Bison Osso Buco with Fresh Gremolata
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Tender, delicious bison shanks cooked low and slow in the crockpot with root veggies, broth, and a bit of wine. Served with fresh and zesty gremolata, Bison Osso Buco is a simple but elegant meal your guests will go nuts for!
Recently, we put in another order for a quarter bison from our favorite local bison farm. We had eaten almost everything from our previous batch except one thing–the shanks.
Knowing it was time to use those up before the next meat bundle came in, I got to work on a new recipe!
Shanks are used in a popular Italian dish called Osso Buco. The phrase means “bone with a hole.” The shanks are braised low and slow in wine and broth along with some delicious root veggies and diced tomatoes. The marrow from the bones adds a rich flavor and extra nutrition to the sauce.
While Osso Buco is traditionally made with veal shanks and simmered on the stove or braised in the oven, this dish is the perfect use for those bison shanks you received from your farmer. I love this recipe for a warm fall or winter recipe for a class comfort food dish.
I cook my version in the crockpot. Since bison meat is leaner than beef, sometimes it is a bit tougher when not cooked properly. The slow cooker ensures ample time for the meat to become tender and fall off the bone. It also frees me up to go about my day without worrying about dinner.
Osso buco is often garnished with gremolata. Gremolata is somewhat of an “Italian Chimichurri”- it consists of chopped flat leaf parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. I also add a small amount of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice to mine. It is so refreshing and delicious!
Ingredients
To make this easy crockpot bison osso buco, you need:
Bison shanks – This recipe was developed to use up my bison shanks from my quarter bison, but it will work just as well with beef shanks, too!
Root Veggies & Aromatics – diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. I dice these prior to cooking with my handy veggie chopper. It makes it so easy!
Wine – White wine is more traditional, but red can also be used and offers a rich flavor. I used red because it is what I had on hand.
Beef Broth
Tomato Paste
Diced Tomatoes
Seasonings and Staples – olive oil, salt, pepper, bay leaves, Italian seasoning
For equipment, you will need a cutting board & sharp knife (or veggie chopper), a skillet, and a slow cooker.
Gremolata Ingredients
For the gremolata, you need:
Fresh Flat Leaf Italian Parsley – The parsley must be fresh, not dried.
Whole garlic cloves
Lemon for zesting & juicing
Olive Oil
You will also need a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a microplane.
Instructions
1. Season & Sear
Season the bison shanks with salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the shanks on all sides until theyโre browned, then transfer to the crockpot.
2. Saute
In the same skillet, add a little more oil if needed. Sautรฉ the diced onions, carrots, and celery until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Deglaze & Simmer
Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any brown bits. Add the tomato paste and stir into the wine. Let the wine mixture simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce slightly. Pour this mixture into the crockpot.
4. Fill the Slow Cooker
Add the diced tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves, to the crockpot. Stir everything gently to combine.
5. Slow Cook
Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
6. Prep Gremolata
Toward the end of the cooking time, prepare the gremolata. Wash & dry 1/2 a bunch of flat-leaf Italian parsley. Finely chop the leaves (not stems) and add to a bowl.
7. Grate & Zest
Using a microplane, grate the garlic cloves into the bowl of parsley, then use it to zest the lemon into the bowl.
8. Mix
If you prefer a traditional dry gremolata, you can add a pinch of salt, stir together, and serve as is. If you want it more like a sauce, slice the lemon and squeeze 1-2 tsp of juice into the bowl if desired. Then add the same amount in olive oil, followed by a pinch of salt, and mix together.
What Do You Serve with Osso Buco?
Osso buco is traditionally served with risotto, but can be served with mashed potatoes (as pictured) or mashed potato squash, seasoned butternut squash, polenta, or roasted carrots. For a twist on roasted carrots, try my smoked carrots with hot honey!
Storage & Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a small pot over the stove on medium-low heat until hot. You can also reheat in the microwave.
More Bison Recipes
Want some other bison recipes for your collection? Here are some of my favorites!
FAQ
Osso buco means “bone with a hole” and is made with shanks. Shanks are a tough cut of meat that come from the lower leg of the animal. To tenderize this tough cut, osso buco is cooked low and slow, whether you braise it in the oven, simmer it on the stove, or make it in the slow cooker like my version.
If you don’t have access to shanks, you can use any 2-3 lb roast. This recipe is suited for tough cuts, like rump roast.
It is unlikely that you would overcook osso buco. It is a tough cut of meat, which means that you need to cook it longer to fully break down the collagen. That said, the risk comes if you do not have enough liquid with the meat, which could then allow it to dry out and burn. If you follow my recipe, you will not need to worry about this.
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I hope you love this simple, hearty, and healthy recipe for your bison shanks.
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Bison Osso Buco
Equipment
- Skillet
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- crockpot
- microplane or zester
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs bison shanks or beef shanks
- salt & pepper for seasoning shanks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup wine white or red
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
Gremolata
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice fresh squeezed from the zested lemon
- 1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste about 1 pinch
Instructions
- Season the bison shanks with salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the shanks on all sides until theyโre browned, then transfer to the crockpot.
- In the same skillet, add a little more oil if needed. Sautรฉ the onions, carrots, and celery until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any brown bits. Add the tomato paste and stir into the wine. Let the wine mixture simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce slightly. Pour this mixture into the crockpot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves, to the crockpot. Stir everything gently to combine.
- Cover the crockpot and cook onย lowย for 7-8 hours or highย for 4-5 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
Gremolata
- Toward the end of the cooking time, prepare the gremolata. Wash & dry 1/2 a bunch of flat-leaf Italian parsley. Finely chop the leaves (not stems) and add to a bowl.
- Using a microplane, grate the garlic cloves into the bowl of parsley, then use it to zest the lemon into the bowl.
- If you prefer a dryer gremolata, you can add a pinch of salt, stir together, and serve as is. If you want it more like a chimichurri sauce, slice the lemon and squeeze 1-2 tsp of juice into the bowl if desired. Then add the same amount in olive oil, followed by a pinch of salt, and mix together.