Who says campfire cooking has to be basic? This Campfire Dutch Oven Osso Buco with Lemon Gremolata is a gourmet meal that’s just as easy to make over hot coals as it is on your kitchen stove.
Slow-braised shanks turn melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the bright gremolata adds a burst of fresh flavor. Perfect for impressing your fellow campers—or just treating yourself to something extra special outdoors.
Find more of my cast iron campfire Dutch oven recipes.
To celebrate the end of school and the beginning of summer my family and I went camping this weekend. We went with another family, and I spent the weekend watching the kids attempt fishing.
For me, it’s like watching paint dry, but I was able to sit back and relax while the kiddos pulled up their empty hooks out of brown water.
Our friends are always eager to try out my cooking experiments. For this camping trip, my Italian friends challenged me to make Osso Buco in our cast iron dutch oven over a campfire.
Challenge accepted!
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Recipe highlights
- Campfire Friendly: Don’t be intimidated—this Dutch oven osso buco is just as easy to cook over a campfire as it is on the stovetop. I walk you through both methods, step by step.
- Customizable: Traditional osso buco uses veal shanks, but I’ve included options for beef shanks or other swaps depending on what you have or prefer.
- Big Flavor, Slow Simmer: A long, slow braise makes the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the lemony gremolata adds a vibrant, fresh finish.
- Showstopper Stew: This dish turned heads and won hearts (and a cooking challenge!). It’s rustic, impressive, and absolutely delicious.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The flavors get even better the next day, so it’s a great meal to prep in advance—at home or at camp.
Ingredients you need
- Veal shanks: Osso buco is traditionally made with veal shanks. If you do not eat veal, you can use cross cut beef shanks instead. Veal is more tender, but yes, from younger calves.
- Vegetables: Celery, carrot, onion and garlic
- Kalamata olives: If you are not a fan of olives, you can omit them altogether.
- Beer: As I mentioned above, I had forgotten the wine and used beer instead. You can of course use red wine. Choose a dry red and not a fruity one.
- Lemon: You will use the zest and juice from a lemon.
- Butter: The meat is browned in butter and olive oil. If you don’t want to use butter, you can use just the olive oil.
- Herbs: bay leaf, fresh thyme and parsley
- Pantry staples: Chicken broth, canned diced tomatoes, all purpose flour, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
Step-by-step directions
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- Sear shanks. Season both sides of the shanks with salt and pepper and coat with flour. Melt butter in a large dutch oven and brown both sides of the shanks. Reserve on a plate.
- Sauté veggies. Reduce heat and sauté celery, carrots, onions and garlic until softened and lightly browned.
- Add broth. Stir in tomatoes, olives, beer, broth, thyme, sprigs of parsley, bay leaf and lemon zest.
- Simmer. Bring to a boil and place shanks into the pot in 1 layer. Cover pot and simmer until very tender, about 2 ½ hours.
- Make the gremolata. Combine parsley, garlic and lemon zest. When osso buco is done, discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf. Garnish with gremolata and serve immediately.
- Brown polenta. Brown rounds of polenta in a cast iron pan with a bit of hot oil or butter. Serve with the stew.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
One bite of this dish and my friends agreed that I not only won the challenge, but I knocked it out the park! We have a few more camping trips planned for the summer and we are already thinking about what we should cook next.
If cooking outdoors, heat coals until smokey and glowing orange, using a chimney charcoal starter. Brown veal and vegetables in the Dutch oven with 10-12 hot coals underneath it.
When you are ready to combine everything and braise the stew, place 7 hot coals underneath the Dutch oven. Cover and place 16 hot coals evenly on top of the lid
This recipe is also featured in my new cookbook, The Camp & Cabin Cookbook (Countryman Press 2018). I have 100 recipes that are all prepared outdoors and over fire using multiple techniques. Learn more about my camp cookbook!
If you like this recipe try some of my other dutch oven meals like my cowboy chili with cornbread, dutch oven Italian stuffed peppers or my chicken cacciatore. You can also bake in a dutch oven so be sure to try my lemon blueberry clafoutis, delicious baked apples and this peach crisp.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: If you are home, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. If you are camping, place leftovers in a cooler with ice.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer cooled leftovers to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Dutch ovens are ideal for osso bucco because they hold heat so well and can simmer for hours without losing heat. Some people say not to cook acidic foods in cast iron, but all this does is wear away the seasoning, which is easy to replace and reseason.
A 10 to 12-inch Dutch oven is the most popular size for campfire recipes—it’s large enough to feed 4–6 people but not too heavy to handle over the fire. For this recipe, a 10-inch pot is all you need.
Absolutely! Most campfire Dutch oven recipes adapt well to home ovens, including osso bucco. Simply follow the recipe in a large pot and simmer on the stove. If the pot is oven safe, you can simmer it in the oven. Full instructions are in the recipe card.
Dutch Oven Osso Buco with Lemon Gremolata
Ingredients
- 6 cross-cut veal shanks approx. 1-lb each
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon unsated butter
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 30 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup kalamata olives pitted & halved
- 1 cup beer
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove diced
Instructions
- Season both sides of the shanks with salt and pepper. Coat each side of shanks with flour.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat and add butter and olive oil.
- Brown both sides of the shanks in 2 batches, 10 to 12 minutes per batch, and reserve on a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add celery, carrots, onions and 3 chopped garlic cloves. Sauté vegetables until softened and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes, olives, beer, broth, thyme, sprigs of parsley, bay leaf and 2 tablespoon lemon zest.
- Bring to a boil and place shanks into the pot in 1 layer.
- Cover pot and place the Dutch oven in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 2 ½ hours.
- For camping instructions, see notes below for coal count.
- In the meantime, make the gremolata by combining ¼ cup chopped parsley, 1 diced garlic clove and 2 teaspoon lemon zest.
- When osso buco is done, discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.
- Garnish with gremolata and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
I love Osso Bucco and you've shown me a great way of making it.
I'm with Carolyn…. I'm totally impressed that this is your camp food. I have to say you eat better than some people's daily food at home! I want to go camping with you. 🙂 You are on gourmet camping!
You did this while camping?! WOW! That is incredible… I need to go camping with you! 🙂
Wow, I am SERIOUSLY impressed that you make this while camping. I've done a lot of camping and canoe-tripping in my day and we never ate this well.
You got it, Lori! We are definitely overdue on cooking together!
I'd go camping if I could eat food like this! Let's get the boys together this summer. And all of us too!