Osso Buco

Osso Buco is a delicious way to prepare deer shanks, ensuring that no part of the animal goes to waste. The recipe is complex and there are quite a few steps: trussing, seasoning, searing, and slow-cooking. But don’t worry, it’s easy to work around a busy afternoon or a nap. The shank is the portion of the leg below the larger, meatier rump or shoulder. Slow cooking cuts of meat like these are rewarding - easy, incredibly flavorful, and impressive for your audience. A creative way to use a cut from an animal that could otherwise be tough and challenging to eat. 

The first step is cutting the shanks into smaller pieces that will fit across the bottom of a large roasting pot or dutch oven. This can be fairly straight forward if you have the right equipment, but the first time that I gave it a try I didn’t have a bone saw. This created a few exciting moments holding the bone of a small shank in one hand and a cleaver in the other. Nevertheless, I managed to cut them into pieces roughly three inches long. With a bone saw, it would be a quick and easy task. 

After cutting the shank into pieces, and writing a note to buy a bone saw immediately, the next step was to heat a pot or dutch oven to medium/high heat with a high temp cooking fat of choice (why use anything but lard?). I tied a piece of butcher's twine around each shank while the pan was heating. Then, add the shanks into the hot fat until browned. I cooked them in batches so not to crowd the pot. 

Osso Buco over polenta.

Once the shanks were browned, I set them on a large plate, and added some chopped carrots, onions, celery and garlic to the remaining crackling fat. The vegetables are infused with the flavors and the sugars from searing the meat, but soon the moisture that they release begins to build a simmering broth. I tasted a carrot when I saw that the onions had softened. They were ready for a few liberal glugs of dry red wine. A few pinches of salt, some fresh parsley and a cup or two of chopped tomatoes and the feast is ready for a long, covered, stovetop simmer over low heat.

I chopped some firewood and took a nap. Nothing much has to be done while the gentle heat slowly transforms the shanks into delicate, fall-off-the-bone tenderness. The aromas woke me from my nap, and I went in to check the meat. Perfect. It wanted to fall off the bone, but with the help of the butcher’s twine, stayed in place just long enough to be served onto a bed of polenta. 

Though intrigued by the adventure, the necessary skills and the time in the woods, bringing food to the table is definitely the most important element of hunting for me. Transforming an animal into food makes me distinctly aware of how closely the two are connected. Preparing a meal from a deer that I killed helps me to respect and care for the ingredients. Sharing that with the people I care about is a recently reconnected with, deeply human part of me.