Long before cooks had ovens, they had braising. They would suspend a heavy,covered pot over a hearth fire or open grate in the kitchen and slowly cook, orbraise, their food. Sometimes they stacked embers from the fire on the lid, toprovide both upper and lower sources of heat. Inside, a little liquid formed asauce, as meats and vegetables cooked. This method of cooking yields deliciousdishes with considerable character, explaining why you can still find many finerecipes that call for braising.
Think carbonnade, pot roast, fricassee, stew, or daube. While all thesedishes are variations on braising, most are more complex than those enjoyed byour ancestors. Though the success of their execution relies on similarprinciples: browning, moist heat, lengthy cooking in a closed vessel, andsimmering temperatures.
A traditional braising pot holds heat well and has a tight-fitting lid.Ideally, it should be about the same size as the dish being prepared. Too muchspace between the ingredients and the lid allows steam to condense and drip fromthe lid's underside onto the ingredients, diluting the rich sauce.
Most braises call for the tougher cuts of meats or poultry. In beef, thismeans cuts such as chuck, flank, brisket, rump, and round. These cuts come fromareas of the animal that are continually exercised, which allows the muscletissues to develop more flavor extractives as well as strength.
Usually, braising recipes begin by browning the meat in a little oil. Ifyou're using small pieces of meat, as in a stew, brown in batches, so the meatdoesn't steam. The temperature must be high enough to trigger the browningprocess. Contrary to popular opinion, browning, or searing, the surface does notseal in meat's juices. It does, however, produce new and complex flavor compoundsas the sugars and proteins in the meat react under high temperatures and thesurface color deepens. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction.
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Aromatic vegetables such as carrots and onions can also be browned. Afterbrowning the meat, just add a little corn syrup or brown sugar to the remainingoil, and you'll trigger a different type of browning reaction calledcaramelization. In caramelizing, sugar melts, then decomposes at hightemperatures (over 338 °F/170 °C) and is transformed to a complicated mixture of newcompounds with "burnt sugar" flavors. These too, add considerably to the richnessof the finished dish.
Liquid, such as wine, beer, stock, or broth, is also essential for braisingbecause less tender meats have greater amounts of collagen than tender ones.Collagen, a connective tissue, helps hold the muscle fibers in meat together.When cooked in the presence of moisture, collagen dissolves into gelatin, whichallows the meat fibers to separate more easily. This is the essence oftenderizing tough cuts of meat. Note how the dissolved gelatin causes the brothto set as it cools.
While collagen softens in moist heat, muscle fibers firm as their proteinsunfold and form new linkages during cooking. (add link to this part of the "meat"section, please). Various proteins in meat fibers coagulate over a range oftemperatures from 105 F/40 C to 195 F /90 Ctemperatures that are far belowboiling point (212 °F/100 °C).
The higher the cooking temperature, the tougher the muscle fibers become, andthe more they shrink in both length and width. It's no wonder that stewing beefbecomes incredibly chewy when cooked in a boiling broth! If you are accustomed toboiling your braises, try reducing the temperature to a gentle simmer and let usknow if you notice a difference in tenderness.
To keep meat tender yet safe during braising, you must maintain an importantbalance. Cooking temperatures must be high enough to kill microorganisms, yet notso high that the meat toughens. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of thesurrounding stock and keep it at a simmer of 180 F/82 C-190 °F/88 °C.
Braising at low temperatures can never be done in a hurry. But those who arepatient will be amply rewarded with a memorable amalgam of rich, deep flavors;heady, enticing aromas; and meat so tender it almost falls apart. Indeed, eachsucculent forkful reconfirms the ancient wisdom of braising.
Bon apetit!
Anne and Sue
 | are the authors, with the Exploratorium, of the book The Inquisitive Cook. | ||
