Braised Pork Osso Bucco
Can’t find veal shanks? Try making pork shank instead! This slow braised pork osso bucco recipe is exactly what a pork shank needs and you’ll still get those traditional osso buco flavors.
Why I love this braised pork shank recipe
January was a pretty gloomy month this year – I’m sure it has something to do with the post holiday blues and the weather. But, this pork osso buco has brought me back from the darkness, because it is nothing short of perfection. I originally made this dish for my Friday Night Dinner series, a tribute to the food of Gilmore Girls, and I’ve been loving it ever since.
If you like this savory pork recipe, you have to try these baked stuffed pork chops and these glazed pork chops and this smothered pork chops with gravy.
Follow this meal up with a Gilmore Girls inspired dessert: chocolate pudding / baked alaska / blueberry shortcake / apple tarts
Ingredients & substitutions
- Pork shanks – I got my pork shanks, which are also called fresh pork hocks, at the butcher. They are super long and huge, so I asked them to cut them in half so they would more more “osso buco” in style. It took me a while to find pork shanks, but it was really just a matter of calling around to find them. If you can’t find them in store you definitely find them at an online butcher.
- White wine – Don’t forget that not all wine is dairy free! Read more about it in my article about vegan wine. We used a sauvignon blanc in this recipe, but any dry white wine that you like will work great.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make pork osso bucco
Prep the pork shanks. Start by tying your pork shanks with kitchen twine. You don’t have to do this, but as the meat braises, it will eventually start to fall apart and it will be harder to serve.
Cut two lengths of kitchen twine per shank and wrap it around the meat – as pictured – tying it as tightly as you can. You want it to be tight so that the strings will stay tight even as the pork shanks shrink while they’re cooking.
Then, liberally season the pork with salt and pepper. Don’t go easy on this, this is your only chance to season the meat and each pork shank is big, so you need a lot!
Sear the meat. Heat your biggest pot to medium-high. Let it get nice and hot then add the pork shanks and sear them until they’re golden brown and slightly crispy. You will probably want to work in batches so you have lots of space to encourage browning.
You shouldn’t need oil for this because the pork is already fatty enough. If you’ve seared the pork well, it will release on it’s own. When they’re browned on all sides, remove the seared shanks and set them aside on a plate.
Sauté the vegetables. Leave any rendered fat in the pan and add the olive oil. Allow it to warm up and sauté the onion, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. Stir them as needed, cooking until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
Simmer until tender. Add the tomato paste and white wine to the pot and deglaze all the flavorful brown bits from the bottom and sides. Then, add the herbs and chicken broth.
Return the pork shanks to the pot and put the lid on. Bring it to a low boil and reduce the heat to low. Let the osso buco simmer for about 3 1/2 hours. I usually start checking at about hour three.
At this point, the pork should be starting to fall off the bone and super tender. Remove the lid and allow the sauce to thicken for the final 30 minutes of cooking.
Garnish and serve. I served my pork osso bucco with a simple gremolata – really just a garnish of lemon zest and fresh parsley – and simple creamy polenta. You could totally do mashed potatoes, but you’ll definitely want a side that goes well with gravy/juices because there’s a crazy amount of flavor there.
FAQS and tips for making the best pork osso buco
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 pork shanks
- Salt & pepper
- 1 medium onion (chopped (about 1 cup))
- 2 celery stalks (chopped (about 1/2 cup))
- 2 carrots (chopped (about 1/2 cup))
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 sprigs each: fresh rosemary and thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Zest from 1 lemon (for garnish)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Season the shanks with salt & pepper. Brown the shanks until golden and crispy. Remove from pan.
- Add olive oil, onion, celery, carrots and a pinch of salt. Sauté stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and vegetables have softened – about 5 minutes.
- Add wine and tomato paste, deglazing the pan. Add the chicken broth and return the pork shanks to the pan.
- Cover and bring to a low boil, then immediately reduce the heat to love and simmer for 3 – 3.5 hours. Remove lid for the final 20 – 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Discard the bay leaf and herb stems, and garnish with lemon zest and fresh parsley before serving.
This looks incredible and is a recipe i will soon be making! Thanks. 🙂
It really is delicious! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Question. Can you slow cook in oven instead of stove top? Or even use a crock pot?
I think you could do this. I haven’t tried, so I don’t know the exact timing to suggest and you would probably need to adjust the amount of liquid in the pot.
This dish looks so delicious, Melissa! It looks so colourful, the flavour combination is really good!
While I prefer veal Osso Bucco, this was very delicious. I made it the day before I wanted to serve it so that I could remove the solid fat that normally form on the top from refrigerating. I served with buttered, parsleyed pasta. One note, in your recipe above, you neglected to add the herbs to the pot in your instructions. Less experienced cooks might be confused by its exclusion.
I was definitely confused as to when to add the herbs! Good thing I wasn’t too late. Otherwise, this recipe is delicious.
I made this and it was delicious! The only thing I did differently was add a little brown sugar to cut some of the spicy. We all loved it!
I am looking forward to making this dish, but I cannot help to point out that osso buco is not Italian for braised veal, no matter what google translate says. Osso is bone and buco is hole. The marrow in the hole of the bone is the star of the show in Italy……where I lived for some years.
Making it now. Also came to comment that you do not say when to add the bay, rosemary, and thyme.
You should add the herbs with the chicken broth, after you have deglazed the pan.
Delicious! My husband said “that was next level.” I only had one shank so I reduced the ingredients, but only by a bit. I used pepper and a good amount of coarse kosher salt before browning and basically prepared the recipe as is.
Should you buy shanks with or without skin? Many thanks
What is on the plate? Mash potatoes?
It is a creamy polenta. You can absolutely used mashed potatoes instead if you prefer!
This sounds so delicious–I would love to make it!
But does it really have 5259 mg. of sodium? I’m hoping that’s a typo…
No, it really should not be that high. I update the nutrition information for you. Thanks for pointing that out.
This was restaurant worthy to say the least. Extremely simple yet a bit elegant. I love the fact that there aren’t 20 ingredients and the pork is the star of the dish with a great flavor profile. My boyfriend was very impressed and this would be a great dish to serve for a family gathering. The pork hocks were so cheap as well which was the icing on the cake for me. They were a pretty good size and were only $2.50 each. Winner all day in my book!
Is on the stove right now! I searched your site for this creamy polenta recipe & came up short. I’ve never made polenta before so was hoping I could find your suggestions for it.
Can I substitute the wine with another cup of chicken broth? Or any other suggestions?
Yes totally!