Braising

In praise of the braise…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I like to cook… what draws me to it and why I’m taking up so much of my free time to get better at it. 

Of course there’s no one, simple answer to that question. But pretty high among the many possible reasons I could give is a fascination with seeing ingredients transform into something delicious. 

Sauces in particular were of great interest to me early on for exactly that reason, and still are. But recently I’ve realized that perhaps the most perfect expression of the transformative act of cooking is the humble braise. 

Braising is such a cool form of cooking because it allows for the development of highly complex flavors with deceptive simplicity. It’s a largely hands off and forgiving method to cook, and once done provides protein, sides, and sauce all in one pot. 

In its simplest terms, braising is the act of cooking browned proteins in a mixture of wine and stock with aromatics and vegetables. Sounds a lot like a stew, but there are several distinctions that separate the two.

1. Braised proteins are kept in larger portions, usually only partially submerged in liquid, and meant to be cut into bit-sized pieces while eating. Stewed proteins are cut smaller, and are fully submerged in stewing liquid while it cooks. 

2. Braised proteins are often removed from the liquid once cooked, after which the liquid is reduced down to a thicker sauce, which is then applied back to the protein upon plating. Stews are served as is. 

3. Braises are cooked at lower temperatures for over two hours. Stews at higher temperatures for under two hours. 

Since the protein pieces are larger in a braise, they require ambient heat to break down and tenderize. It’s like roasting, only the liquid the protein sits in keeps it from burning. This liquid also absorbs the drippings given off by the protein, which in turn absorbs the flavor and moisture of the sauce. 

The result is a delicate dance between the protein/solids and the liquids involved. Each give something of themselves to a result far greater than the sum of their parts. Perhaps that’s why braising is such a common technique employed by nearly every style of cuisine: 

• French (ex: Coq Au Van/Coq Au Riesling, Beef Bourguignon)

• Italian (ex: Chicken Cacciatore, Osso Buco)

• Asian (ex: Rou Jia Mo “Chinese Hamburger,” Braised Pork Ribs)

• Latin: (ex: Carnitas, Adobo Chicken)

Braises are also incredibly easy to execute, and for the most part very forgiving. It’s just time and temp. A good braise will take a few hours. But what’s cool about them is that you can make one a day or so before you need to serve it and it just gets better as it sits. 

Sure pan-searing a steak is faster. But try pan searing 8 steaks a la minute for a dinner party by yourself. That’s a stress factory. It’s far easier to just warm up a dutch oven full of a braise you made leisurely the day before and plate it out with no sweat like a rock star. 

I say it’s forgiving because you can set it and forget it without worrying much about precisely how long it has cooked, sat, or reduced. The only thing you need to be cautious of is the temperature of the liquid. You don’t want the braise to get to a boil or the protein will come out tough. Water boils at about 210, so you’r shooting for under 100 here. Low and slow is the game, whether you’re braising on the stove or in the oven. 

I prefer stovetop because it’s easier to see what’s going on and adjust as needed. But if you’re going to use the oven, I wouldn’t go over 275 (recipes calling for 350 are just plain wrong). A lot depends on the vessel you’re cooking in and the cut you’re using. 

Steps

Most braises involve the following steps (with some variance depending on the ingredients used) 

Browning 

You going to sear your main protein/solid first. (There are plenty of vegetable only braises worth pursuing as well, and they will also get a nice sear.) The point of this is to give it some flavor and color, and also to develop the fond on the bottom of the braising pot. (Fond is the carmelized, brown residue left on the cooking surface). It won’t be cooked through by a long shot, so this is a hot and fast step. Remove once seared. 

Aromatics

Then you’ll brown and tenderize your aromatics and other vegetables the recipe calls for until they release their liquid and keep the fond from burning.

Deglaze

Hit it with wine and/or stock. This loosens up the fond, which you scrape up with a spoon. 

Cover and Simmer

Add the protein back and enough additional stock/wine to mostly cover it all. Then let it simmer low and slow for at least two hours. Again… watch the heat. It should be at the gentles bubble to keep the protein from seizing up, getting tough, and drying out. 

Rest

Once the cooking is done, let the braised protein cool off in the braising liquid. This allows the protein to relax and soak up the liquid it’s sitting in. 

Reduce

Then remove the proteins and reduce the remaining liquid, with all the aromatics, etc, to the desired consistency. In some cases, you’ll add a mixture of butter and flour just before serving to bring get the viscosity right. 

Serve

Give the proteins a quick reheat either by adding back to the liquid, or by searing it under a broiler or even in a pan (depends on what the braise is), and then serve, pouring the sauce over it and whatever else you’re serving it with (rice, potatoes, noodles). 

A Note About Wine

Many braises use wine, which acts as both a flavoring agent and a tenderizer (the acid in the wine helps break down tough proteins). Don’t sweat choosing the “right wine” to use here. You’ve got some leeway. Pick a wine you could drink, but don’t waste your $50 cellared bottles. Stick with dry and unoaked wines. Because reducing wine will concentrate its flavor, oaked or sweet wines will taste even oakier (ie: bitter) or sweeter (ie: sugary) in the finished sauce which you don’t want. 

Both white and red wine have the same chemical effect… they will tenderize equally. White is just a bit lighter both in flavor and color. I have read that white wine can be reduced longer than red without becoming bitter, but I think that really depends on the kind of red wine you’re using. As I noted above, oaky or tannic red wines can become bitter when reduced for a long time. But the solution there is to just use a low-tannin, unoaked red wine.

Even a mediocre braise will result in a fork-tender dish balanced perfectly between fat, acid, and salt. So long as you have a few hours within 2-3 days of when you plan to serve, you can get ahead of it and have a stress-free dinner for the family or friends. And with a few little finishing touches during plating, it can be dead sexy. 

Here’s a fun one to start with…

Coq Au Riesling

This is a derivative of Coq Au Van which is French for “chicken and wine.” Actually “coq” means rooster (the French have as many names for chicken as Eskimos do for snow) and braising it in wine helped break down the tough old bird. But today we just use chicken. 

Traditional Coq Au Van uses red wine, but this version uses Riesling. Why Riesling? Because this version hails from the Alsace region of France, which is the northern part of the country that borders Germany, known for its dry Rieslings.

Look for a dry Riesling to cook with, as most Rieslings are too sweet. How can you know if it’s dry? 

• Choose a Riesling from the Alsace region of France, which are known to be drier. 

• If using a German Riesling, look for “Troken” on the label, which means dry. 

But the best way to ensure the Riesling is dry is to check the alcohol content. The higher the alcohol percentage, the drier the wine. For Riesling, look for an alcohol content of 12% or higher. 

This is a great dish for this time of year because the white wine delivers the same satisfying umami/acidic comfort of a braise, but is lighter and seems more appropriate for warmer weather. 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

• 3 c chicken stock

• 2 c Riesling

• 1 bouquet garnis (bay leaf, thyme sprigs, parsley stems, tarragon sprig)

• 2 c poix, small dice (or just onions if you like)

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 shallots, halved (optional)

• 1 lb mushrooms, sliced (don’t use baby bellas or anything w/ large gills)

• 4 slices bacon, diced

• 1 oz each butter/flour mashed into a ball

Method

1. Put diced bacon in cold dutch oven and render fat over low heat. Remove/reserve bacon. 

2. Season chicken and brush with dijon mustard. Sear in bacon fat on high. Remove/reserve. 

3. Add poix, garlic and mushrooms and brown until their juices are released. Remove/reserve.

4. Deglaze with the wine and scrape up the browned bits (fond). Reduce by half. 

5. Add the stock and whisk until smooth. 

6. Add the chicken and bacon back to the stock with the bouquet garnis and optional shallots. Add additional wine/stock until mostly covered. 

7. Simmer on very low for an hour or so until chicken legs are done (internal temperature of 170-175)

8. Turn off heat and let sit for half an hour. 

9. Remove chicken and return braise to a simmer, reducing to about the consistency you want. (This can be a harder simmer than when the chicken was in it, but don’t boil it). 

10. Off heat, add the butter/flour paste and stir/season. 

11. Reheat the chicken legs under a broiler to crisp them up, or sear in a pan if preferred. 

12. Plate chicken and ladle braise over it and any sides 

I served this with simple boiled potatoes and a salad. Don’t forget a nice chunk of crusty bread to soak up that glorious sauce!