4.9 from 84 votes
Braised Venison Shanks with Garlic
This recipe braises venison shanks gently with whole garlic heads, white wine, chicken stock, and herbs like thyme and rosemary. The low and slow cooking at 300°F renders the meat tender while infusing it with the herbal and aromatic flavors. Lemon zest adds a bright note, and butter enriches the finishing sauce into a smooth, flavorful coating for the shanks.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 40 mins
Servings:
4
people
Calories:
410 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
- 4 venison shanks (or lamb)
- 4 garlic peeled, heads
- salt
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or other light stock
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 1 tablespoon rosemary plus more for garnish, chopped fresh
- lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
Instructions
- Take the shanks out of the fridge, coat them in a little oil and salt them well. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Heat the vegetable oil or butter in a Dutch oven (or other ovenproof pan that will fit all the shanks) and brown the shanks on every side but the one with the "shin," where the bone shows clearly -- if you brown this part, the shank is more likely to fall apart before you want it to. Remove the shanks as they brown and set aside.
- While the shanks are browning, peel the garlic. Think it's hard to peel 4 heads of garlic? Try this trick: Separate the cloves and put them in a metal bowl. Cover the bowl with one the same size and shake them vigorously for about 10 seconds. All the cloves will be peeled. Here is a video of the process.
- Put the garlic in the pot and brown just a little. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring this to a boil and add the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Return the shanks to the pot and arrange "shin" side up with the garlic all around them. Cover the pot and cook in the oven until the meat wants to fall off the bone, anywhere from an hour to 2 hours.
- Carefully remove the shanks and arrange on a baking sheet or small roasting pan. Turn the oven to 400°F. Remove about 12 of the nicest garlic cloves and set aside.
- Puree the sauce in a blender, swirl in the unsalted butter and pour the sauce into a small pot to keep warm.
- Paint the shanks with some of the sauce and put them in the oven. Paint every 5 minutes for 15 minutes, or until there is a nice glaze on the shanks. To serve, give everyone some mashed potatoes or polenta and a shank. Pour some sauce over everything and garnish with the roasted garlic cloves and rosemary.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- To peel garlic quickly, separate cloves and shake them vigorously between two metal bowls for about 10 seconds; the skins will come off easily.
- The shin side of the shanks should not be browned initially to prevent the meat from falling apart prematurely during braising.
- If you have preserved garlic, use it as a garnish for this dish; otherwise, remove some garlic cloves before pureeing the sauce to moderate the garlic flavor.
Nutrition Information
Calories
410kcal
(21%)
Carbohydrates
3g
(1%)
Protein
40g
(80%)
Fat
22g
(34%)
Saturated Fat
14g
(70%)
Cholesterol
142mg
(47%)
Sodium
158mg
(7%)
Potassium
507mg
(11%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
190IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
31mg
(3%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 410
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 410kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 40g | 80% |
| Fat | 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Cholesterol | 142mg | 47% |
| Sodium | 158mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 507mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 190IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 31mg | 3% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.