ACNE FOOD & BEVERAGE CO. |
Carrboro, North Carolina |
Braising is a two-step technique that works best with economical cuts of meat like chuck, shank, and brisket. The meat is first browned on the stove, covered, and then slowly cooked at a low temperature (either in the oven or on the stove) in a small amount of seasoned liquid so that connective tissue and the meat’s own fat melt away to flavor and enrich that cooking liquid, yielding very tender results. Braising is about steam. It requires a pot or dish that’s heavy enough to regulate and distribute heat evenly throughout the meat during the cooking process and that can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven. The lid should fit tightly so the steam from the simmering liquid can rise, collect, and condense, and then drip back into the pot to ensure continuous, natural basting.
SERVES
8
LEVEL of DIFFICULTY
WORTH THE EFFORT |
REASONABLE |
EASY |
31/2 to 4 lb/1.6 to 1.8 kg chuck roast, at least 3 in/7.5 cm thick
1/2 cup/60 g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
6 tbsp/90 g unsalted butter, melted
4 sweet onions such as Vidalia, halved from stem to root ends and cut crosswise into slices about 1/2 in/12 mm wide
1 lb/455 g button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
3/4 cup/180 ml bourbon
11/2 cups/360 ml Madeira or marsala or other inexpensive, sweet cooking wine (not sherry)
3 cups/720 ml chicken stock
Several sprigs fresh rosemary and parsley, tied together with kitchen twine
1 to 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. While the oven is heating, let the roast come to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, onion powder, and garlic powder. Transfer the seasoned flour to a large, shallow plate or pie pan and set aside.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut eight small slits into veins of fat where you see them on the roast, or into the meat itself, spacing them evenly. Insert the garlic halves into the slits, tucking them in fully so they don’t pop out when the roast contracts during cooking. Then, using your hands, generously season with salt and pepper all over, rubbing into the meat. (Don’t be shy about the amount of salt you use; the salt draws the juices out of the roast.) Place the roast in the flour mixture, turning to coat it well all over. There will be a good coating of flour on the roast.*
4. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the butter and cook until the water in the butter boils off and the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Wait for the milk solids to boil off, about 30 seconds longer, and then put the roast into the pan to sear. It should sizzle loudly.
5. Lower the heat a bit. After a minute or so, using tongs or a fork, make sure that the roast isn’t stuck to the pan and can slide easily, but don’t mess with it too much. Let it get a good, dark-brown sear on the first side, about 5 minutes. Do not undercook—gray meat is not seared meat. Turn over and cook the other side the same way. When both sides are browned, remove the roast from the skillet and place on a roasting rack or wire cooling rack.**
6. Raise the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Add the onions to the hot fat. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the onions, scraping up any and all browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the onions start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms soften and start to release their juices, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bourbon (careful, it may flame up), stir well, and let boil for 2 minutes. Add the Madeira and bring to a boil again. Let reduce for 5 minutes. (Taste the liquid to make sure all the alcohol has burned off.) Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste the braising liquid for salt and pepper—too little salt in the broth will make the roast significantly less flavorful, and the dish hinges on a good kick of black pepper balanced against the sweetness of the bourbon and Madeira.
7. If you have a small rack that fits in a Dutch oven, place it in the bottom of the pot. (If you don’t, don’t worry, but the rack will keep the roast elevated and help prevent scorching.) Set the roast in the pot and tuck the herbs around. Pour the onion mixture over the roast, making sure that the liquid comes only halfway up the sides of the roast. Using the wooden spoon, scrape any mushrooms and onions off the top surface of the roast and into the cooking liquid. Bring the liquid back up just to a simmer—not a full boil, just a slight agitation of the surface and tiny bubbles around the sides of the pot. Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Braise until fork-tender, 3 to 4 hours.
8. Remove the pot from the oven and let the meat rest in the liquid just long enough for the roast to reabsorb its juices before serving, about 15 minutes. And whether it’s July or December, you need to offset the deep, dark, undertone flavors of braised beef with a little “brightness” in the form of acidity. I often whisk the Dijon mustard into the liquid. (Or I copy my grandmother and serve chow chow or bread-and-butter pickles on the side.)
9. Transfer the roast to a carving board and slice thinly across the grain on a diagonal. Arrange the slices on a platter. Stir any juices that collected on the board and platter into the cooking liquid. Ladle the cooking liquid into a small pitcher and pass at the table for guests to pour over their servings. Serve immediately.
* Ultimately, the melted butter and the flour coating on the roast form a makeshift roux in the oven, designed to slightly thicken the cooking liquid.
** If you set the hot roast to rest on a flat surface, it will bleed and you’ll lose precious liquid.
