Sika Deer Osso Bucco with Mushroom-Sherry Sauce

Venison shanks have long been overlooked. These flavorful but tough cuts are usually destined for the stew or grind pile. And that’s a mistake. The shanks are absolutely loaded with connective tissue and marrow, which, when braised, results in rich, silky, juicy meat, with a broth that is out of this world good. When we first started butchering our own deer, we’d freeze the shanks whole, and then cook them in a dutch oven, low and slow. The only problem with this method is that the bone-in shank requires a big pot, and a lot of stock, to cook it. We found that by deboning or cross-cutting the shank with an oscillating saw, we were able to more easily cook the shanks and really let the flavorful broth cook down into a savory, umami-rich sauce that, when cooled, is so loaded with collagen that you can stand a spoon in it. 

You can make this recipe in a dutch oven, but cooking sous vide allows the shanks to get fork tender and maximize juiciness, without diluting down the flavor of the shanks with a lot of stock or water. Using the extracted liquids from the bag for the sauce ensures that you get literally every last drop of flavor from the meat.

We used shanks from a sika deer here, but any venison will work. This sika deer was our first ever, and we really wanted the preparation to highlight the incredible flavor of the sika without overshadowing it. This dish is robust and absolutely delicious, a special occasion meal for sure. The mushrooms pair perfectly with the almost woodsy, rustic flavor of the sika deer, and the sherry helps bring some complexity to an otherwise simple dish.

Sika Osso Bucco with Mushroom and Sherry Sauce

Servings: 2-4

Cook time: 30-45 minutes active, 24 hours inactive

Ingredients:

2 Venison hind shanks, crosscut into pieces 2-2.5” thick

Flour

2 tbsp canola oil or duck fat

2 tbsp+ extra virgin olive oil

1 lb mushrooms, sliced (we used a mix of oyster and shiitake)

1 onion, sliced

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup dry sherry

Method:

Tie the shanks horizontally with butcher’s twine. This will help keep the osso bucco intact when you remove it from the bag. Season the shanks with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and brown in a pan with a little oil. Place in a vacuum bag, add canola oil (or duck fat), seal, and place in sous vide water bath set at 176F for 24 hours.

When the meat is ready to serve, brown the onion with 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, 4-5 minutes. Remove onion from pan and reserve, but leave the oil. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan if needed, add mushrooms, season with salt, and saute for 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.

Remove shanks from water bath, cut the top of the bag, and drain the liquid into your pan over medium heat. Reduce the liquid until slightly thickened, and add sherry. Deglaze the pan, scraping with a spatula to dislodge any browned bits of onion or mushroom. Once the sauce is reduced to a gravy-like consistency, add butter and reduce the heat to low. Stir constantly to incorporate the butter into the sauce. Once the butter is melted, remove from burner and continue to stir. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve the osso bucco over mix of reserved mushrooms and onions, pouring the sauce over the dish. Serve with some egg noodles or crusty bread to soak up the rich sauce.

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