Veal Osso Buco Recipe
Published February 12, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Osso Buco Recipe of slow-braised veal shanks with vegetables, tomatoes, wine, and stock is fall-off-the-bone good. I’ve been making this recipe for you, and to this day, it is still one of my favorites.
Firstly, I’m Sicilian so making and eating Italian in my house is commonplace. If you want to try out some new recipes, you must try Ravioli or Penne all Vodka.
Osso Buco
Osso Buco is a classic Italian dish of slow-braised veal shanks in wine, vegetables, and stock, and is served with a garnish of parsley and lemon known as gremolata. This dish is from Milan and transfers from Italian to English as “marrowbone.” It is common for the people eating it to also consume the cooked marrow that is inside the veal shank bone.
This is a very hearty dish and can be somewhat difficult to find on Italian restaurant menus as veal has become more difficult to find. However, if it’s on the menu, I highly recommend you order it. Osso buco can be served with on top or with a side of Risotto, Polenta, or Pasta.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Meat – Veal shanks are the common cut of beef to use in this. However, if you cannot find them, substitute them with beef shanks.
- Oil – Olive oil is best to use for this recipe. Feel free to substitute with avocado oil.
- Flour – You will need some all-purpose flour to coat the veal shanks in before searing them.
- Vegetables – I used a combination of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. You can use a white, yellow, sweet, or red onion. These are your standard vegetables when braising any piece of meat.
- Tomatoes – I used tomato paste and fresh tomatoes in the braising liquid. You can substitute the fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes.
- Wine – You can use a dry white wine, such as Pinot grigio or chardonnay, or a dry red wine, like I did, such as Sangiovese or Barolo.
- Stock – Beef stock is best to use in this recipe. You can also substitute with Brodo.
- Herbs – I added bay leaves, fresh parsley, and thyme to the braising liquid. Feel free to use dried parsley and thyme.
- Garnish – Traditionally, osso buco is served with a gremolata, a combination of lemon zest and finely minced flat-leaf Italian parsley.
How to Make Osso Buco
- Add the flour to a bowl or a plate and season it very well with salt and pepper.
- Dredge the veal shanks on all sides in the flour and set aside.
- Next, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the veal shanks until they are golden brown on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. This is the most important part of ensuring you have a deep brown on the outside of your veal.
- Remove the veal shanks and add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes before mixing in the tomato paste. The tomato paste is used to help darken and thicken the braising liquid.
- Cook for 2 minutes, add the tomatoes, and then deglaze with the wine; then add the beef stock, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and salt. Make sure the liquid is seasoned very well.
- Add the veal shanks back into the pot, submerge them, place a cover on the pot, and cook in the oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until very tender and easily removed from the bone.
- Remove the veal shanks and serve them with the gremolata with your desired side dish.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 1 hour ahead of time. Keep it warm, covered over very low heat.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw for one whole day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add your desired portion of osso buco and braising liquid to a small pot and cook over low heat until hot. Be sure to stir occasionally.
chef notes + tips
- You can substitute the fresh parsley for 3 tablespoons of dried parsley
- Substitute the fresh thyme for 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry.
- Searing is the most important part of ensuring you have a deep brown on the outside of your veal.
- The tomato paste is used to help darken and thicken the braising liquid.
- Make sure the braising liquid is seasoned very well.
- There will be plenty of braising liquid left which you can strain and freeze and use as beef stock in another recipe.
More Italian Recipes
Video
Veal Osso Buco Recipe
Ingredients
For the Osso Bucco:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 8- ounce veal shanks
- 2 tablepoons of olive oil
- 1 peeled and large diced yellow onion
- 1 peeled and large diced carrot
- 2 peeled and large diced celery stalks
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups roughly chopped fresh tomatoes
- 2 cups dry red wine,, Sangiovese or Barolo
- 4 cups of beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch of Italian parsley
- 20 to 25 fresh thyme sprigs
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1 gremolata recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- Add the flour to a bowl or a plate and season it very well with salt and pepper, about 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
- Dredge the veal shanks on all sides in the flour and set them aside.
- Next, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
- Add the veal shanks, turn the heat down to medium, and sear them until they are golden brown on all sides, about 4 to 6 minutes per side.
- Remove the veal shanks and add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Mix in the tomato paste and cook for two minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and deglaze with the wine. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Place in the beef stock, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Be sure to try the liquid to make sure it's well seasoned.
- Add the veal shanks back into the pot, submerge them, place a cover over the pot, and cook in the oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours in the oven at 325°. or until they are very tender and easily remove from the bone.
- Serve the Osso Buco and some of the sauce over top, and add the gremolata to the top of the veal shanks. We used to serve all the vegetables in the braising liquid underneath the osso buco at a restaurant I worked at.
Sounds so delicious – do you think after searing, etc, instead of oven it can all be placed in a crockpot and finished cooking that way? Thank you!
probably
Hi! I was just curious what is served with this on the picture? Looking for a side with this! Thanks
polenta
Hey Chef, This is a lovely recipe. I have made this dish a few times in my life. I love it and to me you have the very best recipe for this dish. I like so many others have a hard time finding The Veal Shanks, but the guy at the meat market told me to just let him know and he will get it in for me. It is a little more pricey so he doesn’t have it at the counter all the time. I lover everything about this dish. Thank you Chef Billy for another fantastic recipe.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Oh, my gosh! This was delicious and my family raved! Thank you.
Thank you ChefBilly fab recipe when I can find the Ossobucco hard to find in butchers …supermarkets shal keep on looking 😁🤩😋👋
Great recipe. If you want really excellent veal shanks, Allen Brothers are amazing. Slightly price but the best I’ve ever seen.
This was so delicious! I made the recipe as shown but used rosemary instead of parsley and served it with risotto instead of polenta, because my husband prefers it. Absolutely fantastic dish!
Excellent recipe easy to follow favorite dinner thank you
Always a great step by step guide of making the classics.
thank you so kindly!!
Yesterday, my wife said she was in the mood for Osso Bucco. I have been making it for years. Unfortunately I did not have any veal shanks but I did have beef shanks in the freezer so I defrosted them. Instead of using the recipe I used for years, I used Billy’s. I did not say anything to the wife.
Tasting it she said, “what did you do?” Concerned I said “why”. She said, ‘I don’t know what you did but this is the best ever”. I could not agree more.
The only thing I did was that was different then Billy’s recipe was I, pardon the expression, beefed up the wine, stock, and thyme since beef is a little more intense taste then veal. I do intend to find some veal and give that a try.
I took the remaining liquid, separated the fat from it, and put it over Orzo as an accompaniment.
Delicious!
How long did u cook it?
I have made this recipe. I used elk shank. It was amazing.
Can you sub in beef instead of veal and follow the same cook time? I have beef osso bucco not veal.
Should be fine.
Is the preparation of the polenta explained in another video? I’m not too familiar with polenta, but I do like it, especially when it has a creamy consistency. Also, why won’t you eat the marrow?
yes, search for my polenta recipe.
This was a fantastic recipe. I let the Osso Bucco slow braise for around 2 1/2 hours and it was falling apart tender. I served it over your polenta recipe and it was the perfect combination.
I had this for the first time at a place in NJ called Chick and Nello’s in 1999. We pulled into the parking lot and noticed that it was filled with pristine old Caddilacs and Lincolns. Inside, it was like Sunday night dinner at your Italian grandmother’s. The food was incredible. I’m going to try your recipe soon, Billy. Thanks!
I imagine the recipe would stay the same if you substitute with beef? I just can’t bring myself to eat veal…
Yes it would!
About those tomatoes? Were they blanched and peeled? When did you add them as it does not mention them in the instructions?
fresh tomatoes un peeled. Add right after the tomato paste. Check out the how to video!
What did you do with all the extra liquid? Lots of sauce but I don’t see you serving it!
It’s in there. For pictures sake I didn’t want to smother the osso bucco with it.