How To Braise Beef Recipes

BRAISED BEEF RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the beef into large chunks.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown the beef chunks. Then remove them and set aside.
• Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are fully cooked (or translucent).
• In a Dutch oven pot, begin layering the ingredients in the following order; 1/2 browned beef chunks, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, then half the sautéed onion and half the garlic (pressed).
• Repeat step 4 with the remaining beef chunks.
• Add the red wine and water to the meat and place the lid on top. Place the pot onto the cooktop and bring it to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours at 360 Fahrenheit. Cook until the meat is fully cooked through.

THE ULTIMATE BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Drizzle brisket liberally with olive oil then season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Place the brisket in the pot and sear on both sides to form a nice brown crust. Remove from pot and set aside before adding carrots, onion and celery. Brown vegetables, then add the garlic, tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Add the brisket back to the pot, cover and roast in the oven for 3 hours until the brisket is fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain out the vegetables and pour off some of the excess fat, then pour over the brisket.
• Slice brisket across the grain and serve over parsnip puree with roasted red onions and garnish with parsley.

HOW TO BRAISE BEEF

Steps:

• Select an inexpensive cut of meat to braise. While it may seem contrary to usual meat-buying logic, tougher or less-tender cuts of meat are perfect for braising. Pot roast, chuck roast or any inexpensive cut may be used. The muscle fibers and connective tissue that make these cuts stringy or tough are broken down by braising, which gelatinizes the collagen into a more palatable texture. Low heat and long cooking times are used to make a tough cut of any kind of meat moist, tender, and delicious, when cooked properly. Common cuts of beef for braising include: top blade roast eye roast seven bone, or center-cut pot roast shank ribs or short ribs brisket It's unlikely that you would ever want to braise any kind of lean steaks or loin. You could, but because these meats are tender already, it'd be a bit of a waste.
• Select a braising liquid. Other than a pot and your cut of beef, the only other absolutely essential ingredient is a liquid in which to simmer the meat. Because this is an opportunity to add a dash of flavor to the dish, it's most common to use wines, stocks, or other flavorful liquid, as opposed to water. Common braising liquids include: Beef stock or broth. You can match the stock to the dish by using a beef-based broth or stock, although using chicken stock would is universal for braising any type of meat, and might add a nice complexity to your braised beef. Stock is just broth that hasn't been seasoned, so stock is generally better for braising, since it allows you to control the salt-levels, but either is acceptable. Just go easy on the salt if you use broth. Red wine. Dry red wine can add a nice acidic note to beef, especially when combined with another braising liquid, like stock. The alcohol cooks off, resulting in a rich and fragrant dark sauce. Especially fruity or sweet red wines would be less desirable, but fine if paired with an equal amount of stock to cut the sweetness. The fruitiness of a white wine would pair better with chicken or pork. Since it'll season your dish, make sure it's something you'd like to drink--pour yourself a glass for "research." Dark beer. English cooking at its finest. Stouts, porters, or black lagers all lend a rich sweetness to beef, and a malty depth of flavor. The darker the better, when it comes to beef. Some Belgian ales might also work nicely, but experiment and find a beer you with a nice flavor. In general, lighter pilsners and lagers are more appropriate for chicken or pork. How much liquid you'll need will depend on the amount of meat you're braising, and the addition of extra vegetables. As a rule of thumb, you'll want enough liquid to cover the vegetables at the bottom of the pot and come up just to the level of the meat. You're not boiling the meat, or stewing it, so you won't submerge it in the braising liquid. It won't take much, and you can always add additional water to the pot if you didn't have enough wine left in the bottle.
• Start with a mirepoix or some mix of finely minced vegetables. Sounds fancy, but it's not. In French cuisine, braised beef and many other meat dishes will always start with a vegetable base of finely minced carrot, onion, and celery, called mirepoix, which is used to pair with the meat and enrich the sauce. After searing the meat, the mirepoix is added and browned briefly before adding the braising liquid to the pot. For a proper braising, there needs to be something at the bottom of the pot other than the liquid, to give the sauce fragrance, substance, and character, as well as to keep it from drying out. When minced very small, the mirepoix will mostly disintegrate into the liquid over the course of the long cooking time, to flavor the sauce, though you could leave larger chunks to do more of a "pot roast" style braised beef. Depending on the cut of meat, you might use around 2-3 carrots, 2-3 celery stalks, and a small white onion.
• Choose additional vegetables to add as well. Depending on what you want to do with the beef you braise, you might elect to make a one-pot meal with the addition of vegetables. In most braising, some variety of aromatic vegetable will always be used to keep the moisture consistent in the bottom of the pot, as well as to release other flavors and aromas. Cooking beef low and slow is a great opportunity to cook vegetables as well. Other vegetables like potatoes, cabbage, peas, mushrooms, greens, leeks, or other root vegetables can be added to the pot later, about 45 minutes before the meat is done cooking. Some fruits, like apple or pear, can also pair nicely with braised beef, depending on the season. Use firm, slightly under-ripe fruit, if you want to experiment. Aromatic herbs like rosemary, sage, bay leaf, or thyme can kick your braised beef up several notches. If you've got access to an herb garden, or just want to buy some fresh herbs from the store, tie up a bundle of a few stalks in twine and add at the same time you add the braising liquid.
• Always use a heavy-bottom stew pot or dutch oven. Braising starts on the stove and moves into the oven, making it important that you start in a pot that's oven-safe. Enameled cast-iron pots are perfect for braising, featuring the heat-retention of cast iron and the hefty weight of a good baking dish. Skillets aren't generally big enough to hold all the braising liquid, meat, and vegetables required for a good braising, while thinner sauce-pans won't hold the heat as effectively as cast iron. If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven, though, anything you can cover and put in the oven will do in a pinch. If you don't have an oven-safe stew pot, but have a heavy-bottomed saucepan, it's perfectly fine to braise meat on the stove-top as well. Some cooks prefer the oven method because it more evenly-distributes heat throughout the meat, while others prefer the simplicity of braising on the stove. Both methods result in tender and delicious beef.

BRAISED BEEF SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F in the fryer.
• In a large stock pot or braising pot, add the olive oil. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Season the flour with Essence. Dredge the shanks in the seasoned flour, coating each side completely. When the oil is hot, sear the shanks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until very brown on all sides. Remove the shanks and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the celery and carrots and continue to saute for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom and sides to loosen the browned particles. Add the stock. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the shanks and continue to cook for about 2 hours, basting the shanks often, or until the sauce is stew-like and the meat starts to fall of the bone. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Place the parsnips in the fryer and fry until golden about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the parsnips from sticking together. Remove the parsnips from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the parsnips with salt and pepper. To serve, mound the pudding in the center of the plate. Lay a few of the shanks on top of the potatoes and spoon some of the gravy over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with the fried parsnips.

BRAISED BEEF POT ROAST

Steps:

• Trim fat from beef. Cut a length of kitchen string about four times the length of the roast and wrap once around the length, then around width several times, tying where it comes together.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over moderately high heat. Brown beef on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Add vegetables to pan and saute for about 7 minutes or until browned and slightly softened. Transfer to a plate.
• Return beef to pan. Add wine vinegar, stock, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir to blend. Cover and simmer gently about two hours, turning meat every 30 minutes.
• Return vegetables to pot, cover, and simmer about 15 m inutes, or until beef is very tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Slice meat and arrange on platter surrounded by vegetables. Serve with pot juices.

BRAISED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper.
• Coat the beef cubes in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off excess flour.
• Brown the beef very well on all sides, then remove to a plate.
• Add the garlic, onion, and chili flakes to the pot, cooking 3 or 4 minutes, until soft, adding more oil if necessary.
• Add the tomato paste; stir with the onion/garlic mixture for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the beef broth and wine to the cooked onions, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Add the beef back into the pot with, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and the Dijon mustard (if using).
• Mix well, and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer, uncovered on top of the stove, or in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 1 hour, or until the meat is fork-tender.
• Add the carrots and potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for 30 minutes more, or until veggies are tender.

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup flour, salt and ground black pepper. Roll the ribs in the seasoned flour.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and brown the ribs well on all sides. Pour in 1 cup boiling water, tomatoes, and garlic. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary.
• Place the potatoes, onions, and carrots in the pot. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until all vegetables are tender. Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving platter.
• In a separate small bowl, dissolve 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons water for every one cup liquid remaining in the pot. Add this to the pot and stir well until thickened. Pour over meat and vegetables.

BRAISED CORNED BEEF

Steps:

• To make brine, place 2 quarts of water plus the next 12 ingredients in a large 6-8 quart stock pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salts have dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat; add ice and and stir until ice has melted. Place brine in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely. Place a 3-4 gallon resealable plastic bag inside a large baking dish or roasting pan; add brisket and pour brine over beef. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, ensuring brisket is completely submerged. Transfer to refrigerator; allow to rest for 10 days, agitating bag occasionally to redistribute spices and liquid. , After 10 days, remove brisket from brine; rinse brisket thoroughly and discard brine. To braise brisket, preheat oven to 300°. Place carrots, celery and onion in large roasting pan; pour remaining 2 cups of water into pan until water level is 1/2-inch high. Place brisket over vegetables and cover with aluminum foil; transfer to oven. Cook, covered, until very tender about 5-6 hours. , Remove brisket from roasting pan, discarding vegetables and cooking juices; tent beef with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Or, to slice for Reuben sandwiches, wrap corned beef well with plastic wrap after cooling for 10 minutes; place in refrigerator and allow to cool completely overnight. Slice thinly against grain.