Venison Shank Osso Buco

Another highlight of hosting my sister and her boyfriend over Labor Day weekend was introducing them to venison with one of our favorite recipes; venison shank osso buco!

It looks and sounds like complicated, fancy fare, but it’s actually a very simple recipe that turns one of the toughest cuts of meat into a delicate, light meal.

This deer season, keep those shanks and treat yourself to an Italian classic!

Venison Shank Osso Buco

Ingredients:

• 2 venison shanks (depending on how hungry you are, this is enough for 2-4 people)
• Flour
• 1 cup of finely diced carrots
• 1 cup of finely diced celery
• 1/2 Onion
• Tomato Sauce (28oz)
• 1 187ml/6.5oz bottle of white wine (we used Sutter Home Chardonnay, but use your preference!)
• 1tbsp of minced garlic
• Beef Stock
• Thyme
• Rosemary

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Cut the venison shanks into discs (you can get 4 from each shank); we thaw ours, cut the meat with a knife, and then carefully saw through the bone. Tie them with butcher twine so they don’t fall apart.

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3. Dredge them in flour before browning on all sides in olive oil using a dutch oven. (If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use any skillet.) Set aside.

4. Add the onion and garlic; cook until aromatic.

5. Add the carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, and half of the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook all the way through (until they’re browned).

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6. Pat vegetables down to completely cover the bottom of the pan and create a flat surface for the shanks. Put the meat back in the dutch oven, but make sure that none of the discs are touching.

7. Add 28-29oz of tomato sauce; add beef stock until the meat is covered.

8. Put the cover on the dutch oven for 4 hours at 300 degrees.

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9. Remove from the oven, remove the twine around the discs and enjoy!

Recommended sides: polenta discs (this is our favorite!), orzo, rice, asparagus, zucchini/squash vegetable medley, and any other hearty vegetable sides.

Pin or save the recipe card below so you can try it!