‘French’ the shanks by removing the top 20-30mm of meat from the bone. This ensures a nicely shaped final ‘hammer’
Add a binder (we used yellow mustard) and then sprinkle a good coating of sunday roast rub. As this is a smaller cut use a moderate amount. Ensure the whole shank is evenly coated
Place the shanks standing up on the cooking grate, use a cooling tray if you need a little extra stability.
Smoke for 2-3 hours or until the bark has set.
When you are happy with the bark, wrap each shank with foil. (add a splash braising liquid if you like, beef stock and wine or dark beer work well)
increase the smoker temp to 160c / 320f and cook until and internal temp of 95 is reached.
Unwrap the shank but leave the shank sitting in the foil to allow the bark to re-set for about 15mins.
This is where you’ll need to play it by ear a little bit. Check the ‘give’ of the meat with a probe or pinch slightly with you fingers. It should want to come away from the bone with just a little resistance.
when the meat is tender and internal is around 98c remove from the heat and allow to rest
Boil your potatoes until they probe with no resistance. add 50g of butter a generous pinch of salt and ½ - 1 cup of milk. (for a bit of extra punch use Sunday Roast seasoning instead of salt) Add the milk gradually and mash until a nice smooth consistency is reached.
prepare the gravy mix according to the instructions, add the braising liquid from the shanks for extra flavour.
plate up a dollop of mash topped with a handful of fries (we just prepared frozen shoestring fries in the airfryer) place the shank in the centre of the mash and douse with gravy.
