Brining provides depth in flavor, tenderness, and a moister final product. The base of a brine is salt and water, and sometimes sugar. Kosher salt is preferred because it doesn’t have any additives, such as potassium iodine, dextrose, and calcium silicate, an anti-caking ingredient found in table salt. Frequently, other seasonings are included in a brine as well. Soaking in this basic solution works just fine, but often other ingredients such as fruit juices, herbs, spices, or garlic are also added for flavor. You can tailor the flavor added by a brine by the ingredients and seasonings you use.

For example, you could brine a duck breast in orange juice with orange zest, brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger; all of these flavors match well with duck. Salt also denatures protein and makes meat tenderer. A flank steak, which is a thin cut of beef, can be chewy even if it is cut thinly against the grain after cooking. If it is allowed to cure overnight in a dry cure or brine, it will be much tenderer after being cooked. In addition, brining causes the meat to absorb moisture, so when the product is cooked, it will be juicy and moist. Pork, “the other white meat,” has been bred to be very lean. Brining leaner cuts of pork make it juicer and more flavorful after being cooked.

To prepare the brine: Bring 25 percent of the quantity of liquid to a boil with the salt, sugar, spices, and other seasonings and simmer for a few minutes to dissolve the salt and sugar and extract the flavors from the seasonings. Strain the liquid and add the remaining 75 percent of the cold liquid. The brine must be chilled to 40°F or below before adding the meat. Then the product must be completely submerged in the brine and refrigerated.

If you cannot fit the product into your refrigerator, try placing the container into an ice chest and surrounding it with ice. Tall 5-gallon water-coolers, like you see at construction sites or ball games, also work well. When you make the brine, add ice to bring the total volume up to 5 gallons. There will be some ice cubes remaining that will keep the item in the safe temperature range. In cooler months you may be able to store it outside if the temperature is right. It should be held between 25° and 40°F because the salt and sugar in the brine will allow for a lower freezing temperature.

Another way to apply brine solutions is to pump or inject them into the meat. Brining needles or flavor injectors are readily available in many stores. The cold brining solution is sucked up through a brining needle into a reservoir. The needle has several holes so that when it is inserted into the meat, the brine is pumped into all areas and depths of the meat. This can also be done in conjunction with submerged brining to speed up the process, especially in larger products. Pumping a 3-pound chicken with 1 cup of brine and then soaking it overnight in a brine solution will result in a very flavorful, moist, tender roast chicken.

When choosing ingredients for brines, purchase fresh, high-quality ingredients. Dried herbs and ground spices also work well, but their flavors deteriorate fairly rapidly if not stored properly or replaced regularly. So discard that bottle of granulated garlic that’s been hiding in the back of your spice cabinet since you purchased the house. Purchase in small quantities and replace frequently, at least once a year. It makes a big difference in the flavor of your end product. Whole spices have a better flavor and will last longer than ground spices. Making a small investment in a mortar and pestle or small spice grinder may be worth it if you need to grind a lot of whole spices. Nowhere does freshness matter more than when using citrus juices. The content of that yellow, lemon-shaped container in your refrigerator doesn’t contain a flavor remotely close to that of fresh lemon juice. Fresh citrus juices are frequently found in brines and marinades; freshly squeezed juice is the best and has an incredible impact on flavor.

Do not brine “kosher” or “enhanced” chickens. Both of these chicken products are already injected with a sodium solution. This changes the texture and flavor of the meat. It also allows the chicken to meet kosher guidelines. Placing these chickens in brine would be redundant and the final product would be too salty.

The length of time the product is in the brine depends on the size and density of the product along with the amount of brine flavor you desire. Practice will lead to fine-tuning the time to your taste. Smaller items may be brined for a couple of hours while a larger product can be brined overnight or for days. When the product is removed from the brine it needs to be rinsed, wiped dry, and allowed to air-dry before cooking. Never reuse the brine.

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Braising, barbecuing, and slow-roasting are all long, low cooking methods that utilize less tender, fattier cuts of meats with a lot of connective tissue. But braising stands apart in that it includes liquid in the cooking process. It is also a combination cooking method—one that uses both dry and moist heat—and involves cooking in a covered pot, which is why it is also called “pot roasting.” This combination of dry and low slow moist heat tenderizes and develops a deep, rich flavor in these less tender cuts of meat.

The first step when braising is the dry heat: searing the meat in a small amount of hot oil. This browns the outside of the meat and gives the end product a deep, rich flavor. It also causes the meat to release drippings, called the “fond,” that caramelize in the bottom of the pot. These drippings in turn add flavor to the sauce. 

Aromatic vegetables, herbs, and other ingredients can be cooked in the fond to provide even more flavor. Tomato paste, for example, contributes color, flavor, and some acid to the sauce.

The next step is the application of moist heat: adding cooking liquid to the pot. The cooking liquid usually consists of a rich broth or stock, a combination of stock and wine, or a combination of stock and another sauce such as brown sauce. During cooking, the liquid will thicken into a rich sauce that can be served alongside the meat.

The sauce is a critical part of the braising process. It provides moisture and flavor to the meat. It can be thickened with a prepared roux or by adding flour to the pan before adding the braising liquid; by puréeing any aromatic vegetables cooked in the sauce; or simply by reducing to the desired consistency.

The finished meat should be fork-tender and succulent.

More vegetables, such as carrots, peas, onions, and potatoes, can also be added at the end of the cooking process and cooked in the sauce to make a one-pot meal.

Choose a heavy-gauge braising pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, large enough and shaped to hold the meat comfortably. There are oval pots on the market with tight-fitting lids that are developed specifically for this process.

Choose a heavy-gauge braising pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, large enough and shaped to hold the meat comfortably. There are oval pots on the market with tight-fitting lids that are developed specifically for this process. Alternatively, you could use a roasting pan covered tightly with aluminum foil. A slow cooker can also be used, but most models require searing the meat in a separate pot or pan.

Alternatively, you could use a roasting pan covered tightly with aluminum foil. A slow cooker can also be used, but most models require searing the meat in a separate pot or pan. You will need a kitchen fork to remove the meat and to determine “fork-tenderness,” meaning that the meat will slip easily from the fork when it is done, and a fine-mesh strainer to strain the sauce when the meat is finished.

Try one of our all-time favorite braise recipes:

Pork Braised in Milk

Braised Short Ribs

Gnocchi with Duck Ragout 

Pressure Cooker Osso Buco

The post How to Make a Basic Braise—Just in Time for Autumn appeared first on CIA Foodies.

Bolognese is essentially a meat stew with a small amount of tomato added— although Americans often confuse it for a tomato sauce with some meat added. The sauce is cooked slowly to develop a deep, rich flavor. In Italy it is traditionally served with tagliatelle pasta and Parmigiano-Reggiano, but you may choose another pasta if you’d like. It is also delicious in lasagna or served over creamy polenta.

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