Gigil na Baka

Name: Gigil na Baka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 1000.0 g beef shank with bone; 10.0 g salt; 6.0 pcs calamansi, halved; 5.0 pcs garlic cloves, whole; 2.0 pcs bay leaves; 5.0 g black peppercorns, whole; 1.0 whole onion, quartered; 30.0 ml soy sauce (for dipping sauce); 30.0 ml sukang Iloko or cane vinegar (for dipping); 3.0 pcs bird's eye chilies, sliced (for dipping); 3.0 pcs garlic, minced (for dipping); 3000.0 ml water

An Ilocano preparation of beef that's boiled until impossibly tender, then 'gigiled' — rubbed and pounded with salt and calamansi to draw out every last bit of flavor. The meat is so soft it practically melts between your teeth. Traditionally eaten with bare hands dipped in a tangy vinegar-soy sauce, this is rustic Ilocano cooking at its most delicious.

Prep: 15 min Cook: 150 min 4 servings From Ilocos Norte

Ingredients

Servings:

2 4 6 8 10

500 g beef shank with bone
5 g salt
3 pcs calamansi, halved
2.5 pcs garlic cloves, whole
1 pcs bay leaves
2.5 g black peppercorns, whole
0.5 whole onion, quartered
15 ml soy sauce (for dipping sauce)
15 ml sukang Iloko or cane vinegar (for dipping)
1.5 pcs bird's eye chilies, sliced (for dipping)
1.5 pcs garlic, minced (for dipping)
1500 ml water

Nutrition per serving

Calories 140

Protein 21.0g

Fat 5.0g

Carbs 1.0g

Fiber 0.0g

Sugar 0.5g

Sodium 325mg

Per serving (2 servings). Values are estimates.

Instructions

Place the beef shank in a large pot and cover generously with water. Add the whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and quartered onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest possible simmer.
Cover and let it cook for 2-2.5 hours. The goal here is to make the beef so tender that you can pull it apart with just two forks. Check occasionally and add more water if the level gets too low. When the meat starts separating from the bone, you're getting close.
Remove the beef from the pot and let it cool on a cutting board until you can handle it. Pull off and discard the bones. You should be left with piles of fork-tender beef.
Now comes the 'gigil' part — the technique this dish is named after. Sprinkle the salt generously over the beef. Using your hands or tongs, rub and press the meat, working the salt in and breaking it down further. Then squeeze calamansi juice all over it. The acid brightens the rich beef flavor and the salt draws out the natural juices.
Mix the dipping sauce: combine the soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, and sliced chilies in a small bowl.
Serve the gigiled beef on a platter with extra calamansi halves and the dipping sauce on the side. The Ilocano way is to take a piece of beef with your fingers, dip it in the sauce, and eat it with steamed rice. Simple, but incredibly satisfying.

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