How Is Braised Beef Cooked?

The Pot

Braising is a slow, low-heat method of cooking that begins on the stove but can be finished in the oven. One of the most important components of braising is a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid like a Dutch oven. If you wish to use both cooking methods, the pot must be able to take the heat of a stove burner and that of the oven.

The Meat

Less tender cuts of meat of all sizes are the best for braising: chuck, shoulder, top or bottom round, blade, brisket and rump roast. Collagen in the tougher cuts of meat is dissolved and the normally chewy connective tissues are broken down during braising. The process relies heavily on the resulting juices and fat that seep from the meat while cooking to make it "fork tender" (the meat easily separates when a fork is twisted in the meat). Luckily, tough cuts like chuck and rump are also the cheapest, making braised beef an economical, flavorful and filling meal.

Other Ingredients

Beef is often braised with vegetables, which provide additional flavor and can be served with the meat as a side dish. Typical braising vegetables include root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, celery and onions. Stock is added to the pot after the meat is browned and before it is cooked to generate steam inside the pot. Braised beef can be served with crusty bread, salad, mashed potatoes or polenta.

Browning

Wipe the meat dry and dredge it with flour. Cover the bottom of the heavy pot with olive oil, vegetable oil or a mix of oil and butter. Slowly heat the pot until the meat sizzles when added. Turn the meat regularly while browning so it browns slowly. This helps seal the flavors inside the meat.

Cooking

Remove most of the excess fat left from browning and add the liquid (water or stock) to the pot. If braising on the stove, turn up the burner until the liquid boils; then turn the heat down, cover the pot and simmer. Add vegetables during the last 45 minutes. If braising in the oven, place the covered pot holding the liquid, beef and vegetables in a 300 to 325 degree oven. Smaller cuts of meat will cook faster than larger cuts, with the internal temperature of the cut reaching 145 degrees for medium rare to 170 degrees for well done.

References

• Braising Beef
• The New Food Lover's Companion, Barron's. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series; 2007
• The Joy of Cooking; Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker; 2006

Resources

• Dutch oven
• Braised Beef and Onions