale. Add the garlic, ginger, peppercorns and thyme. Pour in the chicken stock, making sure the meat is covered with liquid. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Allow the shanks to simmer undisturbed for 2½ hours, until the meat is very tender.
• At this stage, we can let the dish cool and refrigerate the shanks in their cooking liquid for up to 24 hours.
• To finish the dish, remove the shanks from the cooking liquid and set them aside. Strain the liquid and reserve 2 cups of stock.
• Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened and golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Pour in the 2 cups of reserved stock. Add the orange marmalade, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and cayenne pepper. Once the sauce comes to a boil, add the cooked pork shanks to the pan.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 5–6 minutes, turning the shanks frequently so they become coated in the sauce.
• Mix 1 teaspoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Stir it into the pan and continue simmering until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. We may not need the second teaspoon of cornflour.
• Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Notes

We can adjust the amount of sauce to suit our preference. If we would like more sauce, we simply reserve 3 cups of cooking stock instead of 2. In that case, we may need a little extra cornflour to achieve the desired consistency.

Collections Buffet dinners, Christmas, Easter