Making lower-quality cuts of meat is a dying skill. With the price of meat seemingly increasing every day, understanding how to make the lower-quality cuts taste just as good as the top-shelf stuff becomes increasingly important. Just like buying a house, if you’re going to buy the fixer upper, be prepared to put in some time and some work.
The key to accomplishing a savory result with most low-quality cuts is to cook them ‘low and slow’. What ultimately makes a cut ‘high’ or ‘low’ quality is by its tenderness. Generally, the more a muscle is used by the animal to do things like jump and run, the less tender the cut will be. Cooking this meat at a lower temperature for a longer time breaks down the connective matter that makes a meat tough.
This recipe will be the first of several in which you can take a seemingly dud cut of meat and make it a delicious part of your weekly rotation. We are going to start with cooking venison osso bucco. Osso bucco is generally made with beef, but I’ve found the venison variety to be outstanding as well. This recipe gives you a hearty stew-like consistency that is perfect for a cold evening dinner.
At this point, I have to pause for a disclaimer about butchering your own deer. There are plenty of butchering videos out on YouTube (just YouTube the golf ball skinning trick if you want some wholesome redneck entertainment), and I’m not going to spend much time on the process here. I’ve found butchering to be a rewarding part of the process because not only are you the only one who touches the meat, you can also cut yourself some select pieces of meat that you wouldn’t otherwise get by taking it to a mass processor. If you take your deer to a processor or butcher, there are some who will give you specific cuts if you want, so it’s worth asking your processor.
Osso bucco is made from the shank cut of the animal. If I have to make a somewhat morbid comparison, the shank is the calf or forearm muscle. Think about how much work your calf and forearm muscles do every day, and you get an idea of the quality of cut we are dealing with. Some people don’t even bother with cutting a shank up for the grind pile because of how much tendon is found in the muscle. This is why low and slow is so important – it breaks down all of the tendon and tough meat and leaves the meat tender and juicy.
Second disclaimer – cooking with cast iron has quickly become somewhat of an irrational pride point with me. Thus, I will be going through the recipe below using a cast iron Dutch oven and skillet. You can still accomplish the recipe with a frying pan and crock pot, but without, you know, the flavor. If you don’t have a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, head on over to Lodge’s website and buy yourself one.
Cook time – 3.5 hours (3 hours on simmer) or 8.5 hours in crock pot (8 hours on simmer)
Ingredients:
2 whole venison shanks with as much sinew cut away as possible while still holding the meat to the bone
24+ oz of beef broth
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 large carrots, diced
Minced garlic to taste (I usually put a tablespoon or more of garlic)
1 16 oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes
½ cup dry white whine or apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon minced basil
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. (Skip this step if using a crock pot)
The first step requires some dual cooking.
Sauté the vegetables
In your Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the vegetables.
I generally start with the carrots for 5 minutes as they take the longest to soften, followed by celery for 3 minutes, then garlic and onion for another 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent.
Brown the whole shanks.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in your skillet on heat that is just hot enough to make the oil shimmer but not burn.
Cover the shanks in salt and pepper to taste, then brown all sides of the shanks.
Start the shanks at the same time as the carrots and they should be done around the same time.
Low and slow
Once the shanks are brown, place the shanks into the Dutch oven (or crock pot).
Add all of the remaining ingredients, ensuring that enough broth is used to completely cover the shanks (if using a crock pot, ensure broth covers meat in crock pot). Reposition the shanks as necessary to use less broth.
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Once simmering, place the Dutch oven into the oven for three hours (or set crock pot for 8 hours on low).
Periodically check the level of liquid to ensure it covers the shank, adding more as needed.
Once cooking is complete, pull out the shank bones. The bones should come out with little effort; if the meat does not fall off the bone, the meat is not done cooking. Add another half-hour in the oven and repeat as necessary.
Shred the shanks into large chunks.
Serve with rice or polenta if desired, and a side of bread.