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Beef Osso Buco may sound fancy but the recipe is simple and basic. Let the long simmer in the pot do all the hard work so you can enjoy this extravagantly yummy dinner.
Everything you need to know to make this Classic Beef Osso Buco Recipe
- Recipe Notes and Tips
- About the Ingredients
- How to make Beef Osso Buco
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Recipe
- Similar Recipes You Might Want to Try
Casandra’s Recipe Notes and Tips
Don’t let the fancy Italian words scare you away. Osso buco is simply an Italian dish made of braising meat (with the bone and marrow) in a stew of wine, broth, vegetables and seasonings. Think of this Beef Osso Buco recipe as a fancy upgrade to your typical go-to beef stew.
Osso buco is traditionally made with veal shank rather than a beef shank bone but veal is a bit more expensive so I like to substitute beef for a more wallet friendly, weeknight dinner, version. I happen to love veal (not everyone does) but I promise you that the swap to beef is still just as delicious.
About the Ingredients
Beef Shank Bone – this cut is the very top of the cow’s leg, similar to where our thigh connects to the hip. You can usually find individual portions at local markets but your butcher might also have the beef shank bone whole. It will be quite large and cone shaped. A whole shank usually produces 3-4 nice even portions of meat. Just ask the butcher to cut it for you because you’ll never get through it with a knife at home.
Flour – all purpose flour for dusting the meat. The flour will, together with the oil in the pan, will form the crust on the beef to lock in the juices. It will also help maintain that crispy exterior even after a long time braising in the pot.
Olive oil – fat is what helps make that dark brown crispy golden crust on the outside of the meat. Beef has a lot of fat on it’s own but you really need the extra to get it just right. You could also substitute butter.
Salt and Pepper – always be liberal with the seasonings. The long time it spends cooking weakens the flavor so have a heavy hand in the beginning.
Vegetables – like stew, carrots, onion, garlic and celery are the magic 4. I also add fennel because it has such great flavor (and bonus! Fennel has great health benefits too.)
For the sauce – tomato paste, red wine and beef broth.
Herbs – rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf.
How to Cook Beef Shank for a Classic Beef Osso Buco
Beef shank is a fairly tough cut of meat so it needs to cook for a long time to become perfectly tender. Meats that are prepared this way eventually begin to melt apart, so to speak, and shred. But for osso buco we want to portion of meat to stay with the bone and all of its delicious marrow so we begin by tying a piece of cooking twine around each beef shank. You can likely pick up cooking twine at your local market or order it on Amazon.
Time to get your pan ready. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a Dutch oven. While the pan gets hot, dredge all sides of the beef in flour and season it with salt and pepper. Place the meat in the pot and sear it on all sides until brown and crispy. Now transfer the meat back to a plate and set it aside.
While the beef browns, chop the vegetables.
After removing the meat from the pot, deglaze it with ¼ cup red wine. Scrape up any brown bits left behind from the meat. Now add 2 tablespoons butter and then add the vegetables. Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes or until they’re tender.
Deglaze the pan again with another ½ cup of red wine. Stir in the tomato paste until the vegetables are coated. Pour over the beef stock and add one bay leaf, thyme and rosemary (bundled so it can be removed easily after cooking) and salt and pepper.
Return beef to the pan. Cover and simmer everything for 6-8 hours. Check the pot occasionally to make sure the liquid isn’t getting too low. It should stay at least half way covering the beef. If the liquid is getting low just add a little more beef stock. You can also baste the top of the meat while you’re in there peaking.
When the meat is tender you’re ready to eat! Remove the herbs from the pot. Plate each beef shank Osso Buco over a bed of rice, mashed potatoes, polenta or any other starchy side that will soak up all of the delicious sauce you have. Then cut off the twine, drizzle over some sauce and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Osso Buco?
Osso buco is simply an Italian dish made of braising meat (with the bone and marrow) in a stew of wine, broth, vegetables and seasonings. Think of a Beef Osso Buco recipe as a fancy upgrade to your typical go-to beef stew.
How long to cook beef shank on the stove?
It’s going to take a long time, 6-8 hours on low. You can speed up the cooking time by cooking it in the oven at 400° F for about 2 – 2½ hours.
The Recipe for Classic Beef Osso Buco
The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you test it out be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought and if you think and how it compares to your favorite beef stew. Enjoy!
Classic Beef Osso Buco
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or braiser
- scissors
- cooking twine
- paper towel to pat the meat dry
Ingredients
- 4 beef shanks about 1½ inches thick
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 small bulb of fennel
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed
- 3/4 cup red wine divided
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Tie a piece of cooking twine around each of the 4 beef shanks.
- Dredge the beef in 1 cup all purpose flour to coat all sides. Then season with salt & pepper.
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large dutch oven or braising pan. When hot, place the beef in the pan and cook until a brown and crispy crust forms. It should take about 3 minutes per side. Then transfer the meat to plate and set it aside.
- While the meat is browning, chop 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1 small yellow onion and 1 small bulb of fennel.
- After the meat has been removed to a plate, deglaze the pot by pouring in 1/4 cup of the red wine. Scrape up any brown bits left in the pot. Add 2 tbsp butter to the hot pot and then add the chopped vegetables and 3 cloves of garlic. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are softened.
- Add the remainder of the 3/4 cup red wine to the pot and let the wine simmer off while stirring.
- Stir in 3 tbsp tomato paste to evenly coat the vegetables. Then pour over the 3 cups beef broth and stir to combine everything. Return the meat to the pot and nestle it into the sauce the vegetables.
- Using a small piece of cooking twine, tie 5 sprigs of thyme and 3 sprigs of rosemary into a bundle and place in the pot along with 1 bay leaf. Cover the pot and simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
- Check the pot occasionally to make sure the liquid isn't getting too low. It should stay at least half way covering the beef. If the liquid is getting low just add a little more beef stock. You can also baste the top of the meat while you're in there peaking.
- When the meat is tender you're ready to eat! Remove the herbs from the pot. Plate each beef shank Osso Buco over a bed of rice, mashed potatoes, polenta or any other starchy side that will soak up all of the delicious sauce you have. Then cut off the twine, drizzle over some sauce and enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like to Try
- Perfect Air Fryer Porterhouse Steak
- Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Easy Bordelaise Sauce with Mushrooms
