Men's Journal

The simple skill every self-respecting carnivore needs to learn.

By DANIEL DUANE

Photographs by TRAVIS RATHBONE

No other culinary technique so empowers you to make satisfying meals out of the humblest cuts of meat as braising. So why don’t more guys do it? If steak cookery is all about spending your way to pleasure — buying a classy hunk of protein and not screwing it up — braising plays the opposite role in a man’s repertoire, transforming cheap, sinewy stuff such as pork shoulder, beef chuck, and lamb shank into succulent comfort food. And it’s not even bad for you. Done correctly, braising pulls the fat out of the meat but leaves the flavor behind. Sure, it takes time: 15 to 20 minutes to brown the meat in a skillet, along with a few hours of burbling on low heat in the oven. But if you make enough for leftovers, you’ll be eating like a king for a week, because the longer a braise sits, the better it gets, with flavors deepening as the days go by. Finally, despite the fact that a hundred chefs will have a hundred different recipes, the technique is easily mastered by following our simple, straightforward template. The only thing you have to do is plug in the ingredients you like and have a little patience.

Braising, Step-by-Step

1. THE LIQUID

Chop 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 1 stalk of celery; put in a large pot with a lid with a few sprigs of thyme and parsley, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a head of garlic cut in half. Pour in a bottle of cheap red wine, place over medium-high heat, and simmer until wine has largely vanished, leaving a glaze on the vegetables. Add another chopped onion, carrot, and celery stalk; stir and set aside.

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2. THE BEEF

Cut 2 lbs of beef into chunks, roughly 2 inches square. Dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and coat in flour. Heat a few tablespoons of canola oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until the oil shimmers. Remove excess flour from beef and place in skillet without crowding the pan. Let sizzle until first side is browned, then turn, browning all six sides one by one.

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3. THE BRAISE

Place meat in pot on top of vegetables. Add enough beef, veal, or brown chicken stock or broth to surround but not cover meat, and bring pot to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place lid so that it doesn’t quite cover the pot, then transfer to a 350˚ oven. You want the liquid barely bubbling. Simmer for 2.5 hours. Let cool. Strain liquid, discard vegetables, and place pot in the fridge.

 

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4. THE PAYOFF

After a couple of days, remove pot from fridge and skim off fat, which will have congealed on the top. Place pot over medium heat for five minutes. Once meat has loosened, remove and set aside. Simmer liquid over medium-high heat until it has a syrupy consistency, put the meat back in, and rewarm in a 250˚ oven for 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6. Each plate should get meat and sauce.

 

 

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This article originally appeared in the May 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.