Elevate your venison shanks with this traditional Italian recipe

Looking back on the hunting trips of my past, I am horrified to have to account for all the shanks that were casually tossed into the trimming pile, destined for the grinder to be made into so many breakfast sausages, burger patties, and casseroles. Sadly, I don't think I was the only one committing what I now see as tantamount a sin on the level of the kind found on Moses's tablets. That type of thrifty, easy to scale, function-over-form style of cooking which has long dominated the rural, Germanic-protestant northern Midwest I hail from certainly has its culinary highpoints (looking at you, pickled herring in cream sauce and tater-tot hotdish), but bone-in cuts of red meat like the shank, that require a low and slow cooking process, largely fell by the wayside.

That needs to stop.  Don't get me wrong, I love venison burger; we eat at least 2 pounds of it a week in our home, but you can make some amazingly rich and flavorful dishes with the shank, and I'm confident that one will never again see the grinder in my kitchen.

Osso buco (or ossobuco, osso bucco) is an Italian dish made from cross cut shanks braised with vegetables. The name translates to "bone with a hole," which describes the marrow hole in the center of the bone cross section. Traditionally made from veal, the recipe works wonderfully with the shanks of wild ungulates like deer and elk. Someday I hope to make this dish with black bear.

Venison osso bucco on a white plate

Venison Osso Bucco

Dan Born

Elevate your venison shanks with this traditional Italian recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Calories 702 kcal

  • 2 whole venison shanks frozen and sawn into 2-inch disks
  • 1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp bacon fat or vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 lb baby carrots chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 8 oz beef stock
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 3 tbsp Italian seasoning or 1 tbsp each rosemary, thyme, oregano
  • 2 tbsp parsley chopped

  • A standard hack saw works great for sawing the shanks into disks, though I prefer a Japanese style pull saw, which cuts on the backward motion and results in a finer, more controlled cut.  I wrap the shanks whole in paper while butchering the deer and then keep them in my freezer, sawing the shanks into discs while frozen and letting the individual pieces thaw in my refrigerator prior to preparing the meal.

  • Roll shanks in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

  • Brown the shanks in the bacon fat in a hot, large cast iron skillet or other appropriately sized stovetop pan. Don't crowd the shanks. Set shanks aside.

  • Add butter and sauté onions, garlic, carrots and celery for 5-6 minutes over medium heat or until slightly browned.

  • Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and ½ your beef broth and wine. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.

  • Add shanks on top of the bed of vegetables and enough wine and broth to submerge ¾ of the shank disks.

  • Simmer covered for 4 hours, checking periodically to add additional wine or broth should the liquid evaporate too much. Cooking times will vary with the size of the shank. When the meat is just about ready to fall off the bone, it's done.

  • Serve over polenta, risotto or even potatoes. Sprinkle a bit of the minced parsley on top for added presentation points.

Calories: 702 kcal Carbohydrates: 33 g Protein: 97 g Fat: 15 g Saturated Fat: 6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 246 mg Sodium: 445 mg Potassium: 1858 mg Fiber: 6 g Sugar: 9 g Vitamin A: 10832 IU Vitamin C: 13 mg Calcium: 134 mg Iron: 16 mg

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