Salt your pieces of beef shank and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat a cast iron skillet or pan on medium-high heat.
Add avocado oil to the pan and let the oil preheat for about 30 seconds.
Add beef shanks to the pan brown for two minutes.
Flip the beef shanks and cook for an additional two minutes.
Add cinnamon sticks, garlic, ginger, star anise, bay leaves, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Cover with enough water to cover the beef shanks.
Put a lid on the pan and let simmer on low heat for 2.5-3 hours. That may seem like a long time, but trust me the meat needs it!
Remove from heat. Remove spices and garnish with spring onion. Enjoy!