Veal Shank Recipe

Melt-in-your-mouth braised veal shanks in a flavorful orange sauce. These succulent and tender veal shanks are slow-cooked to perfection in a Dutch oven and infused with the vibrant flavors of citrus.

This veal shank recipe with orange sauce is one of our favorite ways of cooking veal shanks. The meat is slow-cooked until perfectly tender, and the orange sauce is absolutely divine. Serve the shanks on risotto Milanese for a restaurant-worthy meal.

What are veal shanks?

A cut of meat obtained from young calves, specifically the lower portion of the leg. They consist of the meat surrounding the bone, including the marrow.

They are typically known for their tenderness and rich flavor, making them ideal for slow-cooking methods such as braising.

When cooked properly, they become fall-off-the-bone tender and develop a velvety, luscious texture.

Check out more veal shank recipes: Slow Cooker Ossobuco and Instant Pot Ossobuco.

Recipe ingredients

• Veal shanks: You will need about 4 ½ lbs/ 2 kg shanks to feed about four people. Ensure the pieces are already sliced into thick slices (2 inches/ 3 cm thick). You will probably have 4 to 6 slices, depending on their size.

• Orange peel: The outer, zestful layer of the orange fruit's skin, but none of the white parts (they are bitter). Orange peel adds a fragrant citrus aroma.
• Orange juice: About ½ cup/ 125 ml juice from the oranges you’ve just peeled.

• Vegetables: One small carrot, the white part of a small leek, and one onion.
• Flour to help brown the veal shanks before simmering them.

• Beef broth or chicken stock. Or veal stock if you can get any, but it’s usually not widely available. Low-sodium broth is preferable; it allows you to control the dish's overall saltiness better.

• White wine for making the sauce. I use dry white wine. Use a good-quality white wine you enjoy drinking, as the flavor will be imparted into the sauce. It doesn’t have to be pricey, though; medium-range is fine.

• Seasoning: Thyme, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
• And some granulated sugar to sweeten the orange sauce slightly.

How to braise veal shanks?

• Season and flour the veal shanks (1).
• Sear them in melted butter in two batches in a large Dutch oven (2). Remove them from the pan.

• Sauté the finely chopped vegetables (3).
• Add broth, thyme, salt, and pepper, stir well, and return the meat to the pot (4). Simmer, covered for 30 minutes.

• In the meantime, prepare the oranges.
• Peel only the orange layer of the peel (the white parts are bitter) and cut them into fine stripes (5).
• Blanch them for 1 minute and drain them (6).

• Add the orange peel to the veal shanks in the pot (7). Simmer for another hour or until the veal shanks are very tender (8).

Orange sauce:

• Gently remove the meat from the pot.
• Strain the cooking liquid, reserving the liquid, and discarding the solids. Wipe the Dutch oven with paper towels.
• Pour the strained cooking liquid back into the pot and add the orange juice, white wine, and a little sugar. Bring to a boil (9).
• Thicken the sauce with cornstarch slurry and let it bubble for another minute.
• Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more sugar if needed. Return the shanks to the pot and spoon some of the sauce over them.

Expert Tips

• Shanks: Make sure that they are already sliced into thick slices, or ask the butcher to do it for you. You may not be able to cut them yourself at home.

• Braise the veal shanks slowly over low heat. This method allows the collagen in the meat to break down, resulting in a fork-tender texture.

• When braising the veal shanks, make sure they are partially submerged in the liquid to prevent drying out.

• A Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid is ideal for braising.

• Sugar: The amount of sugar you need depends on the sweetness of the oranges and the acidity of the white wine. Start with a teaspoon and add more to taste; the sauce should taste sweet and sour.

Recipe FAQ

How to store and reheat?

• Refrigerate the braised veal shanks in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Gently reheat the dish on the stovetop.
• Freeze airtight for 3-4 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.

What to serve with veal shanks?

• Risotto Milanese would be perfect. Otherwise, any other simple risotto would be delightful as well.
• Alternatively, serve this veal dish with creamy polenta, crusty bread, buttered rice, pasta, or roasted potatoes.
• Serve a fresh green salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side.

More veal recipes

Veal Shank Recipe

These succulent and tender veal shanks in orange sauce are slow-cooked to perfection in a Dutch oven, allowing them to soak up the flavors of citrus and aromatic spices.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: German Main Course, Main Course, Meat Recipes

Cuisine: German

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 768kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Dutch oven

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Ingredients 

Veal shanks:

• ▢ 4 ½ lbs veal shanks cut into 2 inch/ 3 cm thick slices, 2 kg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter 30 g

Orange sauce:

• ▢ 3 oranges juice and peel, Note 2
• ▢ 1 piece leek the white part, 60 g/ 2 oz
• ▢ 1 small carrot 60 g/ 2 oz
• ▢ 1 ½ cups beef broth or chicken stock, Note 3
• ▢ 1 teaspoon thyme
• ▢ ½ cup orange juice freshly squeezed, 125 ml
• ▢ ½ cup white wine scant, 100 ml
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cold water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ▢ fine sea salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

Veal shanks:

• Flour veal shanks: Pat them dry with paper towels and sprinkle them with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour onto a large plate, dredge the shanks through the flour, and pat them gently to remove the excess.

  4 ½ lbs/ 2 kg veal shanks + ½ teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon pepper + 2 tablespoon flour
• Sear: Melt the butter in the Dutch oven. Brown the veal shanks in two batches for about 2 minutes per side. Remove them from the pot.

  2 Tbsp/ 30 g butter
• Chop: In the meantime, chop the onion and the leek very finely, and cut the carrot into small cubes.

  1 onion + 2 oz/ 60 g leeks (white part) + 2 oz/ 60 g carrots
• Sauté the vegetables with a pinch of salt in the Dutch oven for about 3 minutes or until softer, stirring frequently.
• Simmer: Pour in the broth, add thyme and a little salt and pepper, stir well, and return the meat to the pot. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.

  1 ½ cup/ 375 ml beef broth or chicken stock + 1 teaspoon thyme + a little salt and pepper

Prepare oranges:

• Peel: Wash and dry them. Peel only the orange layer of the peel (the white parts are bitter). Cut the peel into fine strips.

  3 oranges
• Blanch orange strips: In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the orange peel stripes and blanch them for 1 minute. Drain them well.

Orange sauce:

• Simmer: After 30 minutes of cooking, add the orange peel to the veal shanks in the pot. Stir to distribute them evenly in the pot, cover again, and continue simmering the shanks for another hour or until they are very tender.
• Carefully remove the meat from the pot using a slotted spoon. The shanks are very tender, and the meat might fall off the bone, move them gently.
• Strain the cooking liquid reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. Use a paper towel to wipe the Dutch oven clean.
• Cook orange sauce: Pour the strained cooking liquid back into the pot and add the orange juice, white wine, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Bring to a boil.

  ½ cup/ 125 ml orange juice + scant ½ cup/ 100 ml white wine + 1 teaspoon sugar
• Thicken sauce: In the meantime, whisk the cornstarch with cold water. Whisk the slurry into the simmering orange sauce to thicken it slightly. Let the sauce bubble for about one minute.

  1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon cold water
• Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more sugar if needed. Return the shanks to the pot and spoon some of the sauce over them. Sprinkle with parsley if desired, and serve with risotto.

  salt + pepper + more sugar if required

Notes

1. Veal shanks: 4-6 slices, depending on their size. Make sure that they are already sliced into thick slices, or ask the butcher to do it for you. You may not be able to cut them yourself at home.
2. Oranges: It’s preferable to use organic, unwaxed oranges as you will also need their peel.
3. Beef broth or chicken stock. Or veal stock if you can get any, but it’s usually not widely available. Low-sodium broth is preferable; it allows you to control the dish's overall saltiness better.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion from 4 | Calories: 768kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 101g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 398mg | Sodium: 1714mg | Potassium: 2005mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2945IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 5mg

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