Tomato & Wine Sous Vide-braised Beef Osso Buco

Thick slices of beef shank with traditional flavours cooked in an untraditional way will make you glad you discovered sous vide! The rich flavour of the beef with the aromatic tomato sauce makes a perfect match and the long, slow cooking tenderizes the beef beautifully. This even keeps the beef a touch pink inside and you won’t believe the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness as a result. It does take more than a full day to cook but with a simple finish just before serving and the make-ahead option (see Tip), this is the perfect entertaining dish to dazzle guests. Serve with Parmesan risotto, pasta or gnocchi and tender-crisp green beans.
Yield 4 Servings Prep. Time 15 min Cooking Time 1705 min Total Time 1720 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 4 slices Beef Centre Cut Shank, 1½ inches (4 cm) thick (about 1 lb/500 g each)
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided (approx)
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) dried rosemary, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) dry red or white wine
  • 1¾ cups (425 mL) canned tomatoes with juice, preferably San Marzano style, coarsely chopped (about half a 28 oz/796 mL can)
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Method

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Set up water bath for sous vide and preheat to 158°F (70°C) according to manufacturer’s directions.

  2. Pat beef dry with paper towel and season all over with ½ tsp (2 mL) salt and ¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Brown beef, in batches, for about 4 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add more oil to pan between batches, as necessary.

  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and a little oil, if necessary to make a thin layer. Add carrots and onion; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, rosemary and ¼ tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping up brown bits from pan. Remove from heat, stir in tomatoes.

  4. Place 2 slices beef in each of 2 large bags for sous vide (vacuum, sealable freezer or reusable silicone). Pour half of tomato mixture into each bag (about 1¾ cups/425 mL per bag). Arrange beef slices in a single layer in bags. Remove as much air as possible and vacuum or manually seal.

  5. Immerse bags in preheated water bath and secure to the side of the pot with a clip, keeping the top of the bag above the surface of the water. Cover water bath with foil or plastic to reduce evaporation. Cook sous vide for 28 hours, replenishing water as necessary.

  6. Remove beef from water bath. Transfer beef from bag with a slotted spoon to warmed serving dishes. Tent with foil and keep warm.

  7. Pour sauce into a medium saucepan and skim off fat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and boil for about 10 minutes or until slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide bones and meat between 4 serving dishes, breaking meat into chunks if some slices of shank are meatier than others. Pour hot sauce over beef and garnish with parsley, if desired.