Slow-Cooked Beef Shin Stroganoff

This recipe was handed down from my mum. She would use quick-fry beef strips, but over the years I’ve adapted the recipe to use beef shin, slow-cooked until it is really tender and falls apart easily. The result is a rich and creamy Slow-Cooked Beef Shin Stroganoff with plenty of flavour.

The beef is slow-cooked in a rich sauce with mushrooms, shallots, garlic, paprika, brandy, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, before being finished with sour cream and fresh parsley.

You can also use the same sauce to make a more traditional Stroganoff with beef strips, or leave out the beef and make it with mushrooms for a vegetarian version.

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 500g beef shin
  • 1 tbsp. plain flour
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
  • 6 shallots, peeled and halved
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. good quality tomato puree
  • fresh thyme leaves (a few twigs)
  • 50ml Brandy (I was generous with the brandy, a little more than 50ml never hurts)
  • 1.5 pints of good quality beef stock
  • 50ml Worcestershire sauce (again be generous with this, I like the spicy taste Worcestershire sauce brings, so add more if you’re like me)
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 20g parsley, chopped
  • 25g butter
  • Keeping the shin whole, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the flour until it is coated on both sides.
  • Heat the oil and brown the beef. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Add a little butter, add the mushrooms and cook until they are practically cooked, set aside.
  • Next add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until soft but not brown, add the garlic, paprika and tomato puree. Mix well then turn up the heat and add the brandy to deglaze the pan.
  • Pour in the stock, add the dijon and Worcestershire and stir.
  • Place the beef back into the pan. Make sure the liquid covers the meat; if not, add a little water.
  • Tuck in the thyme, cover with a lid and cook on low for about 2 hours.
  • Check for flavour or seasoning and check how tender the meat is.
  • Once the beef falls apart easily, carefully remove and set aside.
  • Remove the thyme twigs.
  • Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool slightly before adding the sour cream. If it is boiling, the sour cream will split. Mix well.
  • Shred the beef and add back to the pan along with the mushrooms and gently stir through.
  • Sprinkle in the parsley.
  • Bring it back to a boil, turn off and serve up!!

LULU’S NOTES

CUT OF BEEF

The fat content in the beef is important for this dish as it is slow-cooked, and you want the meat to become really tender. This is why beef shin is a great cut of meat; it becomes super tender and doesn’t go dry. You can swap it for braising/stewing steak too.

NOT ENOUGH TIME?

You can make this with quick-frying steak strips if you’re short on time. Fry and brown the strips first, then remove them from the pan. Make the sauce and let it cook until rich and flavoursome, then add the beef back in at the end. Try not to cook the strips for too long, as you want them to stay tender.

RED WINE OR BRANDY?

My mum always used red wine in her Stroganoff, but I usually use brandy when I have it. Traditionally, you don’t need to use alcohol in this dish, but I like to deglaze the pan with brandy as it adds a lovely depth of flavour. Both work beautifully, so use whichever you prefer.

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