Braised Venison Shanks
Four Venison Shanks (Lamb Shanks substitute well)
One medium diced Onion
Two Tablespoons cooking oil
16 oz. Beef stock give or take a bit
Two teaspoons rosemary leaves
12 or so peppercorns
Four cloves garlic whole
One carrot, sliced and peeled
Two stalks of celery with leaves
Four oz. of red wine (if you wouldn’t drink it don’t cook with it)
Salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven or ovenable skillet to a medium high heat. Add onions and meat and a pinch of salt. Beef stock tends to be salty so go easy with the salt. Brown the contents of the pan, shaking and stirring as needed to prevent scorching.
When browning is finished, add enough stock to cover the shanks about half way. Sprinkle the rosemary directly on the shanks. Add remaining ingredients and place in oven. Check every 20 minutes adding more stock if required. This will take about one and a quarter hours. Check doneness after an hour. A fork will penetrate the meat easily when cooked. Remove the shanks. Scrape the bottom of the pan, unless there are burned areas. Strain the pan juices into a sauce pan. If desired, thicken with a butter roux made with equal amounts of melted butter and flour (special gravy flours work best). Pour some of the sauce over the shanks and serve with additional gravy on the side. Serve with noodles or a potato cabbage gratin