Beef Shanks Oso Bucco Recipe

First, make your bouquet garni: place the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf into a piece of cheesecloth and secure it tightly with twine.

Pat the beef shanks dry with paper towels; removing excess moisture helps them brown better. Secure the meat to the bone with kitchen twine, then season each shank generously with sea salt and pepper. Dredge the shanks in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess. In a large Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over high heat until it's just shimmering.

Remove the browned shanks from the pot and set them aside.

In the same pot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Season with sea salt to help draw out their moisture, then sauté until they're soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and mix it well with the vegetables.

Return the browned shanks to the pan, then pour in the white wine. Bring it to a simmer and let the liquid reduce by about half, which should take around 5 minutes.

Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is so tender it's falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning the shanks and adding more chicken stock if needed; the liquid level should always be about 3/4 of the way up the shank.

Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and arrange them on a serving platter.