// June 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Recipes
Tin Chef Chuck
Braising is by far one of my favorite cooking techniques. In the past, I would toss a relatively inexpensive cut of meat into a crock pot, throw in a few veggies, a little beef stock and- fire and forget. Although the results were pretty good, braising in the oven results in spectacular and complex flavors. The only down side is that it takes a little time- it’s easy, but not quick. Braising was a typical peasant method of cooking, slow simmering beef in wine as a means of tenderizing cuts that would have turned out terrible any other way. Braising is awesome and can transform most inexpensive, tougher cuts in to “haute cuisine“- basically delicious fancy, smancy French cooking.
The basic technique is to first sear the meat. I like to use a cast iron dutch oven with a little olive oil and butter. Sear all sides of the meat until it develops a rich brown color. Remove the meat and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In the same pan, saute one onion, 1 or 2 celery stalks coarsely chopped, and 2 carrots, also coarsely chopped. I love garlic, so I will always add several gloves of chopped garlic. You can also add a pepper for a little heat. You can also add a few bay leaves and flat Italian parsley, also chopped. Cook the vegetables down, salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more olive oil if needed. You can add about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste now, or add whole tomatoes a little later.
Put the meat back into the pot and add several cups of red wine. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to reduce the wine down by at least half. Add about 12-14 ounces of low sodium beef broth and if you like, a can (28 ounces) of San Marzano tomatoes that have been crushed by hand. Stir everything together. Cover the pot and place in the pre-heated oven and braise for about 90 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or so. You could use a crock pot here, but I only do that on my boat now.
There are several variations that you can try. The meat can be dredged in a seasoned flour before searing. You can also mix up the veggies, typically sticking with root vegetables. This works great with “cheaper” or tougher meat cuts. Veal shanks (Osso Buco) are my favorite, but you can use just about any roast. Bone in short ribs are also excellent. Coq au vin is braised chicken. Coq means rooster, which is typically very tough, and works well with braising. Classically a capon is used, but we don’t have a lot of neutered chickens running around in Toledo! But too be honest I wouldn’t even know where to look to tell if the chicken was neutered. Coq au vin usually has mushrooms and Burgandy wine, but there are endless variations. Beef bourguignon is another traditional French recipe and just another variation of beef braised in red wine. It is usually seared in bacon fat and has pearl onions and mushrooms.
I love adding 1-2 hot peppers to add a little zing. I will also add a little acid, either a splash of Ver Jus, wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to bring out even more flavor. Next time I will talk about making a roux and using bouquet garni in your cooking. CJG
