The Affordable Pork Cut That Belongs In Your Slow Cooker

If you're looking for a pork cut with a ton of flavor and a smaller price tag, look no further than the shank. This super-flavorful cut comes from the lower leg of the pig, above the hock (which connects the foot to the leg and is sometimes mistaken for it). Because it's cut from the leg, it's well-muscled with a lot of connective tissue, but has a good amount of intramuscular fat. It offers a massive punch of umami-rich pork flavor. However, it requires low-and-slow cooking because it's a tougher cut, making it perfect for the slow cooker.  

Pork shank is a much more affordable cut than others, including pork shoulder. Depending on where you shop and the type of pork, it can be much, much cheaper.  For instance, you can find conventional pork shanks at around $2.69 a pound for a full roast and $3.29 per pound for pork shank osso buco compared with bone-in pork shoulder at about $6 a pound. For something like pasture-raised pork shank, you'll pay more, but it remains less expensive than other pasture-raised cuts like a pork shoulder butt. Besides being affordable, pork shank also works well with a wide variety of flavors. 

Because pork shank can be tough, it may not be a great pork cut for grilling, but it's perfect for a slow cooker. With lengthy cooking time and low, consistent heat, the slow cooker melts the collagen and connective tissue and transforms this tough cut into a tender piece of meat that falls off the bone and has a silky texture. The slow cooker also prevents the meat from getting dried out. And preparing the meat couldn't be easier. After a quick sear to deepen the flavor, you add the meat to your slow cooker with your choice of vegetables, seasonings, and around three-quarters of a cup to a cup of broth for every 3 pounds of shanks. From there, simply let the appliance do the rest.

There are a variety of approaches to achieving pork shank perfection, including one-pot meals with veggies like carrots and potatoes cooked with the meat that makes its own gravy. Pork shank is also perfect for hearty stews with beans. In Chinese cuisine, it's often braised with soy sauce, rice wine, and spices, while in Mexico it's cooked slowly with chipotle peppers or used as the perfect comforting cut for pozole, a dish of pork stewed with hominy. Using a slow cooker for pork shank opens up a world of possibilities for affordable, flavor-packed meals.