Equipment: Joule® Turbo Sous Vide, Butcher’s twine, High-quality plastic wrap

Timing: 60 min active; 24 hr total

Yield: Serves 2 people

Heat sous vide bath. For fall-apart forelegs, we recommend cooking at 176 °F / 80 °C for 1 day.

Secure and season the shanks with AP flour, salt, and pepper. Ask your butcher to cut the venison shanks crosswise into inch-thick pieces, or do it yourself with a bone saw. Wrap each shank with a length of butcher’s twine, and tie it securely. Season flour with kosher salt and black pepper, and use the mixture to dust the shanks.

Prep your veggies. Peel and dice the onion and carrot, and chop the celery. Smash the garlic cloves, and remove the skin.

Brown for a boost of flavor. Pour a few tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or other heavy pot, and heat on medium-high. When the oil starts to shimmer, sear the venison shanks until richly browned on all sides.

Start the sauce. When all the shanks are browned, remove them from the pan. Next, lower the heat, and saute the onions until they are translucent, adding a bit more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the celery and carrots, and cook for a minute or two longer before adding the crushed garlic cloves. Saute for 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Deglaze and reduce. Raise the heat to medium-high, and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Add the stock, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves. Lower the heat to a light simmer, and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly reduced.

Bag those shanks. Put each shank in its own bag, and divide the reduced sauce between the two bags. Remove all the air from the bags, and seal.

Cook. Carefully lower the bags into the water with Joule. Then go about your life while Joule works away to cook the best venison dish you’ve ever eaten.

NOTE: Covering your pot with plastic wrap will help reduce evaporation during long cooks like this.

Garnish with parmesan and serve. These fall-apart shanks and their unctuous sauce are perfect atop polenta, great with gnocchi, pleasing with pasta, or righteous with rice. Grind some fresh black pepper over the top, grate on a little parm, and dig in.