Braised Veal Shank (Jarret de Veau)
A classic French braise of tender veal shanks in a rich red wine and tomato sauce. Slow-cooked until the meat falls apart, served with the glossy braising liquid.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 58g
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Veal shank (cross-cut)
- 2 medium Carrot
- 2 stalk Celery stalk
- 1 medium Onion
- 4 clove Garlic clove
- 2 cup Dry red wine
- 1 can (14 oz) Canned crushed tomato
- 1 cup Beef broth
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 3 sprig Fresh thyme
- 1 leaf Bay leaf
Instructions
- 1
Pat the veal shanks dry with paper towels, pressing gently on all sides until the surface feels dry to the touch — this helps them brown better.
- 2
Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on both sides of each veal shank, rubbing it in with your fingers so it sticks to the meat.
- 3
Cut the carrot lengthwise in half, then cut each half crosswise into 2-inch chunks roughly the size of your thumb knuckle.
- 4
Cut the celery stalks on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces, tilting the knife as you cut so each piece looks like a slanted oval.
- 5
Cut the onion in half from root to tip, then place each half flat side down and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick wedge-shaped pieces.
- 6
Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife by laying the knife flat over a clove and pressing down with the heel of your hand — the skin will separate easily.
- 7
Place a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 8
Heat the oil for 90 seconds until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, then carefully lay each veal shank into the pot.
- 9
Let the shanks sit undisturbed for 5 minutes until the bottom surface turns deep golden brown, like caramel.
- 10
Flip each shank over using tongs and let the other side brown for another 5 minutes until it matches the first side.
- 11
Transfer the browned shanks to a large plate using tongs and set aside.
- 12
Add the carrot chunks, celery pieces, and onion wedges to the same pot with the remaining oil and browned bits on the bottom.
- 13
Stir the vegetables constantly with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until they soften and the onion turns translucent (you can see through the pieces).
- 14
Add the smashed garlic cloves and stir for 30 seconds until the pot smells strongly fragrant.
- 15
Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, so it darkens slightly and coats the vegetables.
- 16
Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot until the liquid looks uniform.
- 17
Let the wine simmer over medium-high heat for 3 minutes until it reduces by about half and smells less strongly of raw alcohol.
- 18
Stir in the canned crushed tomato, beef broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf until well mixed.
- 19
Return the veal shanks to the pot, nestling them into the sauce so they are mostly covered by liquid.
- 20
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a lid.
- 21
Transfer the covered pot to an oven preheated to 325°F and cook for 2 hours until the veal is very tender and the meat pulls easily from the bone when you poke it with a fork.
- 22
Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift out the veal shanks with tongs onto a serving platter.
- 23
Pour the braising liquid and vegetables through a fine-mesh strainer held over a large bowl, pressing gently on the vegetables to extract their liquid, then discard the solids.
- 24
Skim off the fat floating on top of the strained sauce using a wide spoon, tilting the spoon to let the liquid flow back into the bowl.
- 25
Pour the defatted sauce over the veal shanks and serve immediately while hot.
Tools you’ll need
- 5-quart Dutch oven with lid
- Large cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Paper towels
- Tongs
- Large plate
- Wooden spoon
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Large bowl
- Wide spoon or skimmer
- Serving platter
- Oven
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