This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
“I enjoy cooking with wine… sometimes I even put it in the food.”
…is one of my favorite Julia Child quotes. Except I don’t drink much anymore. About 3-4 months ago, I ended up ordering a crap-ton of wine online because I got this crazy discount, and a week after that, I decided I don’t really enjoy drinking alcohol and the way it makes me feel. I’m such a tool. Anyway, after letting the bottles sit on our kitchen table for months and occasionally going through one (if that) when we have guests come over, I’ve decided I should try to use them in cooking.
Red wine is a great for slow-cooking, low-simmer recipes that allow the alcohol to cook off and give the dish a deep, rustic flavor. I’ve always had trouble navigating around Italian menus because most dishes contain gluten, but osso bucco has always been a safe option, not to mention absolutely delicious. I thought recreating this dish at home would be complicated, but it turned out to be surprisingly simple and easy. It takes a few hours but the end result is fall-off-the-bone amazing! I used beef shanks, but lamb shanks will work as well.
Make sure you don’t forget to make the gremolata. It’s an herb condiment that takes minimal ingredients and brings this dish to another flavor level.
Fun fact: Did you know that osso bucco translates to “bone with a hole”? So literal, those Italians.
Osso Buco
Ingredients
- 2 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 grass-fed beef shanks
- 2 tsp tapioca starch
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 carrot sticks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 bone broth or beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt & Pepper
Gremolata
- 1 small bunch of parsley (about 1/2 cup loosely packed)
- 1 large garlic clove, grated finely
- Grated zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Salt and pepper the beef shanks, and dredge them in tapioca starch so they are thinly coated on all side. Set aside.
- Heat a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add chopped bacon and stir until they are crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Leave the bacon fat in the pan and increase the heat to medium high.
- Add beef shanks to pan and cook until they are browned evenly, about 2 minutes per side.
- Remove and set aside the shanks, and then add onion, carrot, and celery in to the pan, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook stirring for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and thyme and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add bacon and shanks back to the pan and pour in the wine, tomato paste, then add enough bone broth or beef stock to cover at least half way up the shanks.
- Add more salt and pepper, and bring to simmer.
- Cover the lid and put in the preheated oven for 2 - 2.5 hours until the shanks are tender.
Gremolata
- While the beef shanks are cooking in the oven, chop and combine all ingredients for the gremolata.
- Make sure the ingredients are chopped finely by continuously chopping the mixture.
- Place in a small bowl.
- Once osso buco is finished, sprinkle with gremolata or serve it on the side.
