Popular searches
Articles
Series
Topics
Shop
Recipes
Course
Main
Duration
5 hours
Serves
2-4
Chef’s notes
Most shanks used to wind up the grind pile, or worse, the trash. But more hunters have started figuring out how damn good these cuts are if you take the time to cook them right.
This southwest style preparation will turn some heads. It’s the kind of dish you’ll want to serve for a special occasion or when you’re trying to impress. The citrus and smokey peppers compliment the rich flavor of the shank—I guarantee you’ll never grind a shank again.
Ingredients
- 1 venison shank, whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup olive or canola oil for browning
- 3.5-7 oz of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, depending on spice preference.
- 1 Anaheim chili pepper
- 1 pasilla pepper
- 1 large white sweet onion
- 1 large slicing tomato
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 cups polenta or grits
- 4 oz. queso fresco crumbling cheese
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
Preparation
- Preheat smoker grill to 400 degrees (for smoking peppers). Preheat oven to 275 degrees (for braising).
- Cut the Anaheim and pasilla peppers lengthwise so they lay flat on the smoker grill. Slice onion and tomato into rounds. Once the grill is up to temperature, lay vegetables flat and smoke for 5 to 8 minutes, or until edges are charred.
- As vegetables smoke, salt and pepper the shank on a plate. Place seasoned shank in a bag with flour and toss to coat.
- Heat a 1/4 cup olive or canola oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, brown floured shank on all sides, roughly 1 to 2 minutes per side. Be sure the meat is lightly browned before flipping. Once both larger flat sides are browned, use a set of strong tongs to hold the shank upright on the two narrow sides to brown.
- Once all sides of the shank are golden brown, remove from skillet and place on a large plate.
- Once vegetables have slight char marks on them and are slightly dry on edges, remove them from the smoker.
- Stir cinnamon, brown sugar, and paprika into the hot skillet. Add smoked vegetables and a half or full can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, depending on your spice preferences. Cook on medium-high heat for about a minute, then deglaze skillet with orange juice.
- Nestle the shank into the vegetables and liquid. Cover the skillet tightly with tinfoil, and place in oven at 275 degrees for 4 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
- Remove the pan from oven and place shank on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred meat into rough chunks, and then return it back into pan with braising liquid to reabsorb some of the sauce.
- Serve over polenta or grits, spoon remaining sauce over meat, and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro.
Sign In or Create a Free Account
Access the newest seasons of MeatEater, save content, and join in discussions with the Crew and others in the MeatEater community.
Related
Recipes
Braised Venison Shanks Osso Buco
(6)
This osso buco recipe turns the lowly shank into a fine-dining creation. You can use the shanks from any big game animal with equally great results for this osso buco recipe.
When I’m butchering, I simply wrap my shanks in plastic wrap and freezer paper and then freeze them whole. When I’m ready to...
Steven Rinella
Dec 7, 2018
Read More
Play Now
Recipes
Hot Venison Sandwich
(2)
If you didn’t grow up in the Midwest, you might be surprised the first time a waiter or waitress sets down a plate of “hot beef sandwich” in front of you. You’re shocked because one, you probably expected something closer to a French dip, and two, you panic a little because there’s no way you’d be...
Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Feb 14, 2023
Read More
Play Now
Recipes
Venison and Noodles
(0)
The combination of meat, starch, and gravy is a cornerstone of Midwestern cooking. For me, beef and noodles is as Nebraska a dish as it gets: tender, shredded meat suspended in thick gravy and hearty egg noodles. If that’s not enough, this already starchy dish is often served with mashed potatoes...
Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Jan 7, 2021
Read More
Play Now
Chef’s notes
Most shanks used to wind up the grind pile, or worse, the trash. But more hunters have started figuring out how damn good these cuts are if you take the time to cook them right.
This southwest style preparation will turn some heads. It’s the kind of dish you’ll want to serve for a special occasion or when you’re trying to impress. The citrus and smokey peppers compliment the rich flavor of the shank—I guarantee you’ll never grind a shank again.
Ingredients
- 1 venison shank, whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup olive or canola oil for browning
- 3.5-7 oz of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, depending on spice preference.
- 1 Anaheim chili pepper
- 1 pasilla pepper
- 1 large white sweet onion
- 1 large slicing tomato
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 cups polenta or grits
- 4 oz. queso fresco crumbling cheese
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
Preparation
- Preheat smoker grill to 400 degrees (for smoking peppers). Preheat oven to 275 degrees (for braising).
- Cut the Anaheim and pasilla peppers lengthwise so they lay flat on the smoker grill. Slice onion and tomato into rounds. Once the grill is up to temperature, lay vegetables flat and smoke for 5 to 8 minutes, or until edges are charred.
- As vegetables smoke, salt and pepper the shank on a plate. Place seasoned shank in a bag with flour and toss to coat.
- Heat a 1/4 cup olive or canola oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, brown floured shank on all sides, roughly 1 to 2 minutes per side. Be sure the meat is lightly browned before flipping. Once both larger flat sides are browned, use a set of strong tongs to hold the shank upright on the two narrow sides to brown.
- Once all sides of the shank are golden brown, remove from skillet and place on a large plate.
- Once vegetables have slight char marks on them and are slightly dry on edges, remove them from the smoker.
- Stir cinnamon, brown sugar, and paprika into the hot skillet. Add smoked vegetables and a half or full can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, depending on your spice preferences. Cook on medium-high heat for about a minute, then deglaze skillet with orange juice.
- Nestle the shank into the vegetables and liquid. Cover the skillet tightly with tinfoil, and place in oven at 275 degrees for 4 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
- Remove the pan from oven and place shank on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred meat into rough chunks, and then return it back into pan with braising liquid to reabsorb some of the sauce.
- Serve over polenta or grits, spoon remaining sauce over meat, and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro.