Osso Bucco

This classic Italian braised veal shanks Osso Bucco is real comfort food with fork-tender meat bathed in a luxurious and flavorful tomato red wine sauce. Then it’s topped off with a bright lemon garlic and parsley mixture. A restaurant-quality dish for special dinners at home all-year-round! 

What is Osso Bucco?

Osso Bucco or as some would spell it Ossobuco is a fancier term for “bone with a hole”. Often made with veal shanks, that marrow found in the hole of the bone makes this braised dish a prized delicacy. It’s rich and tastes as good as the meat as it tenderizes making everyone just want to slurp it up. This dish is right on my top shelf along with Guinness Beef Stew and this Jamaican Oxtail Stew. 

Meat Substitution

Although it’s traditionally made with veal (meat from the young calf), you can make this as well with beef. Take note that veal has quite a delicate and sweeter flavor compared to the stronger meaty flavor of beef. But no matter which kind of animal you opt to, the cut should include the bones coz that’s what makes this dish full of rich flavor. 

Cooking Osso Bucco

This veal Osso Bucco recipe may not quite be “the classic” version as it uses tomatoes, but I can promise you that its added acidic sweetness makes our red wine sauce even for exquisitely delicious. 

In this recipe, the veal shanks are tied with kitchen twine to hold their shape during the cooking. Then its lightly coated with flour and browned on each side. 

If you’ve noticed, instead of going with the usual white wine, I opted for a bolder red wine to add depth in color and richness in our sauce. The meat is cooked first on the stovetop for a few minutes and then slowly braised in a tomato-wine based sauce in the oven for that delicate fork-tender meat that makes all the angels in the heaven sing. 

As always, adjust your cooking time when using beef. Just pierce the shank with a fork to check if the meat is falling apart. 

Making It Ahead and Storing

To make this dish ahead of time, just cook this dish as instructed below and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to let the dish cool down completely before storing it. You can keep it in an airtight container or in the same pan (with lid), so you can reheat it just right away on the stovetop. Alternatively, you can also do the reheating in an oven. Simply cover the pan with a foil and reheat in the oven at 325 F for 30-35 minutes. 

What to Serve with Osso Bucco?

Traditionally, ossobuco is served with a Risotto ala Milanese (check my Mushroom Risotto HERE, too), but you can enjoy this just as much with Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes, pasta, plain white rice or creamy polenta (which I’ll be sharing soon). 

More Beef Dishes You’ll Love

Oh I know, we all can’t get enough of anything beef (or beefy). So here are more scrumptious beef recipes that you’d absolutely love: 

• Braised Short Ribs 
• Beef Stroganoff 
• Slow Cooker Beef Stew 
• Jamaican Brown Beef Short Ribs Stew 

 

How to Make Osso Bucco

 

Preheat oven 350 Degrees F. Pat dry beef or veal shanks with a paper towel and then tie kitchen twine around each veal shank so that veal will hold shape while cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each beef shank with flour, shake off any excess flour. Set aside. In a large cast-iron or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sear the shanks in the hot oil, turning to brown all sides. Remove and set aside. Add butter, as soon as butter melts – add onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, rosemary, celery and Italian seasoning to the same pan and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant and onions are wilted – about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and add bay leaf, continue cooking for about 3 minutes.

Add canned tomatoes and paste and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Return shanks back to  the the cast iron. then , pour in the stock, bring to a boil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Remember you can adjust salt as you go halfway through cooking. Turn off heat, cover. Place in preheated oven and cook for about 1 ½ – 2 hours, checking periodically to ensure there is enough liquid. If the liquid is too low, add enough broth or water to keep the level about halfway up the shanks. To check for doneness, pierce shank with a fork. The meat should pull apart easily. Transfer the shanks to a plate or serving platter and proceed with gremolata. The gremolata can be made while osso buco is cooking. 

To make gremolata finely chop the parsley, add lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.