Pork-o-buco

Once again Pork is served during Covid. What is better on a winter day then Pork-o-Buco over Polenta? The answer of course is: Pork-o-Buco over Polenta topped with Gremolata. Cathy combined 2 recipes, especially making the Gremolata to top the Pork-o-Buco. It was delicious. One of our favorite dishes. It needs meaty Pork Shanks.

Pork Osso Buco

Eight 8-10 oz pieces Berkshire or Red Wattle

Heritage pork has more marbling resulting in more tender and juicy meat 

Osso buco is classic Italian comfort food. Traditionally cut from veal shanks, our Heritage pork osso buco is just as tender and meaty, and boasts a wonderful pork flavor. Many of our customers say that once they’ve tried them, they never go back! Best braised with wine or stock, vegetables and herbs, these gorgeous pieces are guaranteed to become a new tradition.   

The secret to great pork is to start off with great ingredients, and nothing beats our storied Heritage breeds —  Berkshire, Red Wattle, Duroc, Gloucestershire Old Spot, Large Black, and Tamworth. Each breed comes from a different culinary tradition, and boasts a distinctive, nuanced flavor.

Try our simple and delicious heritage pork osso buco with Anson Mills polenta:

 

Ingredients:

8       pcs pork osso buco
2       cups Anson Mills yellow polenta
2       tbsp butter
1       medium onion, rough chopped
2       celery ribs, rough chopped
1       large carrot, rough chopped
2       garlic cloves, cut into thirds
¼      cup tomato paste
1       cup white wine
15     cups chicken stock
2       each bay leaves fresh thyme and rosemary
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparation:

 

1.    Preheat oven to 300°F. Make sure your osso buco is at room temp and seasoned with salt and pepper on all sides. In a large dutch oven heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium high heat and sear the pieces on all sides. Set them aside to rest and add onion, celery, garlic, and carrots to your dutch oven with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables soften and start to brown.

2.    Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the vegetables are coated. Pour wine over the vegetables and stir to deglaze. Simmer until the wine begins to thicken and add 8 cups of stock, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. 

3.    Discard the carrots and herbs from your cooled down pot. Move the osso buco to a large bowl while you make the sauce. Puree the onion and celery with your braising liquid. Reheat the mixture in the dutch oven on the stove top at medium high heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Return the osso buco to the pot and simmer while spooning sauce over the meat for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

4.     In a separate pot bring 7 cups of stock to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk in the Anson Mills polenta over the moving whisk to minimize lumps. Once fully incorporated, season the pot with a few generous pinches of salt. Reduce the heat to low and mostly cover with a lid, leaving a crack to allow moisture to escape. Bubbles should occasionally break the surface, no more or the polenta may stick to the bottom and scorch. Whisk the polenta every 10 minutes for around 40 minutes until the largest granules are soft. Taste and season the polenta and mix in the butter. 

5.    To serve, stir Parmigiano Reggiano into the polenta. Ladle or spoon into a wide bowl, top with grated parmigiano, place osso buco on top adding more sauce over the meat. For a classic condiment, drizzle a gremolata made from a small garlic clove (grated or minced), olive oil, chopped parsley, and lemon zest! Enjoy!

Pork Shank Osso Buco with Polenta and Gremolata

Food Network

 

Ingredients

 

4       8-ounce pork shanks, tied with twine

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

3       tablespoons vegetable oil 

2       carrots, diced 

2       stalks celery, diced 

2       yellow onions, diced 

1       tablespoon tomato paste 

4       cloves garlic, minced 

2       cups dry white wine 

2       cups warm chicken stock 

1       14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

2       bay leaves

 

Gremolata

 

1       cup fresh parsley, minced

2       teaspoons lemon zest 

1       teaspoon orange zest 

2       cloves garlic, grated on a rasp grater

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 

Directions

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2.    Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Liberally season all sides of the shanks with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and sear the shanks until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.

3.     Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven, then add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are slightly soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 second. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping all the bits off the bottom. Add the shanks, any accumulated juices, the warm stock, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the shanks are extremely fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove the shanks and tent with foil on a plate.

4.    If the braising liquid is a bit thin, right before serving, simmer the remaining liquid until thickened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

5.    For each serving, put a ladle of Creamy Polenta in a shallow bowl, followed by a warm shank with a ladle of rich braising liquid, then top with the fresh Gremolata.

Gremolata:

Mix the parsley, lemon zest, orange zest and garlic together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cook’s Note

 

The shanks can be stored for up to 2 days in the braising liquid.