Mashama Bailey roasts these hefty beef shanks in a ginger- and spice-spiked tomato sauce which she finishes with a generous dollop of thick and creamy peanut butter. She garnishes with Microplane-grated coffee beans; toss them in a coffee grinder for a chunkier texture.
How to Make It
Sprinkle beef all over with salt. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, or chill, uncovered, at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 300°F. (If beef was chilled overnight, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.) Heat oil in a roasting pan over medium-high until starting to smoke. Add beef; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan. While beef browns, process plum tomatoes in a blender until smooth, about 15 seconds; set aside.
Reduce heat under roasting pan to medium. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Fresno chile, and chiles de árbol; cook, stirring often, until mixture is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in coffee and pureed tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil over medium; boil, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
Return beef to pan, nestling into tomato mixture; add 11/2 cups water, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns. Return mixture to a boil over medium. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to preheated oven; roast until beef is fork-tender, 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours. Uncover and continue to roast 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from pan, and cover beef with foil to keep warm. Pour braising liquid in pan through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Wipe pan clean. Return braising liquid to pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced to about 5 cups, 15 to 20 minutes.
Whisk peanut butter into reduced sauce in pan until smooth; season with salt to taste. Return beef to pan; cook over medium-low, basting occasionally, until warmed through, 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish with crushed peanuts, ground coffee beans, and cilantro. Serve immediately.