Heat
How to braise meat and vegetables
Brown food, then cook it slowly, covered, partly submerged in liquid until it is very tender.
Step by step
- Brown the meat well in a heavy pot and set it aside.
- Soften the onions and vegetables in the same pot.
- Pour in the liquid and scrape up the browned bits.
- Return the meat; the liquid should come about halfway up it.
- Cover and cook at a bare simmer on the stove or in a 300 to 325°F oven for hours.
How you know it's done
A fork slides in and twists with no resistance, and the meat pulls apart.
Common mistakes
- Boiling it hard, which makes meat tough and stringy.
- Too much liquid, which gives you soup instead of a rich sauce.
- Pulling it out too soon: tough cuts get chewier before they get tender.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (5)
- Classic Oven-Braised Beef Stew
- Oven-Braised Crispy Pork Carnitas
- Oven-Braised Holiday Brisket with Onions
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Sunday Dutch Oven Pot Roast
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I braise?”