Home-Style Braised Beef (Lǔ Niú Ròu)

卤牛肉

Home-Style Braised Beef (Lǔ Niú Ròu) — Home-styleShanghai home cooking.

Ingredients

• beef shank (lean, with connective tissue)
• light soy sauce
• dark soy sauce
• Shaoxing wine
• star anise
• ginger
• scallion
• five-spice powder

Instructions

1. Rinse beef shank under cold water; soak in cold water for 30 minutes to draw out blood. Drain and pat dry.
2. Blanch beef in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Skim off foam vigorously. Remove beef, rinse under cool water, and set aside.
3. In a clean pot, combine all aromatics (ginger, scallion, star anise, five-spice) with light soy, dark soy, Shaoxing wine, and 1.5 L water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
4. Add blanched beef. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 2.5 hours — turning meat every 45 minutes. (Surface barely shivers with tiny bubbles; liquid maintains a steady, quiet simmer.)
5. Turn off heat. Let beef cool completely in the broth (minimum 2 hours, ideally overnight). Slice thinly against the grain before serving. (Broth thickens slightly and coats the meat like lacquer.)