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4.9 from 126 votes

Braised Venison Shanks with Garlic

As I designed this specifically for a young antelope, you will need something like it to really appreciate the dish. In the wild world, use this recipe for shanks from young animals, i.e., yearlings, young does or wild boar. If you make this with older animals, the flavors won't work as well -- use my recipe for Portuguese braised venison shanks instead. In the domesticated world, this recipe is absolutely ideal for lamb shanks.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 10 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 heads of garlic, peeled
  • salt
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken or other light stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
  • zest of a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Take the shanks out of the fridge, coat them in a little oil and salt them well. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Puree the sauce in a blender, swirl in the unsalted butter and pour the sauce into a small pot to keep warm.
  7. 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.

Notes

  • I garnish this dish with my preserved garlic, but unless you've already made some, just remove some of the garlic cloves from the pot before you puree the sauce. 

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 (14%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 190IU (4%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 31mg (3%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

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.