Osso Buco Recipe: How to Make Braised Veal Shanks

What Is Osso Buco?

Osso buco is an Italian dish of braised veal shanks, cooked until fork-tender in broth, wine, and tomatoes. In Italian, “osso buco" means “pierced bone,” referring to the marrow in the shank bone that cooks down into a spreadable jelly. Osso buco is typically served with bread, risotto polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta to soak up all the braising liquid.

3 Substitutes for Veal in Osso Buco

While osso buco is traditionally made with veal shanks, there are several suitable substitutes:

1. Beef shank: This is the same cut of meat, just on a full-grown cow, so it is the ideal substitute for veal. The shank is one of the toughest cuts, since it comes from the cow’s hard-working and not very fatty front and back legs. It’s fabricated into the shank cross-cut—bone-in slices that expose the rich marrow and are popular in dishes like osso buco, in which the shank is braised for over an hour, so that the collagen in the tough connective tissue can transform into gelatin.
2. Short rib: Short ribs are from the underbelly of the cow and are usually sold with the bone in. They have a rich flavor with a good balance of toughness and fat, though they don’t have the bone marrow associated with osso buco.
3. Oxtails: Oxtail cuts are a very tough cut of meat taken from the tail of the cow. They have a very high fat content and the gelatin from the bone makes them delicious, but they are often expensive due to their low availability.