Braising is a cooking method that require time and employs specific technique. Depending on the cut of the meat, different amount of time are required to cook the meat. This is due to the fact that different cut of meat contain different amounts of connective tissue.
Connective tissue contain collagen, which requires the meat to be boiled in liquid for a long period of time to soften the collagen. If there isnt enough time to soften the collagen, the resulting braised meat will be tough to eat. A reference chart can be use to determine the amount of time and temperature that is required for each cut of meat.
How to Braise Meat
These charts group meats with similar amounts of collagen together and associate that amount of collagen with a specific temperature and time for braising. The amount of liquid to use in braising meat are important. The meat should only be covered in one-third to one-half of the amount of the cut of meat with liquid.
If the cut of meat is covered in liquid, this is considered stewing. By leaving the top portion of the meat above the liquid, the top portion will brown as a result of the steam. This add flavor to the braised meat.
Many cooks will make the mistake of adding too much liquid to the pot. If the braised meat is cooked with too much liquid, the resulting sauce will taste thin. If there is too much liquid, it will also be more difficult to reduce the sauce.
The temperature that is used in the oven are also important in the braising process. Most recipes will use temperatures between 300 and 325 degree. These temperatures will keep the liquid at a gentle simmer.
If the temperature is set too high, the braising liquid will boil the meat and make the meat dry. High temperatures will also make the muscle fibers in the meat tighten before the collagen melt. Low oven temperatures allow the meat to braise slow.
This is also beneficial for cooks who want to allow more time for other tasks to be accomplished while the meat simmers. Although all cut of meat will follow the same rules for braising, each cut of meat will have specific requirements that are unique to that cut of meat. Pork shoulder will contain alot of fat, which will keep the meat moist.
Lamb shanks tend to have a strong flavor, which is why a red wine base can be use in braising lamb shanks. Chicken contains very little collagen. This means that the cooking time will be less than beef or pork cut.
Chicken will only take one to two hour to braise. Chicken breasts should remain above the braising liquid, or they will boil. If chicken is braised for the same length of time as short ribs, it will be dry.
Braising can be accomplished in an oven or on the stovetop. Using an oven to braise meat can be more convenienty because the heat comes from all sides of the pot. This ensure that the meat is cooked evenly.
If braising on a stovetop, the heat will come from the bottom of the pot and may lead to the bottom of the pot scorching. Chicken thighs can be braised on the stovetop, but every thirty minute, the cook must check the heat to ensure that the bottom of the pot does not scorch. The type of liquid and aromatics will change the flavor of the sauce that is produce when braising meat.
Aromatics such as garlic, mirepoix, and herbs will create the flavor of the braised meat. For beef and lamb, a red wine or dark beer can be use. For pork, apple cider and tomatoes can be used.
The type of liquid that is used will change the flavor of the sauce, but not the cooking time. Once the meat is cooked, the sauce must be finished. The cook should remove the meat from the braising pot.
The cook should reduce the remaining braising liquid and skim the fat off the sauce. Cold butter can be added to the sauce at the end of the braising process to make the sauce glossy. Braising requires knowing that each cut of meat will have specific requirements.
However, cooks dont need to memorize the exact time that each cut of meat should be braised. As cooks understand the role of collagen in meat, they can adjust the liquid, the temperature, and the time required to braised meat according to the cut of meat that is being use.