The Art of Cooking Veal Shanks like a Pitmaster

When it comes to cooking veal shanks, there's an art to doing it right. The key is to take your time and not rush through the process. As the pitmasters would say, "you gotta take your time with this." So, let's start with the basics. You want to use the veal or the meat around the bone - that's where the flavor is. If you don't tie it up properly, it will fall apart while cooking. Take a minute to tie it up like we're showing here, and make sure you've got all the flavors tied together.

Now, let's get started with the prep work. We'll take some olive oil and rub it on both sides of the shanks. Add a little bit of seasoning - in this case, our signature spice blend (SPG). You can use whatever you like, but trust us, our SPG is the way to go. Olive oil, SPG, salt, and pepper are all you need here.

Next, we're going to throw these bad boys on the grill over direct heat. We want to sear them quickly, just for a brief moment, to get that intense grilled flavor in there. This is different from cooking it inside; we're using the grill to give it a unique flavor that's absolutely fantastic. Don't worry if it takes less than five minutes - you don't want to overcook those shanks.

After searing both sides of the shanks, we'll take them off the grill and move on to the next step. We've got a razor blade and some garlic, which we're going to thin slice to maximize that flavor. We'll also chop up some celery, carrots, and onion - all traditional ingredients in this dish.

Now, let's get our veggies sautéed quickly in some olive oil. This is where you want to extract as much flavor out of those veggies as possible. Just a minute or two should do the trick. Next, we'll add a can of tomato paste and dilute it down with a cup of water. Don't forget to add a couple of cubes of beef bouillon - that's what gives this dish its intense beef flavor.

After adding the tomato paste, we'll throw in some canned diced tomatoes and a bay leaf. This is where the magic happens, folks! Now, let's bring it all together by adding these veal shanks to the pot. This is where the slow cook begins to tenderize those otherwise tough shanks. We'll add some rosemary, thyme, and a splash of brandy - the Pit Boy way.

Now, we just need to let this all simmer for about two hours or so. And trust us, it's worth the wait! Take a look at these tender, moist veal shanks full of intense flavor. This is what you call a king's meal!

And finally, plating time! We'll arrange those shanks on each dish and voilà! You've got yourself a masterpiece. Don't be afraid to add some extra seasoning or garnishes if you like.

The Pit Boys' Secret Recipe

So, how do we get this recipe out there? Head over to our website (BarbecuePitBoys.com) and print it out - it's easy peasy! And while you're there, check out our other delicious recipes, rubs, sauces, t-shirts, knives, and Pit Boy bling. Your purchases will help support our chapters worldwide, so go ahead and get cooking!

Note: The article is written in a conversational tone, with the pitmasters' style and language used throughout. It includes all the details from the original transcription, without any condensation or summarization.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome to barbecuepitboys.com today we're cooking up some masobuko at the pit and it's real easy to do that's what i said we're cooking up some asobuko and so for this recipe you're going to need some veal shanks you're going to need some flour and we'll show you if you need that later on all right you got some spg you're going to need some water you're going to need an onion you're going to need uh some garlic of course you're going to need some carrots you're going to need some celery here we've got a couple of beef bullion cubes here we've got some uh cooking oil you're gonna need some regular brandy instead of the wine in this one you're gonna need some tomato paste you're gonna need a can of uh diced tomatoes about 28 ounce and you're gonna need some rosemary some bay leaves some thyme just typical right of a good italian dish and you're gonna need some butcher string all right let's put this together all right slasher here has cut up some butcher string and uh we'll show you how to use it now here is a typical veal shank and what you want to do here in order to keep the veal or the meat around the bone right you want to use the put your string just like this this keeps it together otherwise of course when you're cooking it would just fall apart so take the time to do this and uh you remember there is a ton of flavor in these bones right it's the morrow inside of these bones that adds all the intense flavor of this incredible dish all right so you just go ahead and tie it just like that simple enough and so we'll jump ahead because we don't really need to show you all that right and we're gonna take some uh olive oil and we're gonna rub it on these shanks both sides add a little bit of seasoning we're using our spg of course right and thanks for your support when you use it but you can just use some salt and pepper or whatever all right a little bit of oil some spg simple enough now to the grill we're going and uh we're going to do these direct over the coals right we're going to sear them quickly we don't want to cook them we just want to sear them we want to get a ton of flavor that grilled flavor in these shanks right and this is different from doing it inside right you do it on the grill it is absolutely fantastic all right so it won't take long a brief sear on each side it smells good enough to eat already but remember this is shank it's a tough piece of meat although it looks like you could eat it nope you can't you got to take some time with it do a slow simmer as you'll soon see to get it real tender all right that won't take long all right that didn't take long they have been seared both sides oh and we'll take them off the grill oh i'm telling you this is gonna be good all right now here we've got a razor blade and we're thin slicing the garlic to maximize the flavor on that garlic mafia style cut up some celery cut up some carrots very traditional here we've got some onion easy enough and to get the exact recipe of course head on over to our website and you can print it out all right now we're going to grab some of this cooking oil or some olive oil and we're gonna saute these veggies just a little bit right i'm gonna extract some more of that flavor out of it first right perfect and that don't take long to do simple enough now here we've got a can of tomato paste so we're going to uh dilute it down a little bit we'll use a cup of water and then just give it a mix and of course this dish is about the tomato right that tomato flavor in there all right perfect now the veggies have been quickly sauteed just slightly and now we'll add the tomato paste or the tomato sauce perfect can you smell that it smells good now to this we're also going to add a couple of cubes of beef bouillon right this will intensify the beef flavor and we'll follow that with a can of diced tomatoes and a bay leaf very traditional italian of course easy to do now we'll let it simmer just a little bit get those flavors together and now we're going to take these veal shanks and place them in this pan right this is where the slow cook begins to tenderize these otherwise very tough shanks this is how it's done all right perfect all right now we'll add some uh rosemary in there we'll add some thyme perfect and here instead of the wine this is pit boy's style we're putting in some brandy perfect let it simmer this is going to take about oh maybe two hours to do more or less and in the miracle of time this veal asobuko is done take a look at this tender moist full of intense flavor are you kidding me so uh let's not wait any longer we'll plate this up and be sure to put a couple shanks on each dish that's right oh man there's just not much more to say about this look at that talk about a king's meal but for the girlfriend or for the boss and of course this is the part where the pit masters are eating in front of you and we're not apologizing oh take a look at that i am telling you this is worth it you gotta check it out get yourself some veal shanks and take the time to cook these up your life will be complete it's good awesome now to get this recipe head on over to our website you can print it out there and while you're there start a chapter we'd be proud to have you you'll also be able to get our rubs our sauces our t-shirts our knives pit boys bling your purchases help support our chapters worldwide so the next time you're looking for a recipe for your pit check out barbecuepitboys.comwelcome to barbecuepitboys.com today we're cooking up some masobuko at the pit and it's real easy to do that's what i said we're cooking up some asobuko and so for this recipe you're going to need some veal shanks you're going to need some flour and we'll show you if you need that later on all right you got some spg you're going to need some water you're going to need an onion you're going to need uh some garlic of course you're going to need some carrots you're going to need some celery here we've got a couple of beef bullion cubes here we've got some uh cooking oil you're gonna need some regular brandy instead of the wine in this one you're gonna need some tomato paste you're gonna need a can of uh diced tomatoes about 28 ounce and you're gonna need some rosemary some bay leaves some thyme just typical right of a good italian dish and you're gonna need some butcher string all right let's put this together all right slasher here has cut up some butcher string and uh we'll show you how to use it now here is a typical veal shank and what you want to do here in order to keep the veal or the meat around the bone right you want to use the put your string just like this this keeps it together otherwise of course when you're cooking it would just fall apart so take the time to do this and uh you remember there is a ton of flavor in these bones right it's the morrow inside of these bones that adds all the intense flavor of this incredible dish all right so you just go ahead and tie it just like that simple enough and so we'll jump ahead because we don't really need to show you all that right and we're gonna take some uh olive oil and we're gonna rub it on these shanks both sides add a little bit of seasoning we're using our spg of course right and thanks for your support when you use it but you can just use some salt and pepper or whatever all right a little bit of oil some spg simple enough now to the grill we're going and uh we're going to do these direct over the coals right we're going to sear them quickly we don't want to cook them we just want to sear them we want to get a ton of flavor that grilled flavor in these shanks right and this is different from doing it inside right you do it on the grill it is absolutely fantastic all right so it won't take long a brief sear on each side it smells good enough to eat already but remember this is shank it's a tough piece of meat although it looks like you could eat it nope you can't you got to take some time with it do a slow simmer as you'll soon see to get it real tender all right that won't take long all right that didn't take long they have been seared both sides oh and we'll take them off the grill oh i'm telling you this is gonna be good all right now here we've got a razor blade and we're thin slicing the garlic to maximize the flavor on that garlic mafia style cut up some celery cut up some carrots very traditional here we've got some onion easy enough and to get the exact recipe of course head on over to our website and you can print it out all right now we're going to grab some of this cooking oil or some olive oil and we're gonna saute these veggies just a little bit right i'm gonna extract some more of that flavor out of it first right perfect and that don't take long to do simple enough now here we've got a can of tomato paste so we're going to uh dilute it down a little bit we'll use a cup of water and then just give it a mix and of course this dish is about the tomato right that tomato flavor in there all right perfect now the veggies have been quickly sauteed just slightly and now we'll add the tomato paste or the tomato sauce perfect can you smell that it smells good now to this we're also going to add a couple of cubes of beef bouillon right this will intensify the beef flavor and we'll follow that with a can of diced tomatoes and a bay leaf very traditional italian of course easy to do now we'll let it simmer just a little bit get those flavors together and now we're going to take these veal shanks and place them in this pan right this is where the slow cook begins to tenderize these otherwise very tough shanks this is how it's done all right perfect all right now we'll add some uh rosemary in there we'll add some thyme perfect and here instead of the wine this is pit boy's style we're putting in some brandy perfect let it simmer this is going to take about oh maybe two hours to do more or less and in the miracle of time this veal asobuko is done take a look at this tender moist full of intense flavor are you kidding me so uh let's not wait any longer we'll plate this up and be sure to put a couple shanks on each dish that's right oh man there's just not much more to say about this look at that talk about a king's meal but for the girlfriend or for the boss and of course this is the part where the pit masters are eating in front of you and we're not apologizing oh take a look at that i am telling you this is worth it you gotta check it out get yourself some veal shanks and take the time to cook these up your life will be complete it's good awesome now to get this recipe head on over to our website you can print it out there and while you're there start a chapter we'd be proud to have you you'll also be able to get our rubs our sauces our t-shirts our knives pit boys bling your purchases help support our chapters worldwide so the next time you're looking for a recipe for your pit check out barbecuepitboys.com\n"