Veal Osso Buco

Make tender braised Veal Osso Buco with a fresh gremolata garnish in this delicious Italian main course.

Osso Buco is a classic Italian dish meaning “bone with a hole,” referring to the marrow hole in the cross-cut piece of meat. It’s typically made with veal shanks and braised with tomatoes, wine, and vegetables. It’s prepared in a similar way to a Classic Pot Roast and Braised Oxtails.

What Are Veal Shanks?

Veal shanks are similar to beef shanks, except they come from a younger cow. The cut comes from the leg and is cut across the bone to get the flavor from the bone marrow. It’s best prepared braised and cooked slowly to let the marrow render and give the dish rich flavor, and to tenderize the meat. Any soft marrow left in the bone after cooking is considered a delicacy and should definitely be eaten.

Because of the shape of the cross-cut veal shanks, they can sometimes fall apart while cooking. Many people tie them together around the outside perimeter, but for pieces that look like they are already falling apart when raw, I also tie them across to secure them better.

The string may end up falling off during the braise time anyways, but it’ll help you when searing the meat, and the longer you can keep the pieces together the more likely they are to stay intact. Keeping the shanks together makes for a nicer presentation when serving.

How To Make Osso Buco

Once you have your veal shanks tied with butcher’s twine as needed, you’ll want to dredge the shanks in seasoned flour. This will help get that beautiful browning when they’re seared in oil and butter in the Dutch oven. You’ll flip and turn the veal pieces as they brown. It will take ten minutes or so. After they brown, set them aside on a plate for now. Note that you can do this in batches, but I found that with the heat nice and high, four veal pieces worked out in a single batch in my pot.

Next you go in with onions, carrots, and celery. You’ll season them with a bit of salt and let them cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Then add some garlic and some tomato paste and stir before adding in your diced tomatoes. We’re using 2 cans here, but drain away the juices from one of the cans and only use the chopped tomatoes from it. From the second can, use both the tomatoes and the juice. Draining one can of its juice stops the sauce from getting too watery, since we also definitely want some chicken broth and white wine as part of the braising liquid.

Now that you have your flavorful braising liquid going in the pot, you can return the veal shanks to the pot and settle them so they are all mostly submerged. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and let it cook until the veal is super tender. This will take about an hour and a half.

What Is Gremolata?

While the veal is cooking, you’ll prepare the classic garnish for Osso Bucco, called gremolata. Gremolata is made from chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Those three ingredients give it bright, fresh flavor that contrasts with the richness of the braised dish.

You can prepare the gremolata garnish while the veal is simmering. Get it going near the beginning of the simmering time so that it can go into the fridge for a bit while its flavors blend and meld.

To make the gremolata, take some minced garlic and put it on your cutting board with a bit of salt. Use a big knife, like a chef’s knife, to smash and scrape it. This releases the juices from the garlic, making the flavor more easy to disperse onto the parsley. Scrape that garlic and any juices that linger on your cutting board into a small bowl and stir in the chopped fresh parsley and lemon zest. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time. The recipe for the gremolata is part of the Osso Bucco recipe below, but you can learn more about gremolata over here.

One quick note: It’s best for gremolata to use Italian parsley, also known as flat-leaf parsley, instead of curly parsley. It has a nicer flavor and is more classically typical of this dish.

Thickening The Sauce

When the veal is tender, use some tongs to transfer it to a serving platter. Then make a slurry of flour and chicken broth. I like to measure the flour into a jar and then add in the broth. Make sure the broth is cold or at room temperature so that you don’t start cooking the flour when you add the broth. That can create worse clumps. Put the lid onto the jar, make sure it’s not going to leak, and then shake and shake until all the flour from the bottom of the jar has smoothly blended with the broth.

While stirring, pour the contents of the jar into the pot, which now only contains the liquid and vegetables. Raise the heat back to medium-high and let simmer for a few minutes, while you keep stirring it, until the sauce is thickened. Taste and add more salt, if desired, then spoon the thickened sauce and the veggies over the veal on your platter.

How To Serve Veal Osso Buco

Serve the finished veal osso buco with the fresh gremolata as a garnish on top. Don’t skip the gremolata because it really adds a beautiful, bright element to the rich and savory veal.

As mentioned above, one of the most prized aspects of osso bucco is the bit of bone marrow that is often still in the hole of the bone after cooking. Check and see if there is any there in any of your pieces, and make sure to taste that marrow and to have your dining partners also give it a try. It’s considered a delicacy and is very flavorful and delicious.

This dish is often served over risotto, polenta, or even mashed potatoes to make it a complete meal. Let me know in the comments how you like to served this braised dish. Enjoy! -Christine xo

More Delicious Braised Meals

• Instant Pot Chuck Roast
• Slow Cooker Beef Roast
• Beef Tips and Rice
• The Best Short Ribs
• Traditional Pork Stew
• Beef Brisket

Enjoy! – Christine xo