I teach culinary courses at my local food co-op and Whole Foods store. The most recent class I taught was Braising Basics. It had been a while since I’d done a braise, but I found myself falling in love with this technique all over again during my prep. The steps are so simple and if done correctly, produce a meltingly tender, richly flavored (yet relatively cheap) meal that only gets better with time.
Braising is perhaps deceptively simple. After teaching my class, I read through the students evaluations and noted one that sniffed that the topic was “far too simplistic for me.”
I guess she missed the point because in the simplicity lies the beauty of braising. Unfortunately, for many hard nosed foodies fortified by a steady diet of “Iron Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” braising may indeed appear boringly elementary.
The point that is easily lost here is that the the simpler the dish, the less flash and dash there is to hide behind. Simple dishes ask for solid skill and technique, not complicated recipes or ingredients.
In that spirit, I give you the technique for perhaps the most well known and loved of braised dishes: the Pot Roast.
Braising is a long, slow method which involves cooking the meat in a covered vessel while it’s partially submerged in a flavorful braising liquid. Meat cuts that braise well include any part that was hard working during the animal’s life such as the shoulder or leg muscles. Look for these cuts that braise well:
| Beef | Pork | Lamb |
| Chuck Roast | Picnic Shoulder | Lamb Shoulder |
| Brisket | Boston Butt | Shank |
| Shank (Osso Buco) | Pork Shoulder | |
| Ribs | Ribs |
As a bonus, these cuts boast more pronounced flavor and because they’re generally fairly tough they are relatively cheap as meat goes. Braise-worthy meats are generally loaded with connective tissue which melts down during the long slow cooking process. The end result is that after losing it’s structure, the meat simply falls apart and becomes irresistibly tender.
Simple steps:
1. Heat 1-2 tbsp Vegetable Oil over medium high heat in a heavy ovenproof pot with a tight fitting lid.
2. Blot the meat with a paper towel to remove any surface moisture that may impede browning.
3. When oil is hot, (sprinkle a bit of water in the pot, if it sizzles, it’s ready) add the meat and allow it to brown over medium high heat until it no longer sticks to the bottom of the pot. This should take about 6-8 minutes per side. As the meat browns, it will release itself from the bottom of the pan. You can test periodically to see how well the meat is coming away from the pan but be careful not to force it, you may tear the meat and remove all the great flavors you developed by browning.
4. Remove browned meat from pot and cover with foil.
5. Remove all but about a tablespoon of fat from the pot. You will find that the bottom of the pot is now coated with browned material from the meat. This is really flavorful stuff that will enhance the flavor of the final dish. The French call this “fond” and the goal is to scrape it up off the pan and incorporate it into your dish.
6. Keeping the heat at medium high, add a variety of aromatic vegetables to the pot (diced carrots, onions, celery, fennel, leeks and/or peppers) For this dish, I like to use about a cup of classic Mirepoix… though here I had no celery because my husband ate it all without telling me prior to starting the dish….grrrrrr.
7. Stir the vegetables around to coat with the fat in the pan, if it’s too dry you can add a bit more vegetable oil. As the vegetables heat up, they will begin to release their water and start to dissolve and pick up the fond. Using a wooden or non metal spoon, scrape the fond off the bottom of the pan and stir the vegetables, you will notice your vegetables getting darker and more fragrant as they pick up the fond.
8. Add the meat back to the pan on top of the vegetables and add a braising liquid. The liquid should come up 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the side of the meat. Avoid totally submerging the meat. When I make pot roast I like to use straight red wine (Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot). But you can also use 1/2 wine, 1/2 beef stock or all beef stock if you prefer.
9. Add aromatic ingredients to further enhance the flavors. I like to add cracked peppercorns, thyme sprigs, a bay leaf and 3-4 crushed, peeled garlic cloves. You can enclose these ingredients in a cheesecloth bag to make a bouquet garni or simply add them to the pot if you are going to strain the braising liquid later.
10. Bring pot to a boil, cover and place in a preheated 350 F degree oven. The larger the piece of meat, the longer it will take to fall apart. Start checking after an hour for smaller pieces (less that 2 pounds) and 2 hours for larger pieces (more than 2 pounds). Stick in a fork and see if the meat comes apart easily. If the liquid level has dropped, add more to the pot.
11. When the meat has reached desired tenderness, remove it carefully from the pot and cover to keep warm. Strain the braising liquid through a sieve and use it to accompany the meat or place it in a saucepan and boil it down (called “reducing”) by half to thicken and concentrate the flavors. In either case, you will want to add salt and pepper to taste prior to serving.
The end result is rich, go easy on the portion sizes, shoot for a meat portion no bigger than your fist. Load the rest of the plate with roasted vegetables, pour a glass of the same wine you used for the braise and enjoy.
Hmmmm……11 steps for this simple technique??? Would you agree they are fairly easy steps? The great thing about learning a technique is that once you learn it, you can apply it to make your own recipes. That’s why when I teach my classes, I teach technique and not recipes. I’ll be doing more technique posts in the future….any requests???
