My life really changed when I started eating quality meat. My health and general wellbeing has drastically improved, and the things that I create in my kitchen have increased exponentially in deliciousness. To be honest, I didn’t really start to explore the world of cooking until I started purchasing meat that I felt really excited about having in my freezer, just waiting to be prepared and enjoyed. Before this, I was vegan and I don’t think I even knew what osso buco was. Now it’s one of my favorite cuts - that slow cooked, fall-off-the-bone meat, that luscious bone marrow. There’s lots of different ways to prepare osso buco, a classic Italian dish. This version features a Japanese panko breadcrumb crust with wild boar bacon bits and Parmesan cheese.

Also Read: Homemade Pizza Calzones With Ground Bison And Fresh Herbs

Free Range Bison, Raised The Way Nature Intended

Our bison live free range on 20,000 beautiful acres here in New Mexico, or roam freely on our carefully selected partner ranches. They are pasture raised and never administered any amount of hormones, steroids or antibiotics. These are powerful, strong animals that live essentially wild with minimal handling. There were once 60 million bison roaming North America, and we hope to see their numbers increase back to even 1 million during our lifetime. By increasing the demand for ethically sourced bison meat, we can help to bolster their population. The more people that want to purchase this nourishing and nutrient dense meat, the more farmers will be encouraged to raise bison. This directly helps to increase the number of herds which assists in providing genetic diversity for the population.

Wild Boar Bacon From The Forests Of The Southwest

If you’ve never tried our wild boar bacon before, get ready to be obsessed. Bacon is already known for being one of the most delicious foods in existence. Our wild boars roam the forests of the Southwest, foraging their natural preferred diet of roots, nuts, berries and tubers. This gives our wild boar meat a nutty, complex flavor profile that has so much depth and dimension compared to conventional pork bacon. It’s also slightly less greasy than conventional bacon and contains more vitamins and minerals.

Also Read: 6 Delicious Wild Boar Bacon Recipes To Make At Home

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pounds Bison Osso Buco
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons bison tallow
• 4 ounces wild boar bacon, chopped into bits
• 10 whole cloves of garlic
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 heads of garlic, halved
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 28oz can whole peeled organic tomatoes
• 4 cups bison bone broth
• ¾ tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 ½ cups Japanese panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan

Also Read: 7 Great Ways to Prepare and Eat Wild Boar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Season the bison osso buco generously all over with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat the bison tallow in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, without overcrowding, until they are seared golden-brown on all sides. Set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add in about ⅔ of the chopped wild boar bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, just until the fat starts to render - do not cook to crisp at this point.
4. Add the quartered onion, cloves of garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine. Add the wine to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half.
5. Add the can of tomatoes into the pot, crushing them with a wooden spoon or your fingers. Pour in the bison bone broth. Then, add the osso buco back into the pot. Add water as necessary to cover with liquid. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the pot comes to a simmer, put on the lid and place in the preheated oven.
6. Cook for approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep the meat completely submerged. The meat should be meltingly tender when finished cooking.
7. Remove the osso buco from the oven and let it cool for approximately 10 minutes in the pot. Then transfer the meat to a separate surface and tent with aluminum foil.
8. Pour the liquid from the pot through a strainer into a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes until the liquid reduces significantly. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9. While the liquid is cooking, add the rest of the chopped wild boar bacon to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook until crispy. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate.
10. Heat the avocado oil in the skillet. When it’s hot, add in the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until crispy and golden. Add in the grated Parmesan and crispy wild boar bacon bits. Stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
11. Place the osso buco in a serving dish or platter. Add some of the reduced braising liquid over the top, followed by the breadcrumb mixture.

Also Read: Bison Tomahawk Steaks: Our Most Sought After Cut Of Meat