When my local butcher, Main Street Meats, called me up and asked if I wanted to create something delicious together for the launch of their new cooking blog, of course I said yes. One of the driving forces behind this blog is a the belief that sustainable, locally sourced food is good for both body, community, and soul. Since a hog is at the heart of southern cuisine (albeit with a garland of vibrant produce around its neck), I wanted to not just cook pork, but to cook a cheap cut that isn’t familiar to a lot of people: pork osso buco. Which is fancy for pork shank. I’m not one who’s body or spiritual path precludes me from eating meat, but I do make it a habit to only cook meat that was sustainably raised, preferably locally. It’s clean, fresh, and flavorful, and animals that are provided with and allowed a diverse diet contain far more nutrients than their ill-starred factory farmed relatives. Cooking & eating is a spiritual enterprise; it’s that moment in which we take from earth the energy, the life force, we need to live, love, and create. That might sound flaky, I get that. But it’s the literal truth. As such I aim to do both with mindfulness, reverence, and gratitude whenever possible. I’m not in a brilliantly evolved head space every time I sit down to eat, but at the very least, I thank the beings that gave their force for mine.
I wanted a closer look at the process. It’s my opinion that, since I’m an omnivore, I owe the animals I eat an acknowledgment that they were in fact fauna that roamed the earth. It’s easy to disconnect the vacuum packed parcels from the beasts, and for me, it’s a disservice to try to forget the life they led. If I’m going to eat meat, I’m going to acknowledge the full spectrum of that process. So early in the morning I met Moby, Amy, and Milton at the shop and we watched Milton break down half a hog from Sequatchie Cove Farm. It was art, and I’m grateful that Chattanooga is blessed with people who care enough about the food we eat here to put in the time, energy, and talent to do it right.
As a matter of fact, Main Street Meats is the only butcher shop we have here in Chattanooga, TN. Before it’s inception, we were butcherless and you could only find good meat at the markets a few times a week. Now all you have to do is pay them a visit to get local meat for your family any day of the week. Beside that they’ve got housemade sausages, bacon, local cheeses, house made dishes like their famous Chicken Pot Pie (lard crust, y’all), and so much other goodness (including nice leaf lard for baking pastries!) So, after getting a first hand look at the process, Moby & Amy went with me to the farmer’s market to get some produce to cook along with it, and then they joined me in my kitchen to cook up a spring braise.
Yes, a spring braise. Eating from the butcher shop means branching out into cuts that might not be as familiar as ye olde filet, ribeye, and strip. But they’re often more affordable and flavorful. So, we wanted to show that the cuts of meat that benefit from low and slow (and largely hands off!) cooking aren’t just for the cooler months. And paired with grassy fennel, bright citrus, a splash of dry white wine, and meltingly tender leeks, that’s exactly what we achieved. You can find the recipe along with the sides we served it with, cheese polenta & spicy bitter greens on their brand new blog! They’ll be updating it with recipes for the various cuts of sustainably raised meats they carry, tutorials, and information on upcoming workshops like the one tomorrow, Sausage 101: sausage making & tasting with a beer pairing (with craft beers graciously provided by The Flying Squirrel). It’s all sold out, and I’m so excited about it and about their future endeavors. If you missed out, you can follow them on instagram and twitter to remain abreast of upcoming events and posts.
So, if you’re local and you haven’t stopped by Main Street Meats, do. It’s the best source of meat in town, and once you stop in, you’ll be there every week. There are really no words for how much it’s worth making an extra stop. I know we’re all busy, and it’s tempting to want to do a one stop shop, but if we embrace the older way and support our local butcher, we’ll be rewarded. Just like we were when we took our first bite of this braise. You won’t look back.
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil (or lard)
- 2 3” pork shanks, liberally seasoned w/ salt & pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 leek diced
- 1 small carrot peeled & diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock (should come 2/3 the way up the sides of the shanks)
- 1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped (about 1/2” chunks)
- 1 large leek, quartered length wise (to be added halfway through cooking)
- supremes of half an orange (see this video on how to: zest & supreme an orange)
- 2 T. fresh oregano
- salt & pepper (smoked salt if you got it)
Instructions
- After the vegetables have been cut according to the specifications in the ingredients list, heat one tablespoon of oil or lard in a heavy bottom oven safe pot over medium-high heat until shimmering and generously salt & pepper the pork shanks.
- Brown the shanks in the fat, 2-3 minutes per side. Don't peek before flipping and allow a nice brown crust to form. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside on a plate.
- Heat the oven to 250 F. Add up to an additional tablespoon of fat to the pot if needed, reduce the heat to medium low, and add the onion, carrot, garlic, diced leek, oregano, and a three finger pinch of salt & a few healthy cracks of black pepper. Sauté until slightly browned.
- Add the stock, white wine, and orange supremes to your pot and return the pork shanks along with it. The liquid should only come about halfway up the osso buco- you don’t want to drown it or it will lose its nice brown crust you just worked so hard to achieve! Bring the liquid almost to a simmer. Don't let it boil; tough meat is a bummer.
- Once it comes to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook at 250° 2.5-3 hrs, until it’s almost falling off the bone (should be tender & juicy but still hold together). Halfway through, at about the 1.5 hour mark, add in the halved leeks.
- We served it over polenta and greens with the a fennel orange gremolata (recipe below).
Ingredients
- 2 T fennel frond
- 1 T (of one orange) zest
- 2 T green garlic minced (can sub 1 T garlic)
- 1 tsp minced mint
- 2 T minced parsley
- 2 finger pinch salt or to taste
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T orange juice
Instructions
- In a bowl mix all the ingredients together. Great on the pork or used on grilled veggies, salad, or fish.
What a gorgeous dish! My boyfriend is from Chattanooga, and I will definitely stop by Main Street Meats the next time we are there visiting his family.
Yes! You have to try their salamis. And their pastrami. And…yeah…it’s all amazing.
Couldn’t agree more with you as far as knowing where our food comes from, especially where meat is concerned. All food has a story, and we’re much better off when it’s a happy, sustainable one rather than shrouded in mystery and misery. Also…..how gorgeous is that pork shank osso bucco?? You’ve almost convinced me to fire up my oven even in the fierce, humid June heat. I think I might give in. 🙂
Yes, yes, and yes. I try to not get too political or soap boxy on the blog because it turns people off instead of turning them on….but when I think of the conditions of the animals & the corporations that control commercially farmed meat….I shudder. And I promise the flavors are fresh enough to make up for a little oven action. 🙂
“Cooking & eating is a spiritual enterprise; it’s that moment in which we take from earth the energy, the life force, we need to live, love, and create.” Thank you for this, and for your beautiful photos. Very inspirational, always.
And thank you for your kind words. They keep me doing what I do.
I had never given much thought to where my food came from until now! Your post is so beautifully enlightening! I loveeee the fact that you actually put so much love and thought into something that many people easily overlook! Love this dish and this post! 🙂
You have no idea how much it means to me that this would spark an interest! I think all people who love to cook know it’s a love language, and that’s why I think it’s so important to make sure no animals were abused and that the meat is clean. That’s why I only buy local meat!
Such beautiful photos. I used to work in a butchers actually, in another life, and it was so interesting. I learned so much!
I’m kind of jealous! I really wish I had hardcore whole animal butchery skills. Thank God, Milton does!
what a beautiful flavorsome makeover to this classic dish!
I really wanted it to be bright…I think I might even add some OJ to the braise next time.
mm looks pretty delicious! i may steal this recipe, have been trying to find a good one for pork!
Do it! It’s there for the stealing. 🙂
Oddly enough, I have everything to make this in my house at the moment, minus the fennel. Come Wednesday (and the farmers’ market) I’m going to be making this. I even have a pork shank in the freezer! We get our pork and beef from a local farmer, and it’s amazing the difference in flavor, quality, and cut.
Let me know if you made it and how it turned out! I hope you love it as much as we did. The gremolata is clutch.
Your posts always make me feel like I’m in an entirely different place Beth…. somewhere less complex and fluorescent-light-flooded than the office that I’m stuck in most days. It’s the very best kind of escapism. This post is beautiful, both in terms of the feature on Main Street Meat and also the preparation of the Osso Buco (one of my very favourite things in winter). Thanks for sharing some insights into your local butcher shop and the blessing of preparing and consuming slow-cooked, local food x
The truth is so much of my time editing & writing is spent behind a computer screen, and these posts are honestly just as much for myself. These are the moments I live for…live to create and share…and I wish every moment could be like them! It makes me so happy to know I can share a bit of my peace while we both work away!
Wow this is just fantastic. I love the way you present the recipe and the cooking process. Very magazine like (if that is a thing haha). I have tried cooking with osso bucco before but I think the ones we get in Australia are quite thin and not nearly as thick as the ones you have there. It therefore gets tough fast as it is meant to be a slow cooked slice of meat.
Well, thank you! If magazine like is a thing, I think I’m happy to have my work be that thing! 🙂 If you can, ask your butcher to cut it 2-3 fingers thick! Then it makes a wonderful braise.
I don’t eat meat, but I admire people who want to keep it local. If everyone felt the same as you, there would be a lot less mass suffering. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and for helping encourage buying local. Regardless of whether or not I eat meat, your photos are the best in the business. So stunning. My jaw dropped.
This sounds so good. I think that I will try it tonight.
Thanks for the recipe! I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious… and very colourful!
Very nice and tasty and so easy and quick!
will cook this again…..
I love your stove! What brand/model is it??
It’s the Sully by Lacanche!
Thanks! wow they are beautiful ranges!
Gorgeous. I love your blog. Everything is so beautiful.
I have cooked this recipe for a seated dinner for a very special group of donors. And the plates were gleaned.
I do want to mention something, though. In the recipe you list 1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped. However in the directions there is no mention of it. I added it to the pot when all the other vegetables went in.
Just thought you might like to know.
Claudia, thanks I was looking in the comments to see what others did about the fennel. I was all ready to put in the oven when I noticed the fennel sitting out still ugh lol I just added at the end hopefully no biggie it didn’t sauté first.
Hi Beth, beautiful recipe, I’m going to try it out this week. Just wondering if that is a Le Creuset pan, and if so, how many litres is it please? Love your blog so much.
Just came here from your Instagram and I REALLY want to know where that cooking spoon is from! I’ve been looking for a beauty like that for a while now : )
Beth, I am completely in AWE of your recipes, photos, and food styling! The recipes are SO creative and this with the pork osso bucco AND italian flavor profile…brilliant!