Osso Buco

The same thing that ruins osso buco is the thing that makes it. The tough silverskin wrapped around a veal shank starts shrinking at about 140 degrees and cups the meat into a hockey puck. Cook it low, hold it long, and that same collagen melts into the gelatin that turns a cut the butcher couldn't give away into a special-occasion plate.

This week we get into the two moves that keep the shank from cupping, why veal sends the whole dish white instead of red, and the trick that makes the texture better the day after you cook it. We land on gremolata as a non-negotiable, walk the low-and-slow window that separates spoon-tender from fall-apart, and find room for a little cinnamon nobody saw coming.

There's a French streak running through this Italian dish, so this week's cocktail is the Ponte Vecchio, a brandy Boulevardier with Amaro Nonino and Punt e Mes, stirred over a rock with a lemon twist to echo the gremolata.

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El Ateo Tequila: https://pkgdgroup.com/#our_brands

Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/

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