Back to the basics: Braising

I have been doing some thinking, and i want to sort of redirect this blog back to the basics of cooking. Its hard for me as a trained chef to step back and realize that not everyone knows what foie gras is, or a white stock over a brown stock or what tomato concassee is. Ive been feeling like i dont know what to put on here, because i didn't know where to start. Well i think i figured it out and i want to start back at the basics of cooking, and by the end you will be mastering things you never knew like, tomato concassee.

Im going to start with the basic techniques of cooking, different methods of cooking different cuts of meat, and the reasoning behind cooking certain cuts of meat certain ways. Braising is a great way to expand your experiences in the kitchen, you will create dishes that fall off your fork from tenderness and your end result is a plate full of integrated flavors that you  never knew you could accomplish.

There are endless possibilities with braising, starting with secondary cuts of meats that are tougher because they have connective tissue that needs to be broken down in order to be tender, like shoulder, ribs, shanks, which can be cheaper. Braising is a combination cooking method, meaning we use dry cooking method, by searing it, and wet cooking method from the liquid we add.

First, we are going to season our meat with salt and pepper **If you are wanting to try boneless short ribs you may need to ask your butcher to cut you a boneless chuck short rib. Then dredge in flour, all while your pan is getting super hot, it may even start smoking THEN add some oil and i like to add a touch of butter. Sear your meat on all sides until you get a nice dark caramelized look, remove from the pan and turn you heat down to medium heat.

**you dont want to use fresh herbs at the beginning stage because they will most likely burn when you sear the meat and second they will lose their vibrant color, so we add them in a bouquet garni, ill explain later, and at the very end when we are finished so they stay fresh and vibrant in color**

Next we add our mirepoix, basically two part onions to one part celery and carrots, rough chopped because we will strain them later so dont waste time in making them look good. Now add the vegetables and some sort of tomato product (tomato are very acidic so they help tenderize the meat and add color) and any other aromatic vegetables to your hot pan, the pan is going to have some brown stuff on the bottom, this is good, its added flavor that will scrape off in to the sauce. Saute until soft and opaque. 

Step three to deglaze the pan with wine or stock (ill be posting on how to make stock) or maybe a beer, at this stage all that yummy goodness will be picked up off the bottom of the pan. Then add enough stock to cover your meat by one to two thirds. Return the meat that you seared to the liquid after it has come to a simmer. Adjust the seasonings, be careful because stock can have a salty flavor so adjust as needed, add bouquet garni.**Cover and place in a hot oven, 350 degrees, and allow to cook for 1.5 to 2 hours (remember to consider how big your cut of meat is, it could take less time or more) Some people cook it at a simmer but i much prefer to throw it in the oven and forget about it. 

**A bouquet garni is simply a bay leaf, fresh parsley and the stems, peppercorns, garlic smashed, really anything you want to add flavor to your dish. The traditional way it to wrap in cheesecloth and tie securely. Nestle this deep into your pot and then at the end simply remove the whole thing. 

It should be fork tender but not break apart, you still want it to hold its shape. When braising, you can obviously serve it that day, but if you serve it the next day you've given those flavors time to mesh together and soak into the meat. 

So now the meat is done and we have this amazing (well it will be) sauce, at this point it doesn't really look like much, strain the liquid, return the liquid to a clean pot, there is going to be a sheen of oil at the top you need to skim it off. either using paper towels, or a spoon. (or if you are using the next day make sure you leave your meat in the strained sauce but the fat will have solidified at the top and you can literally just scoop it off as a hard fat.) 

So now we thicken the sauce with a slurry, cornstarch mixed with water, it should have the consistency of heavy cream, add to your sauce while whisking. Use your best judgment here, if you only have a small amount of sauce consider just reducing it down without adding a slurry. Your sauce should be nape, when you dip a spoon in the sauce you should be able to run your finger across the back of the spoon and the line stay as opposed to running together again.  

Side note: you are probably wondering about vegetables, i like to roast mine separate, but you can add your to the process with about 30 minutes left in the cooking process, you dont want to add them at the beginning because they cook so much faster than meat. So these vegetables can be anything, carrots, potaoes, parsnips, rutabaga, i encourage you to see whats in season and try it. Cut them into bite size pieces that will be pretty but functional. 

Spoon your vegetables on the plate then meat and top with plenty of sauce and garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy and experiment with lots of different cuts of meat, try to braise fish and experiment with different liquids for your sauce. Once you get the process of braising down you can start to have fun and try new and different things, using the same technique you learned here. 

Send me your braising ideas, i would love to see what you come up with!