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[eGCI Team]

The Truth About Braising
Lab Assignment #3
Seminar Led By Steven A. Shaw (aka "Fat Guy")

This lab should be a little less exhausting than the previous two, and it doesn't require as much equipment or monitoring. Today we're going to experiment with issues of heat and time, and we'll keep it pretty simple (you are, of course, welcome to devise additional experiments to expand the range of data).

We're going to do three things:

Step 1: braise in the oven at a low temperature for a long time (200 degrees F until fork tender)

Step 2: braise in the oven at a higher temperature for a shorter time (300 degrees F until fork tender)

Step 3: braise on the stovetop at a temperature similar to step 2 (trying to maintain a simmer pace that is visually similar to step 2)

It's possible that you have a second oven, or a toaster oven that you can use for this, in which case you can do all of the above at once. Otherwise, you should do step 1 alone, and steps 2 and 3 together.

The variables we're looking at are heat and time, so we want to eliminate as many other variables as possible. You're all pros at doing that by now, so as close as you can get to identical pieces of meat, similar vessels and matching temperatures between oven and stovetop (it's hard to get a reading on a shallow pool of liquid, but try), the better.

That's it. Do all that, taste, take notes, photograph and share.

In addition, please reheat those Lab 1 samples and share your impressions.

If you have questions about these instructions, please ask them on the logistics topic.

See you tomorrow!

Click here for the discussion of Lab #3.
Click here for Lab #4.