Technique: Braising

Braising is a cooking technique I use a lot, using either a deep or soup pot with a tight lid for stovetop cooking, an oven approved pot for braising in the oven, or my slow cooker (aka crock pot). This way of cooking nearly always results in a great, rich, umami-flavored dish, that requires little attention. It is also a way of cooking that renders tough meat tender, and creates veggies that are meltingly soft. As a result, it saves me money as tougher cuts of meat are generally cheaper. The meals this technique cooks are also impressively textured, flavorful, aromatic, and filling. All this goodness with little added fat (the fat on the meat is generally fully rendered and becomes part of the sauce), and as it is a slow cooking technique, it also is a dish that has retained most all of its nutrients.

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What is Braising?

Braising Technique

Braising is a dry-and-wet heating process that includes three step: browning, deglazing, and braising. Many writers on food claim this cooking technique makes the food “taste more like itself”.

• Browning, is defined here as searing (meats) or sautéing (veggies). The process creates deep, rich color on meat and renders fat; and for veggies it soften hard foods, can release aromatics, and can meld flavors. The reason browning is important is that braising is a low temp cooking and will not brown food, which needs a fast hot pan. Without browning food would not taste nor smell as good.
• Deglazing is loosening the brown bits stuck on the bottom on the skillet after browning. To deglaze, remove the food from the skillet and while still over the heat, add liquid (wine, stock, juice, water) while whisking or scraping the fond loose so it combines with the added liquid.
  • These brown bits are called fond. What makes this special is that this is where the flavor is, and becomes the foundation for sauces or gravies.
• Braising requires moving the browned meat and sautéed veggies into a slow cooking pot or large lidded pot. Add other veggies, spices and herbs. Cook low (300F – 350F).

Equipment

Braising is what a slow cooker or tagine does although you do not need these pots to braise, any big heavy bottomed pot with lid or Dutch Oven is fine. Other tools I use are a wooden spatula or metal whisk to scrape up fond, and if cooking meat, I use tongs to turn the meat as it sears and a thermometer to make sure the meat is done. (Usually you can tell by poking; it tends to fall apart — yummy.)

Cooking Options

Braising foods can be done one of several ways. First, you can use a slow cooker with tight fitting lid. Second, you can use a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight lid directly on the stove top as a low temperature. Or third, you can use a Dutch-oven type of pot and cook in a low temp oven.

I do not use an Instapot for this type of cooking for, in my opinion, it does not really work well as a slow cooker. Because it is primarily a pressure cooker it can be used for a variety of cooking techniques, when I slow cook I actually want it to cook slowly and not under a strong pressure.

Braising Liquid

The key is to not use more liquid than you need as you do not want to boil your meats or veggies. You do, however, want the liquid to create a sauce for the food.

Although you can use plain water, I tend to use broth for the liquid and if cooking meat, will use broth of the same type (beef broth for pot roast). For veggies only I tend to use veggie or chicken broth. I will also use wine, which provides both flavor and acidity, usually white wine for chicken. Beer with a bit of cider vinegar is a good addition to a pork braise. For a sweet sour braise I will use broth and vinegar with a bit of sweetness like honey or sugar.

How to Braise Ingredients

Braising Meat + Fowl + Fish

Braising can tenderize meat so much that people will say you can “cut it with a butter knife,” or they say it “falls from the bone”.

A meat-based, braising recipe will call for searing the meat first, so that flavor is created in the crust and on the pan as fond. Then, will call for braising, which tenderizes meat, softens veggies, and results in a liquid that will create a great gravy, or will taste good itself.

Braising provides an even cooking heat, as it never gets above boiling point (212F at sea level); the low-and-slow cooking melts collagen into gelatin. In fact, although this is a dry-and-wet cooking method, it does not add moisture to meats, it actually draws moisture out of meat that then flavors the braising liquid. Meats that work well with this technique include:

• Pot roasts: large cuts of meat, seared, and placed only partially (not more than 1/3) in the liquid. You can skip searing if you braise the meat in very little liquid for over 3-1/2 hours, as it can develop many the flavor compounds of searing all on its own. Focus instead on minimal liquid but very aromatic and tasty veggies.
• Stews: smaller cuts of meat, seared, and partially submerged in liquid and veggies.
• Spare ribs: I would use boneless spare ribs just to reduce the amount of fat in the dish (bone-in spare ribs have LOTS OF FAT). The sauce created by these cuts will be thinner than the pot roast. I would also not skip searing.
• Lamb Shanks: I would use a crock pot for this as the slow cooking will help release the flavor of this inexpensive meat.
• Chicken thighs: Dry, season, and sear the bone-in with-skin chicken thighs in a little bit (1-2t) of olive oil. Slit the skin so it renders its fat into the skillet. After a good browning remove the skin (I cut it up for the dog). Then what works well is to add the now skinless meat to a flavorful broth for a long braising. (Want a 210F internal temp.)
• Fish: This type of protein is generally soft enough that braising is not really required. However, if the fish has a good taste, you might want to infuse that flavor within the dish by placing it on top of all the veggies in the pot. This means I monitor this dish more than any of the others to make sure the veggies are cooked, but the fish still retains some shape. I would limit fish-braising to octopus, squid, cuttlefish, or abalone as well as cod, monkfish, and salmon.

Braising Veggies

Braising can create wonderful stews that softens veggies and melds flavors. Since this technique requires a tight lid, it also generates steam internally so that food is cooked by boiling and steaming at the same time. Veggies will, in fact, cook fast using this slow-cooking method. The broth created from this will be flavorful and often I will use this to cook any grains or seeds I cook at the same time.

• Tagine: Braised veggies require little broth, great aromatics, then dense to lighter sliced layered veggies topped with spice blends.
• Ratatouille: French braised veggie dish of eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Olive oil and white wine are used as the braising sauce. Then slow cook until all the juices melt from the veggies to make, what I call a “veggie-mash”
• Blaukraut: German braised red cabbage with apples and onions. Liquid is cider and broth.

Do note that the main difference between braising and stewing is the amount of liquid used in the cooking process. Braising uses relatively little liquid, while stewing wants a thick gravy-type soup.

Braising Techniques

Stovetop Veggies

I usually start a vegetarian braised dish by setting out my tools (a heavy bottom pot with a tight fitting lid, crock pot, or insta pot). Then I prepare my braising sauce, followed by adding veggies to the pot.

1. Creating the braising liquid
   • Braising does not loose liquid, so do not make very much.
   • In a skillet I start with a bit of oil and aromatics (shallots, leeks, garlic, etc.) to create a savory base.
   • Then add 1/4C – 1/3C liquid of choice, and often I will add some citrus zest or vinegar, and perhaps a bay leaf to up the flavor.
   • But remember if you add tomatoes or other watery foods, reduce the amount of added liquid.
2. Loading the braising pot.
   • Add veggies according to density (time it will take to cook) so everything cooks evenly yet maintains a bit of crisp and a vibrant color.
   • You must keep it at a slow simmer and give it plenty of time to cook.
   • Check and if there is too much liquid in the pot remove some so the food does not boil, we actually want it to steam.
3. Serving
   • Only when serving do I add fresh herbs that I expect to taste. Any herb added while cooking wilts into the overall flavor of the dish, but will not stand out.
   • Often I serve with a handful of freshly chopped herbs on top of some grain or cereal to help soak up the juices

Slow Cooking Meat

I will make traditional roast or Tagines. Here is what I do when meat is part of the dish.

• Pull out the slow cooker and lid, and set to high
• Carefully dry and season the meat
• Heat a skillet, heat oil, and sear the meat
• Take meat out of the skillet and place on a plate
• Add liquid to deglaze the skillet (but do not add too much)
• Add seasonings, acid, and aromatics (onions, celery, carrots, garlic, etc) to the liquid and cook until the veggies are caramel colored
• Then dump this mixture into the slow cooker
• The meat iS added to the slow cooker, but it should not drown in liquid.
• Add larger chopped veggies to the slow cooker if part of the dish.
• Lid the slow cooker and slow simmer it for a length of time  (1-5 hours)
• Once cooked, remove the meat and larger veggies and reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon (I do not add thickeners).
• Let the meat rest but tent it to keep warm
• Serve with a handful of freshly chopped herbs

Searing Meat and Oven Cooking

• Pull out an oven proof pot and lid and preheat oven to 300F. Temps higher can make the meat stringy and not very good.
• Dry and season the meat.
• Heat the oven-proof pot on the stove top, heat oil, and sear the meat on all sides.
• Once seared take meat out of the pot and add your liquid to deglaze (but do not add too much, say 1/4C).
• Add seasonings and pre-chopped aromatics (onions, celery, carrots, garlic, etc) to the liquid and cook until the veggies are caramel colored.
• Then put the meat back in the pot but do not submerge it fully in liquid, nestle the meat on top of the veggies with just a bit of it in the liquid.
• Lid the pot and bring back to a simmer, then place in the oven.
• Braise 1-3 hours depending upon the recipe, the internal temp of the meat will be in the 210F range.
• Add the rest of the veggies to the pot, and place back in the oven to cook another 45min until the veggies are done.
• Once cooked remove from the oven, plate and tent the food. Then reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. (I do not add thickeners but you could do a Roux or add thickeners. I prefer reduction for there is less flavor lost.)
• Serve with a handful of freshly chopped herbs

Ending Comments

I find that braised meals are often comfort food. Pot Roast, for example, is one of those meat-based dishes that I still find filling and great tasting. Any style of Tagine I find colorful, flavorful, and aromatic; meat-based or vegetarian or vegan, this style of cooking renders the ingredients into a wonderful dish.

In some braising recipes, when I actually want a gravy, I find that “fond” is critical to the braising liquid, as it adds savory depth to its flavor.

• PopSugar defines Fond is French for “base” and commonly refers to the browned bits and caramelized drippings of meat and vegetables that are stuck to the bottom of a pan after sautéing or roasting. It’s often retained as a source of flavor and deglazed with liquid and aromatics like onions and garlic.

—Patty