Smoking beef shank gives it a unique, smoky flavour that is difficult to achieve with other cooking methods. The low and slow cooking process also helps to tenderise the meat, making it more flavourful and easier to shred.

BRINE ingredients

3 litres water 

300g salt 

2 star anise

10 cloves

10 junipers 

Bay leaf 

Method

1. Boil ingredients and chill; place into a bucket or tray  

2. Place the hammer in the brine and leave in the fridge for 3 days 

3. Day 3, rinse the hammer under water for 20 minutes. 

Ingredients

1x 3k beef Thor’s hammer 

Method

1. Set up your BBQ/smoker. I set my Kamado Summit up with briquettes and used the diffuser plate with a pan of water on top, set the temperature to 125°C and added a couple of chunks of cherry wood. Smoke the hammer for 4 hours, then place it in a foil tray, pour over two cans of Guinness and cover with foil. Once the hammer reaches 98°C (in my case, after 7 hours), remove the hammer back to the grill, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 150g butter to the liquor in the tray, mix well, and over the next 30 minutes keep glazing the hammer using the liquor.

2. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 20 minutes. 

3. Flake the hammer into a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste, add some of the cooking liquor and mix through the shredded beef. You are then ready to serve.  

4. Serve in a charcoal bap with caramelised onion, American mustard, gherkin and pickled cabbage.

5. To caramelise your onions, thinly slice and cook in some oil in a pan, keep stirring and mixing until soft and brown in colour.

Pickled cabbage ingredients

300g water

200g vinegar

100g sugar

1 star anise 

5 cloves 

Method

1. Slice the cabbage nice and thin, place in a bowl.

2. Boil all the ingredients and pour over cabbage. 

3. Season with salt. 

4. Build your baps with the onions on the bottom, then the beef, good helping of mustard, top with cabbage then the pickle, enjoy.