Chocolate-Glazed Beef Knuckle

09/27/2025

Who said chocolate is only for desserts? With this surprising recipe from our Cesarina Ita from Castelvetrano, we take you on a journey between sweet and savory, where beef knuckle meets the deep, rich flavor of dark chocolate. The Chocolate-Glazed Beef Knuckle is an elegant and bold main course, perfect for those who want to impress their guests with an unexpected yet perfectly balanced pairing. The sweetness of the dark chocolate, enhanced with raisins and pine nuts, blends beautifully with the tenderness of the meat and the acidity of the vinegar, creating a refined and surprising harmony of flavors. A special dish, easy to prepare, but with a guaranteed wow effect!

“For the perfect pairing, I recommend a ruby-red Syrah aged over five years, with characteristic notes of bitter cocoa, tobacco, and coffee”.

Chocolate-Glazed Beef Knuckle

A savory dish with a sweet heart to surprise your guests

DifficultyEasy

Preparation time1h 10m

Cooking time1h

Servings6

Ingredients

600 g tied beef knuckle
1 white onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 bunch of parsley
50 g dark chocolate
50 g white zuccata (candied pumpkin)
1 knob of tomato paste
1 teaspoon raisins
1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts
2 knobs of margarine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 level tablespoon of sugar
One glass of vinegar
Toasted sliced almonds

Method

In a pan, brown the beef knuckle with a knob of margarine and a drizzle of oil until nicely golden.
In another pot, prepare a mince of onion, carrot, celery, and parsley.
Add the oil from the first pan where the meat was browned, a knob of margarine, salt and pepper to taste, and finally the seared meat.
Dissolve a knob of tomato paste in hot water, pour it into the pot with the meat, and cook semi-covered over low heat for about 40 minutes.
In a small pan, combine the raisins, pine nuts, a glass of vinegar, the sugar, diced zuccata, and grated chocolate.
Over low heat, blend everything together with the help of a fork.
Add this mixture to the pot with the meat and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or so.
Remove the beef knuckle from the pot and let it cool. Slice it and place it on a serving dish, then drizzle with the hot sauce and serve.