Sous Vide Osso Buco Recipe (Beef Shank) (2024)

Can you sous vide osso buco? You bet! This osso buco sous vide recipe is a restaurant-quality Italian meal that is so easy to make. Learn to how long to cook osso buco using sous vide machines or a Ninja Foodi. Sous vide beef shank makes the best Sunday dinner that’s delicious and high protein. Get tips on cooking osso buco, nutrition information and benefits, and more!

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With sous vide, we’re cooking food in a vacuum-sealed bag in a temperature-controlled water bath. You can also use a Ziplock freezer bag with the air pressed out if you don’t have a vacuum sealer.

The cooking temperature for sous vide is below boiling, with a long cooking time. Foods that are slowly braised are good candidates for sous vide.

If you’ve been too intimidated to try sous vide recipes, today’s article is for you. I’m going to take you through the step-by-step process of making sous vide beef shanks. I think you’re going to be surprised at how easy it is to make this beef osso buco sous vide recipe!

🥩 What type of meat is used in osso buco?

“Ossobuco” is typically used to refer to a dish of braised veal shanks, though mature beef shanks or pork shanks are sometimes used. “Osso buco” literally translates to “bone hole” in Italian, a reference to the marrow bones seen in this dish.

Veal shanks are taken from the leg of veal, beneath the shoulder and the knee. Veal shanks tend to be quite expensive, though you can sometimes get deals on them at Costco. Beef shanks may cost less than veal, and that is what I’m using here.

⭐ Osso Buco Sous Vide Benefits

Why make sous vide osso bucco? Here are some nutritional benefits and other reasons to love this recipe:

• Hands off: After you bag the ingredients, cooking sous vide is a very hands-off process. If you’re planning a special meal, you can prep the osso buco in advance. Since it takes 24 hours to cook, you’re free to work on side dishes and desserts on the day it will be served.
• Protein and iron: Beef is a nutritional superstar for high-quality protein and highly bioavailable iron. Including more animal-based iron sources in your diet may help you maintain healthy iron levels. I’ve found that I no longer need to take iron supplements since including more beef in my diet.
• Safe: Some people don’t like to cook in plastic, but sous vide cooking is safe. Food grade plastic won’t melt while sous vide cooking.
• Special diets: It's pretty easy to fit this recipe to keto, low carb, and gluten free diets. All you need to do is swap out the flour we’re using for a low carb or GF flour.
• Delicious: This is the best ossobuco- so unbelievably tasty! Though you could serve it on a random weeknight, it could also make a special holiday entrée for two.

🥘 Sous Vide Osso Buco Ingredients

Here’s your shopping list for sous vide osso buco:

• Beef Osso Buco (Beef Shanks)
• Salt and pepper
• Flour
• Onion
• Carrot
• Celery
• Double-concentrated tomato paste
• Wine
• Chicken stock or beef stock
• Dried rosemary
• Dried thyme
• Fresh garlic
• Xanthan gum

Specific ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of the article!

Beef ossobuco can be hard to find in stores sometimes. I use the beef shanks from US Wellness Meats (purchase here). They are grass fed and grass finished, and weigh about 12 ounces each (340 grams).

Originally ossobuco didn’t contain tomatoes, though tomatoes are a common ingredient in modern variations. This dish contains some tomato paste for a modern spin on the classic.

You can use whatever sort of cooking wine you happen to have on hand for this recipe. White wine is the traditional choice. All I had was red wine the last time I made this dish, and that worked out well too.

Likewise, you can use chicken stock or beef stock for this recipe. I prefer chicken stock. Here’s a recipe for Instant Pot bone broth if you’d like to make your own.

One more optional (but highly recommend!) thing you may want for this recipe is gremolata. I make a simplified version with just fresh Italian parsley and lemon zest. It’s a wonderful way to finish cooked osso buco.

Here is the kitchen equipment you need to make sous vide osso buco:

• Sous vide machine (or Ninja Foodi with sous vide function)
• Ziplock gallon freezer bag (or food-safe vacuum-sealed bag)
• Good knife
• Whisk

If you’ll be using a sous vide machine, you’ll also need a skillet to brown the meat and soften the veggies.

🔪 How to Cook Osso Buco

Chop the onion, carrot, and celery into ¼-inch dice (0.6 cm). It’s important to cut the veggies small so they’ll soften adequately in the sauce. Mince the garlic clove.

Pat the meat shanks dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Some like to tie the meat to the bone with kitchen twine to help it hold together. I never bother with this step because it tastes the same if it falls off the bone. 🙂

Dredge the meat in flour, making sure both sides have been dusted.

Heat olive oil in a skillet or Ninja Foodi (using high sauté). Add the osso buco and brown for 3-5 minutes per side. Set the beef shanks aside.

Add more oil to the skillet or Foodi and add the carrot, celery, and onion. Soften the veggies for 2-3 minutes. You are not looking to brown them.

Next, add the tomato paste, wine, stock, rosemary, thyme, and garlic to the veggies in the skillet. Allow this mixture to cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Let the sauce cool in a bowl and clean out the Ninja Foodi (if that’s what you’re using to sous vide).

Fill your sous vide machine with water an allow it to come to 175F (79.4C). Filling my Foodi with water to the halfway mark (about 18 cups) was perfect for sous vide. The bag was fully submerged without the water level rising above the “max” line.

Place the cooled sauce and the meat in a gallon-size freezer baggie with a zip top. Alternatively, seal the food in a vacuum-sealed bag using a vacuum sealer. If using a regular freezer bag, only partially seal the bag.

⏲️ Osso Buco Sous Vide Temperature

How long to sous vide osso buco? What temperature for sous vide osso buco? Sous vide osso buco for 24 hours at 175 degrees Fahrenheit (79.4C).

Keep in mind this cooking time and temperature is for sous vide beef shanks. Sous vide veal shanks may have a shorter cook time.

To sous vide using a freezer bag, you need to make sure the air is pressed out. Put the food in the bag, and partially seal it while pressing out as much air as possible. Next, partially submerge the bag in the hot water, making sure the food is under the water level.

When you partially submerge the baggie, the rest of the air should move out. Then you can finish sealing the bag and completely submerge it in the water. Be careful not to burn your fingers!

If using the Ninja Foodi, put the lid on with the vent open to sous vide.

After the cooking time is up, carefully remove the beef shanks from the bag and let them rest 5-10 minutes. Pour the sauce in a skillet or empty Ninja Foodi and sprinkle xanthan gum over it.

Whisk the xanthan gum in to thicken the sauce. The sauce should thicken within 3-5 minutes on the high saute setting.

To serve, mix together fresh finely chopped parsley and lemon zest. This is our gremolata, a condiment that adds nice color and flavor. Plate the meat, add the sauce, and finish with the gremolata.

Enjoy! It’s so very good.

❓ Osso buco internal temperature?

How do you know when osso buco is done cooking? The safe minimum internal temp for beef, pork, lamb, or veal osso buco is 145F (63C).

With its long cooking time, there should be no issues getting the meat shanks to that temperature. However, you’re welcome to use a meat thermometer to check that it reached the safe temp.

🌡️ Reheating Osso Bucco

You can keep leftover veal and beef shanks in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat osso buco in a microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Make sure it is in a food safe container, and cover the container with a paper towel.

You can also store cooked osso buco in the freezer in a freezer bag with the air pressed out. I like to store the sauce separately, and add it after reheating.

😋 What to serve with osso buco?

Wondering what to eat with osso buco? The most common side dishes for osso buco are polenta or risotto. Here are some other osso buco side dishes:

• Costco Cauliflower Rice
• Mashed Potatoes
• Pasta

I also like to add some green veggies to my meal. Last time I added some braised kale, but spinach, broccoli, or a side salad would also be nice.

📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein

One serving of sous vide beef osso buco has 609 calories, 18.1 grams net carbs, and 66 grams protein. This is for one beef shank with sauce, and doesn’t include any side dishes such as rice.

FAQs

How to make an osso buco pressure cooker recipe?

NYT Cooking has a really popular pressure cooker osso buco recipe that you might enjoy. An alternative is to try the slow cooker osso buco recipe from Serious Eats.

How to make frozen osso buco?

Though you can make osso buco from frozen, I recommend treating this expensive cut of meat right by letting it thaw first. If you must cook frozen ossobuco, skip the browning step and slowly braise it in its sauce on the stove.

Can you overcook osso buco?

Though undercooking is more common (and leads to tough meat), it is possible to overcook veal osso buco. If braised too long, the liquid may all evaporate, and the meat could dry out. Braised or sous vide veal shanks will generally have a shorter cooking time than beef shanks.

Is osso buco good?

Osso buco that is prepared properly is tender and flavorful. I love it best when it falls apart easily and practically melts in your mouth. I would not hesitate to call osso buco a good cut of meat.

Can you use osso buco for soup?

Yes, osso buco is wonderful in soup! You can chop up leftover osso buco and add it to soup near the end of cooking. If using raw osso buco, it should be used in a soup with a long simmer time.

👨🏾‍🍳‍ Other Beef Recipes

Where’s the beef? It’s right here when you try one of these recipes using beef!

• Beef Yakisoba
• Old Fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup
• Air Fryer Roast Beef

📖 Recipe Card

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