How to Braise Beef, Lamb or Pork

What is braising?

Lamb braised in red wine and Provencal herbs.

Braising is a cooking technique in which the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat, and then simmered in liquid on low heat in a covered pot. The best equipment to use would be a crock pot, pressure cooker or Dutch oven. LeCrueset makes a range of enameled pots and pans that are good for either the stove or the oven. They work well too.

Whether you choose to use the oven or the top of the stove, you will be pleased with the results. Braising is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat. The end result is tender and flavorful. Other than great taste and economy, there are other reasons to cook this way.

After searing the meat, the remainder of the cooking time (until sauce/gravy preparation) does not require much attention. Once the heat is reduced, you can go about cooking other things, do some chores or take a break. This is also a plus when entertaining: you have more time for your guests.

Yet another plus of cooking with this method is that the meat tastes great and you also get delicious broth, sauce or gravy. It’s one pot cooking at it’s finest. There isn’t much to cleaning up and anything leftover can be reheated or frozen and reheated for later.

This method of cooking is great for tough cuts of meat but also works well with chicken, fish and/or vegetables. You can braise in a crock pot, pressure cooker, large saute pan or the most often used cooking vessel for braises, a Dutch oven.

Some popular dishes you may have heard of that use a braising technique are osso bucco, pot roast, braised veal & lamb shanks and braised cabbage. You can braise just about any meat, fish or vegetable you want and be as creative as you like with seasoning, but there are some ingredients that are better for braising and some you want to cook using other techniques like grilling or roasting.

9 Simple Steps to Great Braised Meat

1. Season the main ingredient with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a few tablespoons of oil and/or butter in a heavy pan or Dutch oven.
3. Saute meat or vegetables in the pan on medium-high heat until the meat browns.
4. Deglace the pan by pouring broth, beef stock, wine or juice and scrape any pieces of meat that are stuck to the pan and stir.
5. Add cooking liquid (water, stock, wine, juice or some combination) to the half-way point of the main ingredient.
6. Cover and place the meat on the middle of a rack in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Cook until completely tender. This can range from 1 hour to 6 hours, depending on what you are cooking.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and strain the meat and vegetables out of the liquid.
9. Remove the excess fat floating in the liquid, and then reduce the sauce to desired thickness by cooking it down over low heat until it thickens. Or, make gravy by adding a mix of equal parts fat and flour (a roux).

A word about Temecula, Ca

Great wine, horrible food. That is all.

Braised Chuck Roast with Lentils

A few weeks ago I bought a four dollar bottle of wine that changed my life. Dark, dry and full of tannins, it was a wine that worked perfectly for me - a wine strong enough to compete with lamb and beef, but drinkable enough to enjoy on its own.

Recoleta is a Malbec/Bonarda blend. The bottle describes it as "a full-bodied smooth red, full of blackberry and raspberry flavors with a hint of spice." I call it amazing. The first time I took a sip, I was convinced: this is not just a great red for drinking. No, this wine aspires to more. This wine was born to braise.

And so, after a long arduous day of shopping I was in the mood for some braised lamb. Turns out Fresh & Easy was all out of my preferred quadruped, so I reached for a beef chuck roast, mainly because it was the cheapest cut they had. Actually, including the bottle of wine, it cost me a grand total of $17.34 for the ingredients, of which I only used half. We'll see what I come up with for the rest tomorrow.

Anyway, on to the beef. Braising is a simple process. Brown the roast on both sides in a very hot pan with a little olive oil. I placed halved roma tomatoes cut side down in the pan when I turned the beef over and let them cook a bit as well. The tomatoes add a great acidity to the dish and are served along side the beef. If you have an aversion to tomatoes, please stop reading and immediately seek therapy. Then, try substituting a bit of balsamic vinegar for the tomatoes.


When the meat is browned remove it from the pan and set aside. I added a half a red onion, sliced, and a couple cloves of minced garlic. Cook until the onions are soft, just short of caramelized. Place the beef and the tomatoes back into the pan and pour in the wine till it comes about halfway up the side of the beef. Any higher than that and this would be called 'Stewed Chuck Roast with Lentils.'


Speaking of lentils, now is a good time to get those started. Lentils are traditional Italian fare for the new year so I thought it was fitting. The cooking process is even simpler than the braising: just add two cups of water to one cup of lentils and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. At the end the lentils will pop open and soften. Resist the tempation to add salt while cooking, as it makes the lentils tough. You can season after.


After about fifteen minutes of braising the beef should be done. Remove it and the tomatoes and set aside. Strain the braising liquid to remove any onions and garlic, then turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid to a sauce. Assemble thusly: roast, tomatoes and lentils go on the plate first, some of the neat purple onions over the lot, then the amazing wine sauce on top. It tastes more difficult to make than it is.


And of course, try the Recoleta, it's the best four bucks you'll ever spend.