The Technique: Braising

Braising is a cooking method that uses both dry and liquid heat. The food, meat in most cases although vegetables such as artichokes are fantastic when prepared this way, is seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a little liquid and a low temperature. Braising is most useful for transforming tough cuts of meat, like chuck roasts, oxtail, lamb shank, or pork shoulder, into remarkably tender dishes. ¹

This method seals into the meat all of the lovely juices and flavors through searing before simmering in flavorful cooking liquids to make the meat tender and add an extra dimension of flavor. Many classic braised dishes such as coq au vin are highly evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. ²

Use a stock or vinegar as the base of your braising liquid. Roasted vegetable stock has so many great flavors for a lighter meat like chicken or for vegetables. If you are braising beef, for example a pot roast, beef broth is probably your best starting point. Adding onions, carrots, celery, and herbs all amplify the flavors of your liquid. Additionally, make sure to heat your liquid in the pot where you browned the meat as the fats and oils will really lift your flavors. My favorite base braising liquid for chicken is a mix of broth, vinegar, thyme, lemon zest, garlic, shallots, sea salt, and black pepper which all add a  flavors to your dish that would not have been present through other cooking methods.  

The process for braising is described well on Bon Appetit's website, but I have included my process for meat below. If you are braising vegetables, proceed to step 5 below.

Technique

1 Heat non-stick saute pan over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until hot.

2 Add meat to pan and drop heat under pan to medium flame. Gently move meat around for first 10 seconds to avoid it sticking to pan.

3 Depending on thickness of meat, cook for 2 to 3 minutes before turning. You just want your meat to brown, not cook! 

4 Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes after turning. I also make sure to rotate meat and cook sides as well before removing it from pan and setting aside.

5 Take the saute pan off the heat and reduce the flame to a low-medium heat. Wait 2 minutes before adding the pan back on the flame and adding some garlic, onions, herbs, and olive oil. 

6 Saute the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes before adding the liquid and bringing to a rolling boil.

7 Add the meat, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and allow to simmer for 25 to 35 minutes. There is no magic number, the longer it simmers the more tender your meat will become!

8 Remove from pan and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving topped with some of the braising liquid.

1 Bon Appetit | How to Braise
2 Wikipedia | Braising