Don’t Grind the Shanks! Updated with Recipe

[JJ3]

I probably post some of these every year, but dang, this is my favorite part of the deer and one of my favorite meals. And a side benefit of the processor I've used for decades shutting down a couple of years ago, I've been doing all of my own butchering and getting to collect shanks from every deer.

Shanks are sumptuous — back legs, front legs, doesn't matter. Like pot roast on a stick. Slow cook them in a Dutch oven for 2.5 - 3 hrs and all the ligaments just melt away and leave flavor and be meat just falls apart.

Here is a pair from earlier this week paired with a mushroom risotto and some carrots cooked for the last hour in the pot with the shanks.

Recipe
Ingredients

• 2 bone-in venison shanks (or lamb shanks)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 or 4 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 - 4 cloves of garlic depending on size and taste, chopped small or minced
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups (maybe 4) chicken broth
• Sprig of Rosemary
• Sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt/pepper

Directions

1. Dust shanks with flour, salt and pepper. Sear on all sides for 2 - 3 minutes in Dutch oven with olive oil (or oil of choice). Remove shanks from Dutch oven and set aside
2. Add a bit more oil if necessary and sauté onions, carrots, and celery. Add tsp of salt while sautéing to sweat the veggies. Continue until onions are translucent. Add garlic for about 30 seconds.
3. Add 1 tbs of flour, add 2 tbs tomato paste and stir over medium heat until flour begins to brown.
4. Add can of diced tomatoes. As mixture comes to boil add 3 cups of chicken broth, black pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tbs)
5. When boiling add the shanks back in. Broth level on shanks should be 1/2 - 3/4 covered. Add more chicken broth as necessary
6. Add sprigs of rosemary and thyme and bay leaf. Salt to taste.
7. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook on stove top for 2 - 3 hours. Flip shanks half way through. When done meat will be falling off the bone.

 

[dirtyhands]

Looks amazing. I'll have to try this

 

[Trapper John]

This is one of the few things I go out of my way to tell people about. Shanks and necks. Braise, braise, braise! I can barely forgive myself for all the ones I left in the woods when I was younger because I was told they weren't worth keeping.

 

[JJ3]

This is one of the few things I go out of my way to tell people about. Shanks and necks. Braise, braise, braise! I can barely forgive myself for all the ones I left in the woods when I was younger because I was told they weren't worth keeping.

I'm with you on necks too — a delicious piece of meat slow cooked by braising, but with the freezer full of roasts from the hind quarters and shanks, I've been relegating most of my neck roasts to the grind pile because it also makes good ground venison ……

 

[kkh325]

Looks so very delicious !

 

[Sako]

Thanks for the mention... I will give this a try

 

[Iglow]

We do whole shoulders in a turkey bag/ lipton onion soup mix + 1/2 up the shoulder in water on 200/250 for 6 hrs. Just falls off the bone and delicious. Haven't thrown a shoulder out since.

 

[Wolverine72]

That looks delicious! Im gonna have to make that soon!
I've tried several recipes throught the years with shanks. So far my favorite is osso bucco.
Can't wait to try your recomendation.

Do you add any liquid with the initial slow cook?

 

[JJ3]

That looks delicious! Im gonna have to make that soon!
I've tried several recipes throught the years with shanks. So far my favorite is osso bucco.
Can't wait to try your recomendation.

Do you add any liquid with the initial slow cook?

I follow a recipe for osso bucco but just cook the shanks whole instead of cutting them into pieces. I've updated the original post with the recipe.

 

[DeerCamp]

Just came here to second this.

It's even better if you cut the shanks into cross sections because it opens up the marrow. But it's great like this too.

Seriously - it's terrible grind. Way too much connective tissue.

Do yourself a favor and try it.

 

[Wolverine72]

On the menu this weekend!

thank you JJ3

 

[timberjack86]

Thanks! Saved the shanks out of my buck for something like this!

 

[DeerCamp]

Thanks! Saved the shanks out of my buck for something like this!

If you want to be super simple, do them whole. Don't have to trim anything off.

Braise and slow cook til it's super tender.

This is one cut that does not do well in the pressure cooker

 

[JJ3]

Just came here to second this.

It's even better if you cut the shanks into cross sections because it opens up the marrow. But it's great like this too.

Seriously - it's terrible grind. Way too much connective tissue.

Do yourself a favor and try it.

If I had a good meat saw, cross sections would be great but my reciprocating saw doesn't cut it, and cutting the bones is a bit messy! A lot easier to do the shanks whole, like lamb shanks. And they are still so tasty!

 

[JJ3]

On the menu this weekend!

thank you JJ3

Can't wait to hear how they come out!

 

[DeerCamp]

If I had a good meat saw, cross sections would be great but my reciprocating saw doesn't cut it, and cutting the bones is a bit messy! A lot easier to do the shanks whole, like lamb shanks. And they are still so tasty!

My wife got me a bone saw (basically a band saw with a bone blade) for Christmas 2 years ago.

We now cut Tbones, tomahawk chops, etc.

Not much of a porterhouse to cut though lol

 

[DeerCamp]

 

[JJ3]

My wife got me a bone saw (basically a band saw with a bone blade) for Christmas 2 years ago.

We now cut Tbones, tomahawk chops, etc.

Not much of a porterhouse to cut though lol

Jealous! But just one more device to keep around the house …. But those cuts look great, especially the chops!