Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position oven
rack in lower third of oven.
Place the peppercorns, allspice, cloves,
cinnamon, and bay leaves into a cheesecloth pouch; tie securely and set aside.
How make
a cheesecloth pouch: Cut a piece of cheesecloth approximately 8 inches
by 8 inches. Place your spices and/or herbs in the middle of the
cheesecloth. Crush them slightly to release their flavors. Tie the
cheesecloth shut with kitchen or cotton twine. Leave the tie long enough so
that you can remove the cheesecloth easily.
Heat a large
oven-proof pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat until hot. Add the
pancetta cubes and sizzle to render the fat and crisp up. When crispy, remove
with a slotted spoon to a folded paper towel; set aside.
Place the beef shanks into the hot rendered
fat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of each beef shank and sear until
very brown (this step gives the dish more flavor). Turn the beef shanks and sear
the other side. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the browned side. Once both sides
are well seared, remove the beef shanks to a plate; set aside.
Lower heat to low (if the pot is dry, add a
little olive oil). Add the onions, stirring until they begin to release their
water. Using your spatula, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan
and stir into the onions. Sauté the onions until softened. Add the garlic and
sauté an additional 1 minute.
Add the beef stock, wine, molasses, and 1
teaspoon salt to the pot. Turn off the heat, add the prepared pancetta, beef
shanks, and any accumulated juices to the pot. Nestle the cheesecloth spice
pouch and the chile peppers in the pot. Cover and braise the beef in the oven,
for approximately 4 hours, turning once and using a spoon, scoop up the juices
and the onions and pour over the top of the shanks. Meat should be falling off
the bone when done.
Remove from oven and transfer the beef
shanks to a serving platter, along with the bones (the marrow in the bone is
excellent and some people love to eat it). Remove the cheesecloth spice pouch
and peppers (unless you want to eat the peppers).
At this point, the juice may be reduced, if
necessary, by cooking over high heat to the obtain the consistency or thickness
you desire. Skim fat from the top, taste, and season with salt and pepper if
needed.
Divided meat and bones (with marrow) onto 4
plates and ladle the sauce on top.
Makes 4 servings.
*
Chiles de arbol or arbol chile (ARE-bowl) are narrow, curved chiles that start
out green and mature to a 3-inch to 5-inch bright red pod. The arbol chile is
very hot, and related to cayenne pepper.
These chiles register around 50,000-65,000 on the scoville heat unit scale (or about 7-8 on a 1-10
scale). These chile peppers are found Mexican Food Stores and in most hispanic food sections
of grocery stores. If you can't find arbol or guamillo chile peppers, substitute dried cayenne