Braised Venison Shanks with Juniper

Another delight inspired by a visit to my chums at Castle Game. I've cooked venison most ways, but it had never occurred to me to use the shanks. By that we mean the lower part of the leg, the calf if you will. It's a hard working muscle, and great value. It obviously requires a long slow cook, which suits us just fine. The technique is similar to cooking lamb shanks, but in my dish there were a few differences.

Lamb recipes often involve some garlic and tomato. I omitted these as I was looking for (and got) a more gamey end result. The juniper adds an extra dimension, but be careful not to overdo it. The next issue is the cooking time. You really can't overcook a shank. The only danger is letting the meat dry out. The traditional, and aesthetically pleasing, way of serving these is leaving the meat on the shank and serving it bone in. That involves getting the timing just right, so that the meat is tender, but still attached. My two shanks were of different sizes. I therefore wanted them off the bone so no one would feel short changed.

On a practical level, make sure your pan is big enough to hold the bone. For many stews the instruction is to ensure that the meat is completely submerged in liquid. That's not terribly practical here. You could use a cartouche (a piece of greaseproof paper cut to the size of the pan and placed over the top but under the lid): I just made sure I turned the meat a few times during cooking. (Set yourself an alarm by way of a reminder.) It's impossible to give accurate cooking times, as the sizes vary. Mine took about two and a half hours.

Don't use your good wine for this dish: equally, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 venison shanks; 2 medium onions, fairly finely chopped; 1 large carrot, fairly finely chopped; about 400ml full bodied red wine; about 400ml beef stock; 1 bay leaf; 8 - 10 juniper berries, lightly crushed; vegetable oil; s & p.

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Preheat your oven to 180˚C/Mark 4. Season the shanks with s & p. In a hot pan on the hob, brown all over. Remove the meat and set to one side. In the same pan, brown the veg. Return the venison to the pan. Pour in the wine, increase the heat, and allow the alcohol to bubble for a few minutes. Add the stock, juniper and bay leaf. Season with more s & p. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven.

Cook for about two hours, turning the shanks every 40 minutes or so. From there, check the meat for tenderness. When it is done, remove from the pan and set to one side. Your sauce will probably be quite liquid. Return the pan to the hob, increase the heat, and reduce to your desired consistency.

Some recipes will tell you to strain the sauce. I didn't. Return the meat to the pan and warm through. Serve either on or off the bone (see above) with whatever you fancy. Warm, reekin', rich, wonderful.