Osso Buco

My easy osso buco recipe is wonderfully over the top and perfect for serving at the holidays because it’s mostly prepped ahead of time! It’s also (shhhh) easy to make. Hunks of beef shank braise in aromatics, herbs, wine and beef stock for a festive dinner folks will rave about for ages.

I love to make this elegant restaurant-level recipe at the holidays because it sounds so restaurant-y, and so everyone gets all excited when they hear it’s on the menu. Selfishly, as the host, I love that it’s really, really easy. If you can make pot roast, you can make osso buco. 

What Is Osso Buco?

Osso buco (sometimes styled ‘ossobuco’) is a classic Italian dish that is easy to make at home. “Osso buco” means “bone with a hole” in the Milanese dialect. It’s a fitting name for a low-and-slow braised recipe that stars a succulent beef shank with a bone in the center. The bone is the key: As the shank braises in wine and beef stock, the bone releases the rich marrow as it cooks. The flavors marry as everything braises to and create a dreamy, rich osso buco sauce that just begs to be poured over a bed of creamy polenta. 

What Cut Of Meat To Use For Osso Buco

In a true Italian cookbook, like The Silver Spoon or Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, you’ll find traditional osso buco Milanese recipes (sometimes styled “ossobuco”) in the veal section of the book because veal shank is the most classic cut of meat for making osso buco. However, I prefer to use beef shank for osso buco. Why? Veal is expensive, and many of us just don’t really cook with it anymore. Meanwhile, beef shank is easy to find, and braises beautifully in osso buco. My dinner guests never seem to mind the swap! 

Osso Buco Ingredients

Find the full detailed measurements in the recipe at the bottom of this post.  

• Beef shanks: Often quite affordable, beef shank is a cut of meat that would make a terrible steak, but is just perfect for braising. Look for nice marbling!
• Wine: Some osso buco recipes use red wine, but I usually make mine with white wine. Try a nice Italian white like Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio.
• Veg: Celery, carrots, onions.
• Seasonings: Fresh garlic, thyme, bay and rosemary.
• Tomato paste: A rich source of umami flavor.
• Stock: Beef stock doubles down on the rich beefy flavor and ensures a nice moist environment to braise the beef in.
• Butter: A little butter to make a pan sauce at the end of the braise. 

How to Make Osso Buco

See the full recipe card at the bottom of this post for the detailed instructions. 

1. Season the shanks generously with salt and pepper. 
2. Brown the shanks in a braiser or Dutch oven. Set them aside. 
3. Sauté celery, carrots, onion, garlic.
4. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
5. Pour in wine and stock and add the browned beef shank. 
6. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to braise for at least an hour.   
7. Pull the beef out. 
8. On the stove top, make an osso buco sauce with the drippings left in the pot. 
9. Add more wine and some butter and bring it to a simmer until it has thickened slightly. 

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