Slow-Braised Farm-Style Volcano Shank
(Serves 4+)
If you like Osso Buco and you like bomb-proof braising as a cooking method, read on! This is a cut that was only used by chefs before now, so we’re thrilled to offer it to our more adventurous home chefs.
NOTE: The bone on this shank may be as tall as 10.5”, so some will not fit vertically into an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.
FULL DISCLOSURE: this recipe was our first try-out ever of this amazing chef’s cut, so there is room for recipe improvement/ development. Fuller disclosure: for reasons unknown, we thawed out TWO volcano shanks, which led to us eating volcano shanks for approximately 3 rounds of leftovers. The recipe below is divided in half for a single shank.
Ingredients
1 Randall Lineback Volcano Shank (approx. 4-4.5 lbs)
2 cups carrots (chopped)
2 cups onion (chopped)
2 cups celery (chopped)
2 bell peppers (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups red wine (½ bottle— we suggest drinking the rest while you cook)
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups beef broth
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons mixed dried or fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram, herbs de provence, etc.)
2 bay leaves
Instructions
Gently thaw your volcano shank and bring to room temperature before cooking. Pat dry. Crack a generous amount of salt and pepper over it and rub it in.
Use an oven safe lidded casserole dish (Le Creuset or similar) in which the shank fits comfortably— leaving too much room around it means you have to add more liquid, meaning more reduction time at the end.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees at Convection Bake setting.
On the stovetop, heat olive oil/ avocado oil (or any other oil of your choice with a high smoking temperature) to shimmering on medium heat, place volcano shank in vertically, meat side down. Brown for 1-2 minutes. Tip onto side and brown all the way around, about 2 minutes per rotation. (see photo at left above) About 6-8 minutes total
Remove shank, add more oil if needed.
Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Add a few cracks of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions begin to turn translucent.
Add tomato paste and stir until vegetables are coated, approx. 1-2 minutes.
Add wine and stir, cooking off the alcohol for 3-5 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes and stir.
We added all our herbs at this stage, but I’m not sure the exact timing matters here…
Nestle the volcano shank horizontally into the vegetables (you’ll see one side will have more meat— nestle it meatier side down, bone side up).
Add broth (hopefully the shank will be almost submerged—don’t worry if it isn’t completely submerged, though). If your pot is small, you may not have to add all of the broth. If you pot is bigger, you may need to add a little bit more to cover most of the shank. Bring to a simmer.
Turn off stove. Place casserole into preheated oven with lid on top. Cook for approximately 4 hours, or until meat is very tender, rotating the bone twice during that time to ensure even heating.
Remove from oven, pull volcano shank out. On stovetop, reduce the liquid until thickened to a stew-like consistency (a lively simmer). This can take 25-35 minutes depending on the size of your casserole and how much broth was added. Add salt to taste.
While liquid is reducing, pull the meat from the bone. Some prefer to remove and throw away the silver-skin around the outside (which is a bit gelatinous after long cooking). Some don’t mind it (up to you and your “mouthfeel” standards!). Coarsely chop meat. When the liquid is reduced to your desired consistency, return the meat to the pot and stir. After about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and SERVE!