The Much Cooler Alternative To Standing Rib Roast

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Substituting meat cuts can lead to some cool discoveries — remember the time we invoked "poor man's prime rib" as a cheaper alternative cut? — but one alternative to an admittedly staid standing rib roast is so incredibly cool that even the name inspires awe: Thor's hammer. Foodie spoke with Meathead, a BBQ Hall of Famer, founder of AmazingRibs.com, and the author of the best-selling "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" and the forthcoming book, "The Meathead Method," about what exactly a Thor's hammer is and how to prepare it in a way that lives up to its godly moniker.

"Thor's hammer is a beef shank bone, either foreshank or hind shank, from above the knee with a halo of meat left on half the bone while the other half is stripped bare," Meathead explains. Planted meat-side down on a platter, it really does bear a remarkable resemblance to something that Chris Hemsworth would swing in a movie battle. Meathead points out that osso buco is made from this cut, and that you needn't shell out for USDA Prime meat to have an unforgettable dinner. "USDA Choice will do and that is what most butchers will have," he says. 

While beef shank is prepped in many ways and served in a variety of dishes, the bone-in presentation is what really makes Thor's hammer. For a show-stopping special occasion, he says "if you can put a whole hammer on everyone's plate it is pretty impressive. Just be sure to have some foil on hand for leftovers." That foil can also be pretty handy for gently reheating those leftovers.

"[A Thor's hammer] is a 4-to-5 pound bundle of hard-working muscles, so it needs to be cooked low and slow to make it tender and juicy," Meathead tells us. "You can roast it, braise it, sous vide it, or smoke it at low temps, and all will produce tender, juicy meat." For his own consumption, he likes to smoke the cut. "I start by removing excess surface fat and silverskin," he says. "Then I sprinkle it with a beef rub that has salt in it 3 to 4 hours in advance to allow the salt to penetrate. The herbs and spices can't penetrate. I then wrap the bare bone with foil and smoke roast the meat in a foil pan with some onion, carrots, and apple to capture the drippings and any marrow that melts out. I keep it at about 225 [degrees Fahrenheit] for 6-10 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of about 180F."

For side dishes to accompany this impressive specimen of meat, Meathead chooses to keep things simple with seasonal vegetables. He also notes that you are likely to have poor luck trying to save money on this cut. "There is no such thing as inexpensive beef anymore," Meathead warns, noting that his recommendation can be particularly spendy. "I just checked and a 4 – 5 pound Thor's hammer that yields about 2 – 3 pounds of meat can cost about more than $60." But, with proper care, a Thor's hammer could be well worth the money.