What can I say about Osso Bucco other than it’s going to be one of the most flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth-like-BUTTA meat experiences? It’s one of those meals you’ll make to WOW those you love (and yourself).
Now Osso Bucco is the most tender cut of veal with a bone encased by the meat (the marrow experience is a special moment in itself) and is any meat lover’s dream. The Instant Pot is a huge player in making this dish not only EASILY but to tender perfection.
I mean this is a dish fit for a royal family, so dust off those crowns from Party City and be prepared to have yourself an absolutely magnificent banquet of a meal!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Begin with some light prep by slicing up some carrots, celery…
…and some onion. Set those aside.
Now take some flour, add in some salt and pepper and mix together on a large plate.
Here’s the star of our show: veal shanks/Osso Bucco! Make sure you get this exact cut of meat at the market. If you don’t see it, ask your butcher for it.
Take each veal shank and dredge (coat) it in flour…
…and then place on a plate. Repeat the process with all the shanks.
Go to the Instant Pot and add in some olive oil and heat it up.
Once the oil is heated, add the shanks in batches to quickly brown…
…flipping them over so both sides are lightly seared. It will not (and should not) be fully cooked by any means at this point.
When done searing all the shanks, place on a plate and set aside.
Go back to the pot and add in some butter.
As it melts, deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to get up any flour remnants from when browning the shanks.
Now add in the onion, celery and carrots…
…and allow them to cook for a few minutes in the oil and butter as they soften a bit.
Now let’s get this sauce going. Add in some white wine…
…chicken broth…
…diced tomatoes…
…tomato paste…
…seasoned salt…
…dried rosemary…
…dried thyme…
…and a bay leaf.
Stir together until well combined.
Now add the veal shanks back to the pot so it’s sitting in the sauce (it’s okay if some shanks rest on top of each other). Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While the veal shanks are cooking, it’s time to make a wonderful topping for our Osso Bucco called Gremolata. Take a lemon…
…and just reserve the zest (skin) of the lemon.
Now, get a food processor
…add in some Italian (flat-leaf) parsley…
…the lemon zest…
…garlic…
…olive oil…
…and salt.
Pulse until finely chopped up and it will almost look like a tabouli salad.
Place the Gremolata in a bowl and set aside.
When the veal shanks are done, it will have transformed into Osso Bucco!
Remove the shanks from the pot and place on a plate and bring the Instant Pot to a bubble.
We’ll want to thicken the sauce it cooked in to become a nice, thick gravy. A great way to do this is to make a cornstarch slurry! Take equal parts cornstarch…
…and water…
…and mix together until nice and smooth.
When the sauce bubbles, add in the cornstarch slurry and stir immediately and constantly for a minute. Then turn the heat off.
Once the bubbles die down and it slightly cools, the sauce will have thickened significantly into a wonderful gravy!
Plate up a veal shank, top with that amazing gravy….
…and spoon just a dollop of the Gremolata on top which is going to set the flavor over the edge.
Now take that wonderful Osso Bucco (you won’t even need a knife it will be so tender), bring some to your mouth…
…and revel in the glorious experience you will have.
See that bone in there? DON’T YOU DARE THROW IT AWAY! For one of the crown-jewel bonuses of this dish is that there will be a nice hunk of bone marrow in there for you to suck out (or get out with a tiny fork if you’re all dainty). It’s truly one of the best and most meatily indulgent things you can taste.
See that! Marrow outta the bone and into the belly! I’ve got my eye on Osso Bucco!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Osso Buco (Veal Shanks)
Perhaps one of the most tender meats of all times is veal. And Osso Buco is the shank, which means it's supreme.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs of bone-in veal shanks, each cut about 1.5″ thick (many markets sell it this way, but if not, ask the butcher to do it)
- 1/2 cup of flour with a few pinches of salt and pepper mixed into it, for dredging the veal shanks
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) of salted butter
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4″ discs
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/4″ pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup of white wine (like a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, or you can use white cooking wine if you only have that)
- 1 cup of chicken broth (I used 1 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup of water)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 tsp of seasoned salt
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 1 tsp of dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water, to make a slurry
Gremolata topping (optional)
- Zest of 1 lemon (meaning we’re only using the skin of the lemon and not the lemon itself)
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic (or 2 tbsp of crushed garlic)
- 1/2 cup of fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp of salt
Instructions
- Place the flour mixture onto a large plate and dredge the veal shanks in it so both sides are fully coated
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot, hit the “Sauté” button and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Allow it to heat for 3 minutes and then, in batches using tongs, lightly brown the veal shanks for 1 minute on each side (they should NOT be fully cooked at all – just a light sear). When done, remove the veal shanks to a plate for them to rest
- Next, add the butter to the pot. As it’s melting, deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot so any flour remnants come up. Add the onion, carrot, celery to the pot and and sauté for 5 minutes
- Pour in the white wine and, again, deglaze the bottom of the pot so it’s cleared of anything stuck on it and then add in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, seasoned salt, thyme, rosemary and the bay leaf. Stir everything together well
- Now, add the veal shanks back to the pot – it’s okay if they rest on top of one another.
- Secure the lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 20 minutes
- While the veal shanks are cooking, make the Gremolata by adding all the ingredients to a food processor and pulsing until combined OR by simply mixing it together if you want it a lot more coarse in texture
- When done cooking, allow a 10 minute natural release (meaning you do nothing for 10 minutes) and then follow with a quick release
- Remove the veal shanks with tongs and place on a plate (make sure the bone is kept in tact within each shank). Discard the bay leaf as well
- Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Sauté” again and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Once the sauce bubbles, add in the corn starch slurry. Allow it to bubble for a minute and then turn the pot off. As the sauce cools down for a few minutes, the sauce will thicken significantly
- Plate up each veal shank and top with the sauce from the pot followed by spooning on a dollop of Gremolata. You now have some of the most tender, outrageous Osso Bucco ever (and don’t forget to savor that glorious, succulent bone marrow in the bone!)
- Enjoy with a wonderful side of Aligot, Pesto Risotto or Linguine with White Clam Sauce!
Jeffrey's Tips
As mention, the Gremolata is optional, but it does add a really lovely touch when added to the plated Osso Bucco at the end.
Before you discard the bone in each shank, know that a bonus of an Osso Bucco is the bone has incredibly succulent bone marrow for you to easily suck out! If you never tried it before, try it now! HEAVEN.
If you don’t want to use white wine for whatever reason (though I do suggest it), just add another cup of chicken broth.
Goes great with a wonderful side of Aligot, Pesto Risotto or Linguine with White Clam Sauce!
If you don’t have a food processor, I cannot recommend the Ninja Intelli-Sense enough. Not only is it the best food processor I’ve ever used, it is also the best blender, smoothie maker AND spiralizer all in one product! AMAZING value for an AMAZING product.
Maria
THIS WAS DELICIOUS!! (Sorry for screaming. It was really that good!!)
Didn’t have chicken bouillon so I used beef. Didn’t have diced tomatoes so used while and smashed them. Didn’t have bayleaf. Only have Pino Grigio wine so used that. SO GOOD!! My first time cooking with veal shank.
Mark
Should the can of diced tomatoes be drained or not drained?
Chris David
I just found your website and tried the air fryer osso bucco. Wow! They not only turned out a beautiful brownish color but tasted great and were moist. Keep creating air fryer recipes, thank you!.
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Kyra
I wonder if a red wine like Cabernet would make it taste good as well? Any thoughts?