What is your favorite type of meat to braise?

A few years ago, I opened up my world of braised meats by seeking out different types of cuts. I love beef shanks, short ribs, and lamb shanks. So far, I think short ribs and beef shanks are my favorite. Today, I have some short ribs all ready for the oven later this afternoon. They were dredged with flour, salt and pepper, then browned until nice and golden. I sautéed shallots, onion, garlic, and carrots, and threw in about seven, chopped tomatillos I had left in my refer. Then 2 cups of a robust, Australian red wine and 2 cups of beef broth were added, along with two sprigs each of rosemary and thyme. It smells divine. I will serve it over polenta, with butter and goat cheese. I found this on Pioneer Woman, so I must give her all the credit. I also have a Portuguese beef shank dish, that has become a favorite. Of course, I love to add a couple of the Hatch Chili's to the braising liquid.

It's a hard choice for me between lamb shanks and short ribs. Love 'em both. I guess I might slightly favor the shanks, but the emphasis there is on "slightly".

I also like short ribs a lot, and several other dishes that need braising like osso buco, lamb shanks, brisket, corned beef and oxtails that I'm about to do.
Always liked braising as a way to cook and it's easy enough so that beginning cooks can turn out a terrif dish without being intimidated by flying solo.

Hi,

I have to confess to ignorance here. We don't have beef shanks here in Europe, though we certainly have beef shin. However, being the size it is, it would never be sold whole, unlike lamb shanks and (in Germany) veal shanks and pork hocks - salted and smoked. So that means I've never tried them - hence my ignorance.

I love all braised meats, and cook many cuts better known as roasting cuts that way, to make sure they are tender and delicious. If I have to choose ... Beef. Ox cheek and feather steak would be the cuts that I think are best for braising. Chicken, any, though legs are better than breasts in my view, and old better than young. Pork, We braise everything except the leg. If i had to choose a favourite it would be the belly. Lamb... shanks are wonderful, but so are lamb or mutton chops. Mutton leg slices (tranches de mouton a la poitevine is sublime) are also very good. But then so is lamb shoulder. All hearts are wonderful braised.

Sigh... With this weather, I feel a braise coming on.

[Jenise]

I love braised meats. I love the suffused flavors and achingly tender meat that practically melts when touched by a fork. Favorite? Probably chicken, if poultry was included in your question. Almost as much though I don't think I would want to eat it as often, short ribs. Like Mike, lamb shanks wouldn't be far behind. I'm surprised to consider, in light of your question, that I rarely consider braising pork.

I'll second (or third or fourth) lamb shanks and add pork shoulder to the list. Often an amazingly inexpensive cut but the very stringy nature and all that good fat and connective tissue that make it cheap are nothing but assets during braising. Mmmmm.

Beef shanks, short ribs, lamb shanks and Oxtails! Yum!

I'm surprised to consider, in light of your question, that I rarely consider braising pork.

Really? Pork shoulder is one of my favorite cuts to braise. I have a great recipe with rosemary, garlic and white beans. Mmm.

Karen, good question. I'm a huge fan of braised meats. Len likes it okay, but gets a little tired of what he calls "mushy meat." If not for that, we'd have it a lot more. Probably my favorite thing to braise are lamb shanks. We crack up, actually because they look so huge, like something you'd see Wilma make for dinner on The Flintstones, but there we are picking each one of ours' completely dry, wishing there was another one in the pot. Probably my second favorite thing, and Jenise, I think you might agree...that seven bone chuck roast. Makes the absolute best pot roast.
And, of course, Oxtails (or what we called "skinny bones" growing up. I could not tell you why.), but I have to wait for Len to go out of town to make those. He won't go near them.

Probably my second favorite thing, and Jenise, I think you might agree...that seven bone chuck roast. Makes the absolute best pot roast.

Wow, now that is something I have not done. Can you please give me a quick guide as to what you put into your pot roast, spices, etc.?

Hi,

I have to confess to ignorance here. We don't have beef shanks here in Europe, though we certainly have beef shin. However, being the size it is, it would never be sold whole, unlike lamb shanks and (in Germany) veal shanks and pork hocks - salted and smoked. So that means I've never tried them - hence my ignorance.

I love all braised meats, and cook many cuts better known as roasting cuts that way, to make sure they are tender and delicious. If I have to choose ... Beef. Ox cheek and feather steak would be the cuts that I think are best for braising. Chicken, any, though legs are better than breasts in my view, and old better than young. Pork, We braise everything except the leg. If i had to choose a favourite it would be the belly. Lamb... shanks are wonderful, but so are lamb or mutton chops. Mutton leg slices (tranches de mouton a la poitevine is sublime) are also very good. But then so is lamb shoulder. All hearts are wonderful braised..

I wonder if you might be thinking the beef shank is something like a lamb shank only larger? Here is a photo of what they actually look like. They are round with a marrow bone. The shrink down a bit during the cooking process

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS251US251&q=beef+shanks+photo

Probably my second favorite thing, and Jenise, I think you might agree...that seven bone chuck roast. Makes the absolute best pot roast.

Wow, now that is something I have not done. Can you please give me a quick guide as to what you put into your pot roast, spices, etc.?

Karen, I happened to have it typed up already for a friend who wanted to try making it. I served this one night when she and her husband were over for dinner... I made up the recipe, wanting to use some Porcini liquid I had from something else I had made...

Carrie's Porcini Pot Roast (RCP)

One 6-8 pound chuck roast (Preferably a “7 bone”)
2 medium brown onions, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 pkg sliced or halved baby bella mushrooms
1 heaping tsp Beef “Better than” Bouillon (little jar on soup aisle)
1 cup red wine
1 ½ cups porcini liquor (porcini mushrooms optional)
1 cup water
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSPs corn starch
½ cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Rinse, dry and generously season roast with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. (About 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper per side)
Set a dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil when hot. Sear each side of the roast until very brown.
Remove roast and set aside.
Add onions, shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Sautee until a little limp. Add wet ingredients and bouillon and bring to a boil. Add roast to pot, cover with some of the vegetables.
Cover and place in oven. After an hour and a half, flip roast, and add whole peeled carrots if desired.
Roast another hour, then remove lid and roast another half hour until it gets really brown and is falling off of bones.
Move roast and carrots to a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Make a slurry of the corn starch and water. Add to pot and bring to a boil. Whisk until it thickens. Check seasonings. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve over roast and mashed potatoes.

Hi,

I have to confess to ignorance here. We don't have beef shanks here in Europe, though we certainly have beef shin.

I wonder if you might be thinking the beef shank is something like a lamb shank only larger?

Err, well - in my innocence/ignorance I was, yes. Thanks so much for the explanation and the link. We do sometimes get that cut, only - surprise, surprise, call it "beef shin". I tend to separate the meat from the bone, remove the marrow, which I freeze and use in Risotto alla Milanese, or a proper Entrecôte Bordelaise, and freeze the bone to use in beef stock later. The meat gets minced (ground) to make into any of the dishes which use it and where the proportion of connective tissue is a plus (for example my version of a ragú - definitely non bolognese). I've not tried braising it whole though, sounds worth it when I fancy doing a spicy braise.

Err, well - in my innocence/ignorance I was, yes. Thanks so much for the explanation and the link. We do sometimes get that cut, only - surprise, surprise, call it "beef shin". I tend to separate the meat from the bone, remove the marrow, which I freeze and use in Risotto alla Milanese, or a proper Entrecôte Bordelaise, and freeze the bone to use in beef stock later. The meat gets minced (ground) to make into any of the dishes which use it and where the proportion of connective tissue is a plus (for example my version of a ragú - definitely non bolognese). I've not tried braising it whole though, sounds worth it when I fancy doing a spicy braise.

I have found that using Marcella Hazan's recipe for Osso Bucco works very well with beef shanks, at least for the taste - they tend to fall apart, so I just break them up into small pieces once cooked, and serve it with either polenta or saffron risotto. One's enough for two or three people.

My favourite, by far, is lamb shanks, although I'm quite fond of beef shanks as well (cooked like Marcella Hazan's Osso Bucco recipe). I have three or four lamb shank recipes that I alternate. I posted a couple of them to the old FLDG:

Braised Spiced Lamb Shanks: http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=2&tid=51714&mid=438160

Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks: http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=2&tid=50462&mid=427303

The last one is my favourite.

No love for osso buco, with gremolata and marrow?

Funny that you mention this, Karen.

We often do lamb shanks and have a freezer full of oxtails waiting for winter, but rarely braise anything else.

Last week my wife arrived home with a bag of bottom blade steaks, thinking they'd be OK as grilling meat (I figured probably pretty tough) so we braised them and they were delicious.

I think my favourite under appreciated braising meat is short ribs, though, and I keep meaning to do more of them - really, really good.

Given the weather lately, your question was a timely one.

No love for osso buco, with gremolata and marrow?

Yes, but probably not in the top five for me.

Incidentally, Karen's topic made me think of a braised meat story I posted here several years ago. Here's a link if anyone is interested...

Braised Pork Shank - Medium, please.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8269&p=65781&hilit=pork+shank#p65781

[David M. Bueker]

Normally my favorite is pork shoulder, but tonight it is beef roast.