This recipe calls for braising beef shanks in the slow cooker with spices and red wine for hours resulting in tender meat that falls off the bones. Paired with crispy polenta triangles, this dish is a comforting and warming meal.
It’s October which means slow cooker season! I love throwing ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning then sitting down to a comforting meal at dinner time. When I got some beautiful beef shanks from Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative I knew immediately that I wanted to make my version of osso buco. Traditional osso buco is made with veal shanks and white wine. Since I got beef shanks I decided to use red wine.
Beef shanks are full of tendons and muscles, so you have to cook them low and slow for a long time. Cooking the meat low and slow also softens the marrow in the bones. When you mix it back into the sauce it creates a rich velvety texture.
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Slow cooker beef shanks with crispy polenta triangles
Description
While the beef shanks are made easy with the slow cooker, the polenta takes a few extra steps to get right but it’s worth it!
Ingredients
Beef shanks
1 package of Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative beef shanks
¼ cup flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
½ bottle of red wine
4 cups of beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
Polenta
1 cup polenta
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
Instructions
1. Remove moisture from beef shanks with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow dish and dip the beef shanks in until lightly coated.
2. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied beef shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and add to your slow cooker.
3. In the same pan, add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes . Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, being careful not to brown. Next, add the carrots and celery and season everything with salt and pepper. Sauté vegetables for another minute. Add vegetables to crockpot.
4. Next add red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Add more liquid if the shanks aren’t completely covered. Mix everything together then cover. Cook on low for 6 hours. When done, pull out the shanks and scrape the marrow from the bones with two forks. Add back to the slow cooker and mix everything together.
5. After about 5 hours in the slow cooker, start the polenta. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook according to package directions and add salt, pepper and chili flakes. Once cooked spread out evenly onto an 11×17 inch buttered baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes until the polenta is set. Let the polenta cool for 5 minutes, then flip baking dish over onto a cutting board. Cut into triangles.
6. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Working in batches, add polenta triangles and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned.
7. Serve beef shanks with sauce in bowls topped with crispy polenta squares. Enjoy!
This post is part of a partnership with Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, but all opinions are my own. Right now you can get $50 off your first box with code FarmBox50.
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