Game On

At my last visit to Green City Market, I decided to buy an elk roast and 'soup bones' to satisfy a chronic craving for game meat.  When I came home, I inspected the elk bones package and found that I had been given two one-pound elk shanks ([veal] shanks are the same cut used for osso bucco).  I checked the label to see if I had been given the wrong item, but I had not.  Making a mere soup, as I originally intended, from these beautiful cuts would be a crime; for these bones were filled with marrow, and had rivers of fat running through the meat--an uncommon characteristic of elk.  These shanks must be braised, and the marrow sucked from the bones.

I begin by browning the shanks in duck fat, as fat will need to be added to this lean protein for flavor and to reduce the odds of it drying out.  Once the shanks are properly browned, I pull them from my dutch oven and I add my version of a mirepoix--a combination of carrots, onions, and leeks--to be sauteed in the remaining fat.  Then I put the shanks back in the pool with garlic scapes and thyme, and fill with a pint of chicken stock and half a bottle of red wine.  The dutch oven gets covered, and placed in a 300 Dg oven for three hours.

After three hours, pull the shanks from the pot, and reduce the braising liquid on the stovetop.  If a functioning blender is in the picture, blend the the onions and leeks into the braising liquid.  Season with salt, and pour over the elk shanks.

While the braising liquid is reducing, spread duckfat over slices of sourdough bread, and toast until lightly browned, then sprinkle with course salt.  Black truffle salt works great as well.  The toast will be needed to absorb excess braising liquid, and to provide passage for the marrow from the bone to mouth.

The fork tender elk pulls easily off the bone--no knife required.  The thick, warm braising liquid poured over reinforces the meat with compounded flavors from the protein itself, thyme, garlic, and wine.  Then, there's the luscious, gamey marrow, which  spreads easily over the hot, crusty duck fat sourdough toast--the perfect bite to end on.  Beats soup any day.

Comments

[Chef E]

I love bone marrow and always look for the bones with the widest marrow holes! Looks great- and btw any help is fine, not as many have donated, but I will not hold it against anyone- we do what we feel the closet too, and the actual events will hopefully make money, and I can give the charity at least 90 percent. Thanks my friend...oh and I am canning my own BBQ sauce to sell with in the next six months!

[Tatiana]

Mmmmmmm, marrow. This looks delicious! And I agree, using those shanks for soup would have been a travesty. How does the flavor profile compare to venison? If at all...