Beef Ossobuco

6/04/26

Ossobuco refers to a cut of beef shin that slices straight through the marrow bone. In Italian, it means ‘bone with a hole’, and that’s exactly what makes this dish so delicious. Each piece contains marrow, and when slow cooked it melts into the sauce and produces a wonderfully rich flavour. This recipe is one of the simplest ways to cook and eat it.

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Ingredients

  • 120 grams plain flour
  • 5 pieces of Osso Buco / Beef shin
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 rosemary springs (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 125 ml red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 250ml – 500ml beef stock or water

Method

You can tie cooking twine around each piece of Ossobuco to stop it curling up while cooking, or you can skip this step. I’ve tried both methods and found it doesn’t make a huge difference if you tie it up, as it becomes so soft it ends up falling apart in the end.

Add the flour to a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Coat each piece of Ossobuco in flour and set aside. 

Heat a large flameproof oven proof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the olive oil then brown each piece of Ossobuco on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches.

Once browned, remove from the dish and add in your chopped vegetables. Allow them to soften for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, and then add in the herbs, tomato paste and wine. Add the Ossobuco back in (they can sit on top of each other if you have lots and the pan isn’t wide enough) and add the stock or water. Don’t submerge the Ossobuco completely in liquid, just add enough that it comes to the top of the pieces of meat without covering them. You can always add more later. Cover with a lid and place in the oven at 180°C (160°C fan-forced) for three hours. 

After 1.5 hours, remove the dish and check that it hasn’t dried out. If it’s looking dry, add a little more water. After three hours, the marrow should have melted into the sauce and the meat should be pulling apart. 

Serve up with some smooth mashed potato, spoon over plenty of the gravy, and enjoy!

BOB DICKINSON