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Osso Bucco is one of my favorite meals to make! This is an absolutely mouth-watering Italian comfort food that everyone should try at least once!
Osso Bucco (Braised Beef Shanks Recipe)
This classic braised beef shanks recipe hails from 19th century Northern Italy and it really is the perfect evening meal for any occasion.
Just add a side dish of rice or some mashed potato cakes or twice baked potatoes, with a delicious glass of red wine, and you have the perfect dish to enjoy with friends/family or while dining alone when you’re unwinding after a long day.
Replacing the traditional veal with beef shanks in this Osso Bucco makes it super budget-friendly, too!
Osso Bucco (Braised Beef Shanks Recipe) Ingredients
The ingredients for this braised beef shanks recipe are easy to pick up and really inexpensive!
- Beef shanks – cut into 3-4 inch pieces.
- Butter – for frying and flavor
- Minced garlic – adds fragrance and is a must in this dish.
- Large white onion – sliced into rings.
- Carrots – chopped.
- Dry white wine – you can use chicken stock to deglaze the pan instead if you don’t want wine.
- Diced tomatoes
- Beef stock
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
How to Make this Osso Bucco (Braised Beef Shanks Recipe) Perfectly
- Dredge the beef shanks through the flour and coat it (skip this if you’re low-carb).
- Melt the butter in a large oven-safe braising pan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Fry the beef shanks in the butter until browned on the outside.
- Remove the beef shanks to a plate.
- Add the onion slices. Cook and stir until tender.
- Add in the garlic and the carrots. Fry until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine. Deglaze the pan. Stir in the beef broth and the tomatoes.
- Return the beef to the pan. Make sure the shanks are submerged in the sauce.
- Place the lid on top and cook the shanks in a 300 °F for 4-5 hours.
- For stove top, cover and simmer on the stovetop over low heat for 2-3 hours.
What to Serve with it
One of my favorite ways to serve this is over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, with some pan-roasted vegetables on the side and a nice red wine. It’s the ultimate hearty meal!
Why not try one of these side dishes:
The BEST Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!
Ukrainian Style Cream Dill Potatoes
What is Osso Bucco Beef?
The term Osso Bucco means “hollowed bone” in reference to the marrow-filled shin bone it’s made from. The traditional Italian favourite is prepared using veal shanks, but I personally prefer the beef shanks version that we’re using here!
What Part of Beef is Osso Bucco?
The meat cut in Beef Osso Bucco is a cross-cut of beef from the shank that’s around an inch and a half thick. It’s a pretty thick meat cut, but it becomes deliciously flavourful and tender when braised.
If you’re looking for more mouth-watering beef recipes, give these a go:
The Perfect Herb and Garlic Bottom Round Roast Recipe
Root Beer BBQ Slow Cooker Brisket
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast & Peppers
Happy cooking everyone!
Love,
Karlynn
Osso Bucco (Braised Beef Shanks Recipe)
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 hours
- Total Time
- 5 hours 15 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Servings
- 4
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds beef shanks cut into 3-4 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 large white onion sliced into rings
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- one 540 millilitres can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you want, dredge the beef shanks through flour and coat it. ( I skip this to keep it lower carb)
- Melt the butter in a large oven safe braising pan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Fry the beef shanks in the butter until browned on the outside.
- Remove the beef shanks to a plate, and keep warm.
- Add the onion slices to the skillet; cook and stir until the onion is tender. Add in the garlic and the carrots and fry until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan at this point. Stir in the beef broth and the tomatoes.
- Return the beef to the pan, making sure the shanks are submerged in the sauce.
- The best way to cook now is to place the lid on top and cook the shanks in a 300 °F for 4-5 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- For stove top, cover and simmer on the stove top over low heat for 2-3 hours, checking and moving the meat occasionally to ensure that the bottom is not burning.
Recipe Notes
- I keep this lower carb by NOT dusting the shanks in flour, you can dredge them through flour before frying them if desired.
- I prefer my shanks to be velvety and falling apart, you can cook it until it’s tender but the shanks remain together like a steak more. The choice is yours.
- Serve with gremolata for a traditional dish.
- This goes well over polenta, as is traditional as well
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Claire Morey says
No salt, no pepper, no herbs, butter? not Olive oil…no celery, at this moment it is simmering after I had to saute up some celery with thyme and a bay leaf to toss in. Added tomato paste as well and used 3 cups of stock. Osso Bucco means bones with a hole. So where did the bone go? Luckily I am cooking for my sister who is very forgiving. What a waste!
Babs says
Well, my first clue should have been no seasoning mentioned. Also, cutting up the shanks. I added salt and pepper to the dredge and two large thyme sprigs to the pan. Red wine is preferred for this dish. The final result was delicious, but I think I will search for another recipe next time for Oso Bucco.
Kirstie Batey says
Amazing recipe I made earlier this year! I’m making it again tomorrow and I had a hard time finding the recipe. Thank god I shared it with my friend and was able to pull it up. Your recipe needs to be on the top for search engines lol. I’m marking this as my favorite so I will never lose it!
Laura says
The first time I ever had Osso Bucco was in Florida at a golf club dinner. To this day i would never change the recipe. The experienced was one of the tastiest delicious dishes I have ever had. The difference and I’m sure many will not care for this version are you ready ……it was made with lamb shanks….OMG……if you like lamb try this dish same ingredients just with lamb it will not disappoint. Dinner party for those who love lamb……I can’t make it any other way…..yummmm
Hope you try it
L.A 🇨🇦
Vilko says
Too much garlic! Garlic everywhere,” problem with how Italian food is done in the US.
Garlic, you see, is not quite the staple of Italian cuisine Americans think it is. Depending on who you speak to, onions are a controversial ingredient too – and don’t even think of ever combining the two in a single dish.
Soffrito,(Italian holly trinity) basil, and olive oil NOT BUTTER!
Soffritto is an aromatic flavor base composed of sauteed carrots, celery, and onion that forms the foundation
Soffritto is sometimes called battuto in Italian, which usually refers to the uncooked mix of vegetables.
Mirepoix is known as the holy trinity of French cooking.(with Butter)
Nate S says
It’s in the oven now but your recipe has some pretty critical inconsistencies like it was pieces together. I’m not using this site again. Please proofread.
Shannon says
This recipe was absolutely delicious! So flavorful and tender! I pulled it out of the oven after about 3 hours and the meat fell right off the bone. Served this with rice and roasted baby carrots. The whole family enjoyed it!
Pat says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!!!!!! Thanks so much.
Myra says
I used roughly 3lbs of beef shanks that were all pretty sizeable. I also added celery. Since this is a liquid dependent recipe with the maximum meat amount; I relied on experience and eyeballing to determine the correct amount of liquid for the extended cooking time. And used a large can of tomatoes; Along with at least 2 cups of broth.
Adam says
Did everything according to the recipe except for the oven was set to 275 and I only cooked it for 1.5 hours. Beef ended up well well over done, chewy and tasteless. Not sure what went wrong but definitely won’t be doing it again.
Benjamin Nappa says
You lowered the heat too much and didn’t cook it long enough. Yes, low and slow but I wouldn’t go under 300-degrees. Also, you need to cook it for a long period of time until you have rendered all of the fat marbled throughout the meat – if you don’t cook long enough, you will definitely get tough and fatty meat. Lastly, the sauce is going to help impart all the flavor into the meat so make sure you taste and adjust it before the long cook!! I guarantee, tweak your recipe a little and retry this, you’ll love it!!
Laura says
You didn’t follow the directions and cooked it long enough. That’s the only way to get a cheap, fatty meat tender. Next time, cook the entire 4-5 hours.
liv says
are you dumb? how are you going to cook the beef at a lower temp than is called for, and LESS THAN HALF THE TIME?
MarshaK says
This is now my favorite beef recipe but will save for special occasions because of the price. I thought braising was to cook in liquid at least half-way up the side of your meat or fish. But when the directions stated to make sure shanks were submerged, glad I did. The acid in the tomatoes (and wine if used) helped break down all that connective tissue. Instead of the wine I used your suggestion of chicken stock, and for the beef broth I used “Better Than Bouillon® Premium Roasted Beef Base,” about 1.5T, which took care of all the salt needed. The rest was as the recipe called for. I cooked this in a Dutch oven on top of the stove for exactly 3 hours at a simmer. I then removed as much of the bones and meat as possible (meat was falling off the bones) to a plate and removed any visible connective tissue and fat, pushed any remaining marrow from the bones and returned everything back to the pot except the bones and tissue\fat. The sauce was rich and so yummy. The meat was very tender and melt in your mouth. The next time I will try my slow cooker. Thanks again for a fabulous recipe.
Callen says
What is the green stuff in the Osso Bucco picture? None of the listed ingredients is green.
Elise says
Looks like Parsley for garnish
Donna Montemagni says
I’ve done this recipe in the oven using venison neck, it was delicious. Today I’m trying it in the crockpot with the venison neck. I’ll let you all know how it came out.
Donna Montemagni says
I’ve done this recipe on the oven using venison neck, it was delicious. Today I’m trying it in the crockpot with the venison neck. I’ll let you all know how it came out.
alain piche says
Cooked for 3.5 hours @ 300F , well overcooked. Very disappointed, wasted a nice cut of beef. Spent 1 hour scouring my Creuset Dutch oven, thank God I did not lose a 300$ pot for a very bland overcooked recipe. never do it again,
Karen Laster says
I used your recipe for Osso Bucco and followed it exactly but I had to add a little more wine and water to cover the meat. Who’s complaining?!? I let it cook for 4 hours and it was perfectly 🥰 tender with a wonderful gravy! I served it with konjac noodles to keep it lower carb! PERFECTO!
Lisa Crist says
Maybe I missed something but how can you braise something in only a cup or so of liquid? You have 1/2 cup of wine which is reduced to half, then 1/2 cup of broth and maybe a 1/4 cup of liquid from the tomatoes. That is just not enough. I know that the meat is not supposed to be submerged but 1 cup of liquid will barely cover the bottom of the pot. No wonder why some of the comments mentioned needing to add liquid.
Denny says
I thought the purpose of cooking with Beef Shanks was having that bone in the recipe so the marrow melts and adds all the flavor. No where do I see what exactly to do with the flavorful bone. Only to cut the meat up into 3-4 inch pieces. Do I discard the bone? Sorry if I missed something.
Rose says
Just made this for Christmas dinner and I think it’s the best recipe I’ve ever made. I added a little bit of the Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning to add another layer of flavor and served it over some puréed garlic parm mashed potatoes. My jaw dropped at the first bite.
Alex says
How much liquid did you put? Did you follow the recipe exactly? And how long did you cook it?
Thanks
Kt P says
Flavor was meh. I’m glad I checked on the shanks after 1 hr 40 mins they were border line over done
Cindylee Machado says
I made this last year for 12 people and doing the same this year. 2 large pans in the oven. All my company loved it and my granddaughter wanted to know why I had not made this before. Lol. Thank you so so much. Merry Christmas.
heidi says
thanks sooooo much for posting this recipe! I saw this meat on sale and had never cooked it before. this was so easy and delicious! I was lazy and just sprinkled the meat with onion and garlic powder instead of using the actual and it was still delicious! I doubled the liquid like suggested. superb!
debbie restivo says
Absolutely love the sauce, aroma and a keeper ♥️
Angel says
The recipe is easy to use and tasty. Tho I need to use a full cup of beef stock to submerge the 3.5 lbs of beef shanks that I’ve. Also, only braised for 2 hrs 40 mins in my 300F oven for fall-off the bone tenderness meat. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Jasmin says
This is one of my favourite recipes, I serve it with white rice. I use stove top, sometimes cook it a little longer to make sure the beef is tender.
I’ve even added in some potatoes near the end and it becomes more of a stew, I absolutely love it!
Carolee says
Please disregard the last comment. Somehow skipped over the Paige of amounts of ingredients. Will happily try this recipe.
Carolee lowery says
I appreciate recipes that show the amount of each ingredient. Sorry to have to pass on this one. Too costly to make a mistake.
Karen Keen says
So I doubled the recipe, I have a family of three grown men in my house. I more than doubled the meat slightly. I found it was good at 4 hours and think if it had been the original measurements. aka liquid, and timing it would have definitely ended up dry after 5 hours. But being that I doubled the liquid and checked it at 4 hours this dish was delicious and will be repeated with my changes!!!! Teamed it with Milanese saffron white wine Risotto…. now it’s an all day event making these but my G-d I’m a friggen gourmet chef! Sooooo good….
Tracy Kattos says
Wonderful recipe, followed it to a T and the result was delicious…paired with a fresh green salad and bread to sop up all the wonderful gravy.
Thanks for sharing!
Jan Levinson says
I had a wonderful couples dinner party a few years back. This Osso Bucco was divine, I even made a few scented candles to compliment the dish. The smell was absolutely intoxicating, it will even make you lose control, I for one got lost in the devilishly wonderful aroma and threw a small golden statue through a plasma television. My only complaint was it doesn’t braise quite long enough. Pairs well with red wine and acoustic singer-songwriter music.
Upset cook who should know better says
Cooked for 4 hours @ 300F , well overcooked. No oven is that far off, so your time and temp is off. Very disssapointed that it was a waste of ingredients. Ill stick to my try and true recipes and not venture to new ones for simplicity sake, give better instruction for oven method to check after 3 hours as well or else you’ll have a blackened tomato pasty outcome,which btw can smell like just the sides scorching which comes with a normal braising. I didn’t want to have to babysit this, as I normally do with anything ,but this is not a put in oven and check after 4hours…overdone.
Michael Scott says
snip snap snip snap snip snap