Beef Entertaining Main

Braised beef shin with lentils

Name: Braised beef shin with lentils recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 500g dried brown or green lentils (see notes); 40.00 ml extra virgin olive oil; 1kg boneless beef shin, cut into 7cm pieces (see notes); 3 celery stalks, finely chopped; 4 (130g each) large mushrooms (we used field mushrooms), thickly sliced; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 1 zucchini, finely chopped; 1 tsp celery seeds (see notes); 1 tsp dill seeds (optional, see notes); 50.00 ml red wine vinegar; 4 split marrow bones (optional, ask your butcher to split 2 marrow bones); 1l beef stock; Charred flatbread, to serve; Homemade garden pickles, to serve; 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings; 2 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste; 45g salt; 1 carrot, thinly sliced widthways; 1 cucumber, thinly sliced widthways; 200g small cauliflower florets; 200g baby red radishes, trimmed, halved or quartered if large; 15 whole black peppercorns; 500ml white vinegar; 275g caster sugar; 4 bay leaves

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by delicious. team

delicious. team

Jul 02, 2025

"Hearty and beefy - what more can you want? Full of seasonal vegetables and succulent lentils for a spoonful of winter." -

Recipe note: Begin this recipe a day ahead. You’ll need a large, deep heavy-based frypan with a lid.

This recipe is by Marcus Papadopoulo

500g dried brown or green lentils (see notes)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1kg boneless beef shin, cut into 7cm pieces (see notes)
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 (130g each) large mushrooms (we used field mushrooms), thickly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped
1 tsp celery seeds (see notes)
1 tsp dill seeds (optional, see notes)
2 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
4 split marrow bones (optional, ask your butcher to split 2 marrow bones)
4 cups (1L) beef stock, plus extra, if required
Charred flatbread, to serve
Homemade garden pickles, to serve

Homemade garden pickles

1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
1/3 cup (45g) salt flakes
1 carrot, thinly sliced widthways
1 cucumber, thinly sliced widthways
200g small cauliflower florets
200g baby red radishes, trimmed, halved or quartered if large
15 whole black peppercorns
2 cups (500ml) white vinegar
1 1/4 cups (275g) caster sugar
4 bay leaves

Method

1.

For the pickles, place red onion, chilli and 2 tbs salt in a container and toss to combine. Place remaining vegetables in a second container with remaining 2 tbs salt and toss to combine. Place peppercorns, vinegar, sugar and bay leaves with 4 cups (1L) water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes for flavours to infuse. Remove from heat and stand until room temperature. Pour one-quarter of pickling liquid over onion and remaining over vegetables. Cover with lids and refrigerate for 2-3 days before using.
2.

Soak lentils in water overnight. The next day, rinse well and drain.
3.

Heat oil in a large, deep heavy-based frypan with a lid. Season beef all over then sear in pan, in batches if necessary, turning frequently, for 5-6 minutes, until browned all over. Remove from pan and stand until ready to use.
4.

Reduce heat to low and add vegetables and seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Stir in vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute, or until vinegar has evaporated. Return meat to pan with resting juices and marrow bones (if using) and stock. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to very low and skim any impurities that rise to the surface. Cover with lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours 30 minutes-4 hours, until meat falls away from the bone.
5.

Stir in lentils and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for a further 30-35 minutes, until lentils are cooked. Discard marrow bones, scooping out any marrow left inside. The lentils will absorb the cooking liquid, thickening it into a stew-like consistency. If you’d like it more soupy, add a little extra stock to thin out. Season to taste and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat, cover with a circle of baking paper and stand for 1 hour for flavours to develop (see notes).
6.

To serve, reheat the dish over low heat, stirring frequently, until hot enough for your liking. Serve immediately with charred flatbread and pickles.

Rate now

Recipe Notes

Canned lentils work too, but the best texture comes from dried grains. If you’re using canned lentils, instead of adding into the beef mixture after it’s simmered for up to 4 hours, cook the beef mixture, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes, then add the canned lentils in the last 5 minutes of cooking. For the beef, you can use any braising cut you like – chuck, blade, brisket and oyster blade are all good alternatives. We like boneless beef shin because it has more connective tissue. The connective tissue creates the gelatinous, tender meat which will give you an unctuous and rich braise. We recommend large chunks of beef, approximately 7cm x 7cm diced pieces, but smaller diced pieces work, too. The larger the pieces, the easier it is to sear your meat and maximise flavour. Ask your butcher to prepare the meat to your liking. Find celery and dill seeds at specialty herb shops, such as Herbie’s Spices. This dish can be covered and refrigerated overnight; it tastes even better the next day. It will also thicken slightly as it chills.