Prairie Braised Buffalo Shanks Recipes

GARLIC-BRAISED BEEF SHANKS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat shanks dry and rub all over with salt and pepper. Dredge shanks in flour, turning to coat. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown shanks on all sides in 3 batches, adding 1/2 tablespoon oil if necessary, 5 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Transfer shanks to a large roasting pan. Add broth and water to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Nestle garlic (cut sides down), zest, thyme, and bay leaves with celery and carrots around shanks in pan and add broth mixture. Cover surface with a sheet of parchment paper and tightly cover pan with foil. Transfer to oven and braise until meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid and cool mixture completely, uncovered, about 1 hour, then chill, covered, at least 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (leave rack in middle position).
• Skim off and discard any remaining fat from surface of pan juices and reheat shank mixture, covered, in oven, turning shanks over once, 1 hour. Discard bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and zest. Transfer shanks and vegetables with garlic to a serving dish and keep warm, covered. If pan juices measure more than 3 cups, boil in a cleaned 12-inch skillet until reduced; if less, add water. Squeeze garlic pulp from 1 head into pan juices, discarding skin, and whisk to incorporate, then add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over shanks and serve, along with vegetables and remaining garlic heads.

GARLICKY BRAISED BEEF SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Season the beef shanks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the shanks, in batches if necessary, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, celery and carrot to the pot and cook, stirring, until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by about half. Add the tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then return the shanks to the pot. Nestle the shanks into the tomatoes, then add the stock (it should almost cover the shanks). Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and braise until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Transfer the cooked shanks and their bones to a cutting board. Use a ladle to remove as much of the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid as possible. Coarsely shred the meat from the shanks, discarding any large chunks of fat. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and simmer on the stove over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve. The bones can be served on the side if desired; the marrow is delicious spread on toast.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the shanks generously with salt and add them to the pan. Brown well on all sides. This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it.
• Meanwhile, puree the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a food processor until it becomes a coarse paste. Remove and set aside.
• Remove the shanks from the pan to a sheet tray. Discard the excess fat from the pan. Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the pureed veggies. Season with salt, to taste. Saute the veggies until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes. The brown veggies should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, do not let this burn; it is where a lot of the flavor is! Don't rush this step either, since this is where you will develop the brown color and flavor.
• Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, chopped rosemary and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the wine has reduced by about half.
• Add the shanks back to the pot and pour in 3 to 4 cups of water. The shanks should be submersed, if they are not, add more water. Add the bay leaves to the pan, cover and put in the preheated oven. The cooking time will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Turn the shanks over about halfway through the cooking time. Check the shanks every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much add more water. Defat as you go.
• Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the shanks are done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with Gremolata. Serve with Hard Polenta Cakes, if desired,
• Call yourself a superstar!!!
• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

PRAIRIE BRAISED BUFFALO SHANKS

Steps:

• In a large pot, brown shanks over med-high heat in veg oil.
• Add onion, garlic and carrots.
• Stir in water, barley.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add coarsely chopped tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer on low for 2.5 hours.
• Stir in fresh parsley during final 20 minutes of cooking.
• Remove meat; remove bay leaf.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Enjoy!