Venison Ossobuco in the Dark

Name: Venison Ossobuco in the Dark
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 unit Venison ossobuco shank slices with the marrow bone; 30 ml All-purpose flour 2 tablespoons, for dusting; 30 ml Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons; 500 ml Mirepoix 2 cups, diced onion, carrot, celery mix; 2 unit Black garlic cloves, crushed; 250 ml Red wine 1 cup, full-bodied; 60 ml Elderberry balsamic vinegar 4 tablespoons; 25 ml Birch syrup about 5 teaspoons; 125 ml Blueberries 1/2 cup, ideally from Lac Saint-Jean; 125 ml Haskap berries 1/2 cup; 250 ml Game stock or veal stock, 1 cup; Black trumpet mushrooms and morels, quantity and variety based on availability

Three hours in the oven, until the venison falls off the bone.

Prep30 min

Cook3 h

Yield3 to 4 servings

theuplandcook.com/en/recipes/venison-ossobuco

Ingredients

For the meat

3 — Venison ossobuco (shank slices with the marrow bone)
30 ml — All-purpose flour (2 tablespoons, for dusting)
30 ml — Vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)

For the aromatic base

500 ml — Mirepoix (2 cups, diced onion, carrot, celery mix)
2 — Black garlic (cloves, crushed)

For the braise

250 ml — Red wine (1 cup, full-bodied)
60 ml — Elderberry balsamic vinegar (4 tablespoons)
25 ml — Birch syrup (about 5 teaspoons)
125 ml — Blueberries (1/2 cup, ideally from Lac Saint-Jean)
125 ml — Haskap berries (1/2 cup)
250 ml — Game stock (or veal stock, 1 cup)
Black trumpet mushrooms (and morels, quantity and variety based on availability)

Steps

01Flour and sear the meat
Lightly flour the venison ossobuco on all sides, shaking off the excess. In a cast-iron pot over high heat, warm the vegetable oil and sear the slices until you get a deep golden crust on both sides. Set aside on a plate.
02Sweat the mirepoix
In the same pot, add the mirepoix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, scraping up the fond from the bottom. Add the crushed black garlic and continue cooking another 2 to 3 minutes. It should smell caramelized and fermented.
03Deglaze and build the braise
Pour the red wine into the pot to deglaze. Then add the elderberry balsamic vinegar, birch syrup, blueberries, haskap berries, game stock and black trumpet mushrooms (keep the morels for later). Return the ossobuco to the liquid, which should almost completely cover the meat.
04Braise in the oven 3 hours
Cover the pot and bake at 325°F (160°C) for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone with a fork. Check after 2 hours: with young venison, it can sometimes be ready that early.
05Pull the meat, reduce the sauce
Carefully remove the ossobuco from the pot and place them in a covered dish to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan, saving the trumpet mushrooms. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and reduce the sauce to a glossy jus consistency. Add the morels now, they'll cook in the reduction.
06Reheat in the sauce and serve
Just before serving, return the ossobuco to the reduced sauce to warm them gently and coat. Plate over buttered parsnip purée, with a generous spoonful of sauce and mushrooms on top. Serve with honey-glazed carrots on the side.

Braised venison ossobuco over parsnip purée, dark cooking jus, morel and trumpet mushroom garnish