Venison Osso Buco

Chef Chris Royster, Flagstaff House

Chef Chris Royster brings comfort & elegance to the table with his Venison Osso Buco.

This hearty dish puts a Colorado twist on a rustic classic, featuring slow-braised venison shanks — a Flagstaff House staple — simmered with white wine, aromatic herbs, and seasonal vegetables. The dish is elevated with sautéed trumpet mushrooms, English peas, and smoky bacon lardons, finished alongside a thick slice of crusty bread. Comforting yet refined, it’s a timeless dish reimagined by one of Colorado’s finest chefs.

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Active Time: 
1 Hour 15 Minutes

Total Time: 
4 Hours

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Ingredients:

  • 4 8-10 oz venison osso buco shanks (can also substitute any shank or short rib)

  • 2 medium onions, about 10 oz

  • 2 large carrots, about 8 oz

  • ½ head of celery, about 8 oz

  • 6-8 fresh peeled garlic cloves, about 1 oz

  • 8 oz trumpet mushrooms (can substitute most other mushrooms)

  • 8 oz slab bacon (can substitute thick cut bacon)

  • 1.5-2 quarts of stock (preferably homemade, but can use a boxed store bought as well)

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 2 sprigs each thyme, rosemary, sage, or 1 package of “poultry herbs”

  • ¼ cup tomato paste

  • ¼ tsp chili flakes, or more to taste

  • ½ tsp each dried oregano, basil, thyme

  • ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

  • 4 Tbsp butter

  • ½ cup flour

  • Zest of 2 lemons

  • 1 15 oz can cooked white beans (or precook ½ cup dry beans)

  • 1.5 cup fresh English peas (can substitute other peas), shucked

  • Loaf of crusty bread for serving

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Directions:

Step 1

  • Preheat oven to 350F. 

  • Process vegetables, reserving trim for braise. 

  • Clean and dice onions into ½” pieces. 

  • Peel and trim carrots. Dice carrots to ½” cubes, or quarter lengthwise and cut into wedges about ½” width. 

  • Wash and trim celery, reserving leaves for garnish. Dice celery into ½” cubes, or ½” half-moons. 

  • Trim mushroom ends and dice into ½” pieces, or quarter lengthwise and cut into small wedges about ¼”-½” thick. 

  • Trim garlic and mince. 

  • Cut bacon into lardons, ¼” thick and 1” long.

Step 2

  • Place Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook bacon in dutch oven until bacon is browned and fat has rendered, around 5-10 minutes. While cooking bacon, liberally season venison with salt and pepper, and tie with twine. Once bacon is rendered, remove from pan with slotted spoon, leaving rendered fat.

  • Sear venison in bacon fat, browning on all sides. 

  • Remove venison from dutch oven. Add vegetable trim and cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the dutch oven with a wooden spoon or spatula to release the “fond”. Add wine and scrape bottom of dutch oven to fully deglaze. Cook until reduced by half, about another 5 minutes.

Step 3

  • Add venison shanks back into dutch oven, pour in enough stock to cover shanks with ½” of liquid. Bring to a simmer and add fresh herbs. 

  • Cover and place dutch oven into preheated oven. Bake for 2.5-3.5 hours,

  • until shanks are just fork tender.

  • Remove from oven. Remove shanks from pan and reserve. 

Step 4

  • Place a separate saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil to lightly coat pan. 

  • Cook mushrooms until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. 

  • Add diced onion, celery, and carrots to the pan with a pinch of salt, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 

  • Add garlic and butter and cook vegetables until lightly browned, stirring frequently to prevent butter from burning, about 5 minutes. 

  • Add dried herbs and chili flakes and stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes until herbs become aromatic. Add tomato paste and lightly caramelize, stirring often for about 2 minutes. 

  • Reduce heat to low, add flour and cook roux until blond, about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly to keep flour from burning. 

  • Strain braising broth from Dutch oven into saucepan. Bring stew to simmer and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until roux thickens and broth has reduced slightly, about 10-15 minutes.

Step 5

  • Add white beans and cook for about 10 minutes. 

  • Add lardons and Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

  • Cut strings from shanks add them to pan with english peas. Zest lemons into stew and cook for about 5 minutes until peas are tender.

Plating

Scoop vegetables and stew into a bowl, then place venison shank on top, with bone facing upward. Garnish with celery leaves, sea salt, and serve with a thick slice of crusty bread.