Asados y Estofados

Roasting & Braising Meats

Any house that smells like braised meats is one that I want to be in; I just don’t always want to stand around the stove for hours doing the braising myself. Oven-roasting fattier meats and poultry at a high temperature gets you an even better caramelized brown crust on the outside of the meat or game than stovetop searing, and the oven does all of the work. Afterward, a long, slow braise on the stovetop gets you to that fall apart-tender texture that is so good, and after slowly reducing over several hours, the braising liquid turns into an incredibly rich sauce. Everything happens virtually on its own, leaving you with time to do whatever else you want around the house.

You can use this technique with any braising liquid that you create—just be mindful of how much salt, sugar, and spices you add, because flavors will intensify as the broth cooks down into a more concentrated sauce. Roast meats and poultry like duck with the fatty side up, so all of that good flavor trickles down into the flesh. Afterward, if you come up short on braising liquid, try changing the size and shape of the cooking pot or roasting pan, or add a little more stock to almost cover the meat or poultry. The flavors will only be better if you make everything a day or two ahead.

And, if you suddenly find yourself with a few extra mouths to feed, as often happens at my house, shred the meat for sandwiches. Those flavorful braising juices get all up in the nooks on crusty sandwich bread. Chopping a few red onions so you can slather some Salsa Criolla (page 44) on top would be very Peruvian of you.

Lamb shanks

• 5½ to 6 pounds; 2 to 3 large hind shanks, if you can find them, or 6 to 8 foreshanks

Whole duck legs

• 3 to 3½ pounds; 6 drumsticks attached to the thighs

Bone-in short ribs

• 4 to 4½ pounds; 6 to 8 of the big English-cut ribs, or 12 to 16 smaller American-cut ribs

Oxtail

• 3½ to 4 pounds; look for the big, 3-inch chunks from the rump end

Brisket or chuck roast

• 4 pounds or so, bigger if you want leftovers
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• About 1 tablespoon pureed garlic (page 37), or 2 whole cloves garlic, smashed
• Canola or olive oil

1 Preheat the oven to 450°F and place a rack in the bottom of the oven. Dry off all sides of the meat or poultry well with paper towels and put them fatty side up on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. (If roasting duck legs, use a high-sided roasting pan to catch the fat drippings and leave 2 or 3 inches of breathing room between each piece.)

2 Sprinkle the meat or poultry lightly with salt and pepper. Go lighter than you usually do on the salt; as the braise cooks down, the saltiness intensifies. You can add more at the end. Rub the seasonings into all sides of the meat along with a dollop of pureed garlic and a good drizzle of oil. If using smashed garlic, rub it on all sides of the meat or poultry and discard the cloves.

3 Roast the meat or poultry for a solid hour, until golden brown with a few charred bits. Flip the meats halfway through the cooking time to brown on the opposite side; leave the duck legs fat side up. Transfer the meats to a clean roasting pan or baking dish, depending on their size (if using duck, save the duck fat for roasting potatoes). You can oven braise the meats right away, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.