Elk Osso Buco – New Wild Game Recipe

Elk Osso Buco is a slow-cooked meal that will delight your senses with the most tender melt in your mouth meat in a delicious tomato-based sauce. If you are looking for a new recipe to try for your latest elk (or other wild game) hunt, this is the one to try!

The Simple Eco Mama family strives to eat as much sustainably sourced meat as possible. We feel wild meat is healthier and definitely more humane than most of what can be purchased at the grocery store. Our good friend Jeff recently harvested this elk with my husband and was kind enough to share part of his harvest with our family. Thank you!

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Henry David Thoreau

What is Osso Buco?

Osso Buco is Italian for “bone with a hole.” It is a dish that uses a cross-cut shank exposing the marrow. Traditionally, Osso Buco is made using veal shanks braised with vegetables, wine, stock, and spices. Osso Buco can be made with many different types of meat, elk, veal, beef, and lamb.

Elk Osso Buco

Elk Osso Buco is a slow-cooked meal that will delight your senses with the most tender melt in your mouth meat in a delicious tomato-based sauce. If you are looking for a new recipe to try for your latest elk hunt, this is the one to try!

3.50 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4-6 cross-cut elk shanks
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 oz sliced button or cremini mushrooms
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped plus 1 tbsp for garnish

Instructions

 

• Season both sides of the elk shank with salt and pepper.
• Dredge the shanks in flour. Covering all sides.
• Heat oil in a large 6-quart stainless steel pot or dutch oven.
• Lightly shake off excess flour and brown all sides of the shanks on medium heat. 2-3 minutes each side.
• Remove the elk shanks from the pot and set aside.
• Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pot and saute the onion until fragrant and begins to soften.
• Add the chopped carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 8-10 minutes.
• Once the vegetables begin to soften, add the dry red wine to deglaze the pan, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the broth and place the elk shanks back into the pan.
• Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme.
• Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the liquid level. Add more broth if needed.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add mushrooms and parsley and continue to cook for 1 more hour or until the meat is falling off the bone.
• Remove the bay leaves from the pot.
• Place the shanks on a platter, top with the sauce, and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley.
• Serve with garlic mashed potatoes, risotto, or polenta.
• Enjoy!

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Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.

Fred Bear

Looking for more healthy recipes? Visit the Simple Eco Mama recipes page.