Chadian

Jarret de Boeuf

“Chadian beef-shank stew — bone-in beef shank slow-cooked for 3+ hours with onion, garlic, tomato, root vegetables, and herbs into a rich, gelatinous broth. The French-influenced Chadian celebration meal.”

Medium4 hours

Where it comes from

Jarret de boeuf reflects the French-colonial Chadian cuisine, slow-cooked in the manner of a French pot-au-feu but with Sahelian spices and ingredients. Beef shank's collagen creates the dish's characteristic broth body.

On the plate

Lift a piece of beef shank from the pot — meat falling from the bone, glossy with gelatin, vegetables tumbled around. Bite: meat is collapsing-tender, the broth deeply savory and rich from collagen, vegetables sweet from long cooking, thyme and bay perfuming everything. With crusty bread to sop the broth, this is the French-Chadian celebration plate.

How it works

Long simmering converts shank collagen to gelatin, producing the rich broth body. Browning before braising builds Maillard depth.

Variations

With ox tail. With lamb shank. With more vegetables. With added rosemary. Modern with white wine. Without tomato (purer broth).

On the Palate

Ingredients

Serves 6

1.5 kg shankBeef

2Onion

4 clovesGarlic

3 + 2 tbsp pasteTomato

How it's made

9 steps · Show ↓

40 min active · 200 min waiting

1
4 min
Cut 1.5 kg beef shank into thick slices.
2
14 min
Heat 3 tbsp oil in heavy pot. Brown shanks 5 min per side; remove.
3
8 min
Sauté 2 sliced onions + 4 minced garlic 6 min.
4
6 min
Add 3 chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp paprika; cook 5 min.
5
4 min
Return shanks; add 2 L beef stock, 4 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper.
6
152 min
Cover; simmer 2.5 hours.
7
32 min
Add 400 g cubed carrot, 400 g cubed potato, 200 g sliced leek in last 30 min.
8
1 min
Stir in 2 tbsp chopped parsley.
9
1 min
Serve hot with boule, rice, or crusty bread.