Foolproof Braised Beef Osso Buco (Restaurant-Worthy!)

Instructions

1. 01

   About 30 minutes – 1 hour before you’d like to begin cooking, pull the beef osso buco from the refrigerator. Use a paper towel to pat all sides of the beef shanks as dry as possible. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, snip through the outer membrane of each osso buco in 4-5 spots around the meat. If desired, wrap kitchen twine around the outside of each osso buco, securing with a tight knot. Season liberally with kosher salt and ground black pepper – a good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of osso buco. Set aside to warm to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients (chop the soffritto, measure liquid ingredients, etc.).

2. 02

   Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid or Dutch oven (at least 5-qt capacity) over medium-high heat. Once hot and simmering, carefully add the seasoned beef – work in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot. Cook 4-5 minutes per side, until deeply browned – don’t forget to brown the skinnier edges, too! Once seared, transfer to a plate and repeat with any remaining osso buco.

3. 03

   Brown the soffritto: If needed, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Add the soffritto vegetables (carrots, celery, and onion). Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the soffritto is deeply browned, 15-20 minutes.

4. 04

   Add the garlic and tomato paste to the pot, stirring to coat the soffritto mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Deglaze the pot by slowly pouring in the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine is nearly cooked off.

5. 05

   Tie the fresh herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, and stock/broth or water (I start with about 1 cup, then add more as needed as the osso buco simmers). Stir to combine well, then nestle the browned beef shanks in the pot.

6. 06

   Bring the pot up to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cover and braise for 3 – 3 ½ hours. To ensure an even cook, spoon sauce over the beef shanks every hour or so and add extra stock/broth/water to the pot if the sauce reduces too much. The osso buco is ready when the meat is tender, shredding easily with the twist of a fork.

7. 07

   About 20 minutes before the osso buco is ready, begin cooking the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pappardelle. Cook to al dente according to package directions, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Once cooked, carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot to reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta. Learn more! ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!

8. 08

   Add all listed ingredients to a small bowl. Season with a good pinch of salt. Mix to combine well. Set aside for serving.

9. 09

   Transfer the braised beef shanks to a plate, then add the cooked pasta to the pot with the osso buco sauce. Toss to combine well – the sauce should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce needs to loosen up a little; increase the heat if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the osso buco sauce.

10. 10

    Portion the osso buco pasta into individual pasta bowls, placing a braised beef shank over top. Finish with gremolata and grated parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!