Deer Shank Stew

Deer shanks are the lower calf muscle on the front legs of white-tail or mule-deer. These muscles are full of connective tissue and silver skin that makes them a chore to butcher for a tiny amount of ground meat and they're often thrown into the garbage or left for the coyotes. This recipe uses a low-and-slow approach to break down those chewy parts and unlock the flavours in these heavily used muscles. I especially like it because it's a tasty use for a poor cut of meat that saves effort and wastes less meat. The connective tissues break down with the long cook in the slow cooker and contribute to thickening the stew. This recipe works great with neck meat and the back leg calf muscles too.

Butchering: 

• Remove any hide and hair from the shanks.
• Cut off the leg bone mid-leg just below the calf muscle with a saw (ie: remove the hoof end).
• Remove the shank from the knee joint using a knife or a saw. Leave the bone in the shank.
• Rinse off the shanks and refrigerate (up to a week) or freeze (for years) in an airtight container/bag.

Ingredients:

• 2 deer shanks, bone-in
• 2 Tbsp Cooking oil for searing (olive, canola, whatever)
• 1 onion diced/chunked
• 2-3 cloves garlic, diced/crushed
• 1/4 cup red-wine or red-wine vinegar (optional)
• 4 to 6 medium potatoes, cubed. Peel if desired.
• 2 to 3 large carrots, peeled & sliced
• 1 Tbsp salt or seasoning salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 to 2 tsp of rosemary chopped/crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 to 8 cups of water or broth
• Optional: 1 cup other vegetables cubed (turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, celery, etc.)

Directions:

1. Thaw out the deer shanks if frozen. Heat the cooking oil in a large pan/skillet on medium to high heat. Sear the shanks for 2 to 3 minutes each side until browned. Set the shanks aside.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until translucent (4 minutes). You can deglaze the pan with some red-wine (vinegar) if desired. Remove from heat.
3. Add all ingredients into the slow cooker. Add enough water or broth to cover all of the ingredients.
4. Put the cover on and set slow cooker to High and cook for 8 to 10 hours.
   Stir it up a couple times while cooking. Add more water/broth if too much boils off and leaves ingredients exposed. Test for doneness by seeing if the meat pulls apart easily with a fork (usually after 7-8 hours).
5. Shred the meat with 2 forks or tongs. Remove all the bones and bay leaves.
   If the liquid is too thin, add a bit of flour and stir it in a Tbsp at a time to thicken. Note that it'll gel as it cools off.
   Add extra salt/spices/MSG to taste if needed.

Borrowed heavily from https://www.zerotohunt.com/venison-shank-recipe/