A caribou shank isn’t the most profitable part of the animal for filleting meat as it dries quickly and is generally tough. Osso buco or “bone with a hole” is a great way to use the often tossed front shank. The best approach to cutting the shanks for Osso Buco is to slice the frozen shanks with a band saw- a common tool in the dog yard! If you lack high powered cutlery you could attempt this with a bone saw or simply go boneless (call it stew if you must) utilizing those tougher cuts of meat.
Notes
Serve this with couscous, polenta, or with traditional risotto. Garnish with a simple gremolata of parsley, garlic and lemon zest.
Ingredients
- Caribou or venison shank cut into disks 1-4 inches wide depending on what you can manage
- Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine or red wine vinegar
- Large onion
- 1 stalk chopped celery
- 1 chopped carrot
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 26 oz. carton beef stock or your homemade stock
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 1 tsp. Thyme
- 1 tsp Basil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat enough oil (medium heat) in a dutch oven to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Add the shank discs and brown on both sides. If you are using stew meat, brown all pieces.
- Remove the disks and saute onions, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt, until soft and brown.
- Add the garlic and wine vigorously stirring to remove the fond on bottom of pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste as well as stock and seasonings.
- Return the shanks to the pot. The liquids should barely cover the meat- if not add water or more stock until meat is just covered.
- Cook covered on medium low for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender.
- You may need to cook uncovered for a half hour to reduce the sauce.
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We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.