Eager to Start Braising. Now.

[Carlovski]

Navarin of lamb.

Best of both worlds.

Lighter braises (think more clear and soupy than dark gravy) go well in summer

And they have the advantage of once you have done the chopping, and a bit of browning (Although if you are going for the clear soupy option, you might not want to) then you escape from the hot stove and can go sit in the garden - without a smoky barbecue to contend with!

[kayb]

Chili. Pot roast. Lamb shanks. For starters.

[Lapin d'Argent]

The shorter days must activate some sort of braising gene...I just saw this thread, but on my dining room table are the ingredients all ready for my favorite vegetable braise, adapted from Molly: celery root. leeks, carrots, and fennel.

Tomorrow the braise goes in the oven for dinner tomorrow night, even if the weather does recover from today's lovely autumn preview, and climbs back into the muggy 80s.

[LindaK]

Any time I think of cursing summer heat I think about the misery of a long, cold, damp New England winter, and ask myself which I'd rather endure.

Besides, I consider braises as seasonal cooking and hardly miss them during the summer when there are local tomatoes, beans, etc. to be had.

That said, I'm taking advantage of today's cool and rainy weather and put a pork butt in the oven a couple of hours ago, covered in a mole inspired dry rub with a halved head of garlic for good measure. Tomorrow I'll shred the meat and reheat with its juices, and serve up with tortillas, an avocado and citrus salad, and fresh salsa made from the glut of tomatoes coming out of my garden.

[KitchenQueen]

I've just gotten a brand-new Le Creuset French oven, and I am dying to break it in with my mum's soy sauce braised pork hock with dried mustard greens.  Never made it myself yet, but I can't wait to try my hand at this fatty, sticky, porky goodness!

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Beebs,

You have your first LC oven? Haven't braised anything in it yet?

Boy, are you in for a super-huge treat!

[fooey]

I'm also looking forward to the yearly Veal and Tomato Ragoût with Potatoes, Cinnamon, and Cream.

Last time I used sweet potatoes and stew beef and just loved it!

[paulraphael]

It didn't occur to me that braising in the summer was weird until a week ago when my girlfriend told me it was. I guess I don't mind being hot in the kitchen, so I never thought twice about it.

I've even been experimenting with dry braises, which are basically like barbequing in the oven. I have a little grill outside, but it's so much harder to control than an oven that I often don't find it worth the trouble. I can set an oven 250 degrees or so and walk away for hours at a time.

For normal braises, I go very long at low temps, and do it overnight. It's only way I find practical no matter what the season. Of course my stupid oven likes to shut itself off after several hours of baking, so I have to turn it off and on again right before bed, and then wake early, do it again, and go back to sleep. Learned this the hard way.

[Alcuin]

I'm not big on braising in the summer (though I do make Pozole now and then). But here in WI, it's August and my apartment is cold (high of 65 today and it's been down in the 40s over night). Nothing will satisfy but a braise tonight even if most of my tomatoes haven't even turned red yet.

[llc45]

I'm also looking forward to the yearly Veal and Tomato Ragoût with Potatoes, Cinnamon, and Cream.

Last time I used sweet potatoes and stew beef and just loved it!

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That sounds yummy! I will definitely be making that.

It didn't occur to me that braising in the summer was weird until a week ago when my girlfriend told me it was. I guess I don't mind being hot in the kitchen, so I never thought twice about it.

I've even been experimenting with dry braises, which are basically like barbequing in the oven. I have a little grill outside, but it's so much harder to control than an oven that I often don't find it worth the trouble. I can set an oven 250 degrees or so and walk away for hours at a time.

For normal braises, I go very long at low temps, and do it overnight. It's only way I find practical no matter what the season. Of course my stupid oven likes to shut itself  off after several hours of baking, so I have to turn it off and on again right before bed, and then wake early, do it again, and go back to sleep. Learned this the hard way.

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Paul -

Can you elaborate? My husband hates to barbeque (I know, weird) and I would love to just use the oven sometimes, especially for a good flank steak or brisket. Could I just brown it and then bake? I have lots of experience with brisket in a crock pot but that isn't like grilling.

[Beebs]

I've just gotten a brand-new Le Creuset French oven, and I am dying to break it in with my mum's soy sauce braised pork hock with dried mustard greens.  Never made it myself yet, but I can't wait to try my hand at this fatty, sticky, porky goodness!

←

Recipe! Recipe, please!

I'll trade you three double chocolate clove molasses cookies.

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Ooh those cookies sound lovely!

Ok, I've finally had a chance to wrangle the recipe out of my mum. Unfortunately, her instructions are pretty vague ("A little bit of this, a handful of that...").

-Get between 1-4 pork hocks. The ones that are cut down to rounds will cook faster, but the whole entire hock looks better on the plate.

-Remove any bristles

-Blanch in boiling water till it's no longer red, and pour out water

-In a pot, add fresh cold water to hocks till it's just barely covering the meat

-Throw in one whole star anise, one chunk peeled ginger (around 1.5-2 inches)

-Throw in cleaned dried mustard greens (if using). To prep mustard greens (mei gan cai/tsai), soak in cold water till soft, and rinse very well, a couple times to get rid of any dirt. Drain & chop. You can find this at some Asian groceries.

-Low boil for 20-30 mins.

-Add dark Chinese soy. Mum is really vague on this point. Her exact answer to "How much soy?" was "Just pour it in until it looks right." I'd say start with 1/2 cup, and add more later on in the cooking if you prefer saltier.

-Throw in 4-6 nuggets of crystal rock sugar. Add more later if you like sweeter.

-Simmer till the meat is tender and the fat is sticky and soft, about an hour or so. You'll need to turn the hocks over now and then, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the sauce if you want it thicker. It should look shiny & sticky.

-Serve with steamed rice or Chinese steamed plain buns.

I'm probably leaving out a whole number of steps - sorry - but the Chinese cooking forum can probably help out with additional details.

[rooftop1000]

Paul

If your oven happens to be new there may be a switch to turn off the safety feature...it is know in some circles as the Kosher switch, so that Saturday's lunch can be cooked without touching the oven.

tracey

[fooey]

Ok, I've finally had a chance to wrangle the recipe out of my mum.  Unfortunately, her instructions are pretty vague ("A little bit of this, a handful of that...").

I'm probably leaving out a whole number of steps - sorry - but the Chinese cooking forum can probably help out with additional details.  

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OK, I have the rock sugar, pork hocks, mustard greens, and dark soy (and do I ever love dark soy!).

I'm prepared for battle, although not until the weekend.

This sounds so much like the rice and gravy I grew up with, so looking forward to it.

Edited September 1, 2009 by fooey (log)

[rmillman]

I use a solar oven to baise outside in the summer so I do niot need to run my oven and compete with the air conditioning

http://www.solarovens.org/

[JAZ]

If you're enjoying this topic, check out the eGCI braising course.

Features like eGCI are made possible with the generous support of eGullet Society donors. If you're not already a Society donor, please read about becoming one here.

[Sartain]

We've had a second week of below 80 degree weather in Philly, and the braise has re-established itself. Two beef tongues this weekend and three pounds of pork shoulder and smoked hock. Good eating to welcome Fall!

[jrhmdtraum]

I've just gotten a brand-new Le Creuset French oven, and I am dying to break it in with my mum's soy sauce braised pork hock with dried mustard greens.  Never made it myself yet, but I can't wait to try my hand at this fatty, sticky, porky goodness!

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Beebs,

You have your first LC oven? Haven't braised anything in it yet?

Boy, are you in for a super-huge treat!

Summer is the best time for braising

brown your meat on the grill

put your meat in the pot ON The grill

five hours later, take your meat out of pot and sauce the meat again on grill

[jrhmdtraum]

I've just gotten a brand-new Le Creuset French oven, and I am dying to break it in with my mum's soy sauce braised pork hock with dried mustard greens.  Never made it myself yet, but I can't wait to try my hand at this fatty, sticky, porky goodness!

←

Beebs,

You have your first LC oven? Haven't braised anything in it yet?

Boy, are you in for a super-huge treat!

[pax]

I know it's officially fall because I unconsciously collected all the ingredients necessary for a double batch of Marcella Hazan's Ragu Bolognese this afternoon. And her pork loin braised in milk. *drool*

[David A. Goldfarb]

Temperature below 50F this morning, and an improvised cassoulet of sorts is in the oven using white beans, slab bacon, Italianish pork sausages from the Greenmarket, some leftover brisket with a very intense reduced braising liquid, onions, and diced portobellos. Since it's cooking in the oven with moist heat, I suppose it's something like braising--definitely fall weather cooking.