Beef Ossobuco

You’ll never forget your first bite of beef ossobuco, knowing in that instant that it certainly would not be your last. That’s how much of on impact this Italian stew will have on you. 

A beef ossobuco recipe is a classic Italian recipe you can find on the menu of any reputable Italian restaurant.

I am pretty sure that you’ve even tried an original beef ossobuco recipe, but you just didn’t realise it was ossobuco. 

In essence, ossobuco (or osso buco) is a specialty meat casserole dish from the Lombardy region of Italy. Often it is made with beef shanks or veal shanks (also with the marrow in the bone).

Apparently, the marrow is responsible for extracting the most amount of umami flavour. The meat is then braised in a fragrant broth which includes wine and tons of vegetables. 

So, try this irresistible Italian stew and prepare yourself for one of the best melt-in-your-mouth experiences you’ve ever had!

Enjoy making this beef ossobuco recipe! Let me know if there are other products which you always use for making your stews.

two types of ossobuco

In essence, there are two types of ossobuco. The first one is made with white wine. This version is commonly known as Osso buco Milanese. 

The fact that it is made with the addition of white wine makes it a much lighter beef stew, with a somewhat cleaner aftertaste. 

The other version of ossobuco is made with red wine, which in turn produces a rich and intense flavour. The red wine adds plenty of depth to this stew, so it’s no surprise I came to love it so much.

Of course, some versions also don’t contain any alcohol at all. 

In any event, if you are a fan of beef stews, take a look at these delicious beef recipes:

• beef cheek ragu
• sous vide beef cheeks
• beef fillet with garlic and mustard butter
• beef pastitsada

osso buco recipe red wine

In order to achieve that amazing richness in the sauce I add red wine to it.

On that note, make sure you keep some red wine for serving with the beef ossobuco later on. Since beef ossobuco is an Italian dish, the logical choice is a good Italian red wine.

If you want to stay true to the origins of beef ossobuco, you should choose a wine from Northern Italy.

A nice, full-bodied Chianti for instance, will pair beautifully with a serving of beef ossobuco. If you love beef stews with red wine, check out this beef stew with mushroom and red wine recipe.

osso buco recipe slow cooker

This beef ossobuco recipe takes about 90 minutes to cook in the oven. It will take the whole 90 minutes for the meat to be completely tender. 

Believe me, it’s worth the wait for the melt-in-your-mouth experience. 

When you dish the beef ossobuco up, you’ll see that the meat will completely fall to pieces. Oh and the marrow, it’s to die for! 

Bone marrow is very beneficial for you. I don’t understand why people toss away the bones when they make broths. The bone marrow is the best part in my opinion.

Bone marrow is an excellent source of nutrition. Studies indicate that some of the health benefits of consuming bone marrow include supporting joint function, improved skin and reduction in inflammation.

When in its raw form, the texture of the bone marrow is spongy. However, once you cook it, it’s soft and melts completely in your mouth. It kind of tastes like butter with a nutty flavour. You must try it!

Nevertheless, if you want to take this recipe to the next level and really enjoy tender bone marrow, you can also use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Both will tenderise the meat to perfection.

osso buco pork

Although the traditional Italian ossobuco is made from veal or beef shanks, there is an alternative. You can easily substitute the beef shanks with pork shanks.

Make sure to season well, as the pork shanks are not quite as rich in flavour as the beef shanks.

Here you can add some crushed red peppers, and some orange or lemon zest to give the pork ossobuco a bit more complexity.

Moreover, you can think about substituting the red wine for a dry white wine, when preparing the ossobuco with pork.

You can use either or. Both ways, you’ll have a delicious sauce around your ossobuco.

what to serve with beef stew

In the beef ossobuco’s home ground in northern Italy, polenta is often used as a side.

Polenta is essentially a sort of porridge made from cornmeal.

When served warm, it has much the same texture as a potato mash, making it perfect for scooping off that delicious beef ossobuco sauce.

An often overlooked way to serve polenta is to let it set, cut it into pieces and fry it in oil.

That being said, I must admit that I always serve my beef ossobuco with a good old-fashioned potato mash. There is just nothing that pairs as well with a deep intense sauce like beef ossobuco, as a good mash does.

If you want to rustle things up a bit, you can try a different mash. For instance, you can make a carrot and parsnip mash  or even a butter bean mash. 

Ossobuco

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Michelle Minnaar
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

Beef ossobuco is an Italian stew from the region of Lombardy. Prepare yourself for the most tender meat you’ve ever had.

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Ingredients

• 4 large onions, peeled
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8 carrots, peeled
• 8 celery stalks
• 800g (1¾lbs) mushrooms, cleaned
• 4kg (8¾lbs) beef shin
• 100g (3oz) all-purpose flour
• 15ml (1 tbsp) salt
• 5ml (1 tsp) black pepper
• 5ml (1 tsp) coriander
• 5ml (1 tsp) cloves
• 120ml (8 tbsp) olive oil
• 120ml (8 tbsp) butter
• 600ml (1 pint) red wine
• 4 bouillon cubes
• 1.5kg (3⅓) passata
• 60ml (4 tbsp) brown sugar

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Instructions

1. Grate the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms with a food processor.
2. Season the flour with salt, black pepper, coriander and cloves and stir thoroughly.
3. Make cuts in the meat’s rind.
4. Coat the meat in seasoned flour.
5. Melt the half the oil and butter in a heavy ovenproof proof pot until the mixture starts sizzling.
6. Place the meat in one layer and brown on both sides. Take them out and repeat the process until all the meat is browned.
7. Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/gas mark 3.
8. Add the remaining butter and oil to the empty pot and let the mixture heat up.
9. Add the grated vegetable mixture to the pot and fry lightly until semi-cooked.
10. Add the meat to the vegetable mixture.
11. Add the wine, passata, sugar to the stew and crumble in the bouillon cubes.
12. Give it a good stir and place in the oven for 90 minutes. Done!

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Notes

Traditionally, this recipe is made with veal shin. Since veal is so hard to find in the UK, I used beef shin.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Braise
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: ossobuco recipe, ossobuco alla milanese, veal shin recipe, italian veal recipe, italian veal stew, beef ossobuco