Braised Osso Buco, Spoon-Tender
Three hours of slow braising in red wine, until the meat comes away with a spoon and the marrow in the centre of the bone turns to butter. A cheap cut that asks for nothing but time.
One detail separates braising from boiling: the liquid must cover the meat only halfway. Fully covered it boils — it does go soft, but without any browned flavour and with a washed-out taste. Half covered, the upper half cooks in its own steam and keeps its colour and aroma.
Which is also why the dish is sealed airtight with foil: the steam has to stay in.
Ingredients
- 2 kg osso buco (beef shin), in 5 cm slices
- All-purpose flour (plain flour), as needed, for dusting
- 2 onions, in pieces
- 2 carrots, in pieces
- 2 leeks, in pieces
- 1 red pepper, in pieces
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 750 ml red wine (3 glasses)
- 750 ml water (3 glasses)
- 2 bay leaves
- Oil, salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- 1
Dust the slices of osso buco with flour, shaking off the excess. The easiest way is to shake them in a bag with the flour.
- 2
In an ovenproof dish or pan, sear the meat with a little oil over high heat until it is well browned on both sides.
- 3
Take it off the heat, season and add the vegetables, the bay, the wine and the water. The liquid should cover the meat only halfway, so it braises rather than boils.
- 4
Seal the dish airtight with aluminium foil so no steam escapes and the meat turns tender in its own juices.
- 5
Cook at a moderate 170-180 °C for 2 to 3 hours. Check halfway through and add hot water if the liquid has reduced too far.
- 6
It is done when the meat comes away with a spoon. Serve with mash, rice or creamy polenta.