6 Braising Mistakes Most Beginners Make
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ค. 2024
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0:00 Episode premise
0:41 Why do we braise? (Technique Breakdown)
5:21 1 - Choosing the wrong cut of meat
8:36 2 - Not braising long enough
9:55 3 - Braising and eating on the same day
11:18 4 - Not using enough braising liquid
12:04 5 - Undersalting the braise
12:45 6 - Experiment with flavors
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MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A6400 w/ Sony 30mm f3.5 & 18-105mm F4
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro
Affiliate Disclosure:
Ethan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to [Amazon.com](amazon.com/) and affiliated sites.
I'm a trained chef and I know a lot of theory, but this is explained wayyyyyy better and in more detail than any chef has ever explained to me coming up through the ranks.
Related to #2 perhaps: Not bringing your braising liquid to a boil before putting it in the oven. Ovens aren't very efficient at bringing liquid to a boil, so you waste a lot of cooking time just bringing the temperature up.
Depends on the oven I guess. Here in UK you can get ovens delivering up to 7kW of heating power (230 Volts at 32 Amps on a single phase), I have a 5kW oven and it boils big tray of water from room temperature in less than 10 minutes.
@@AuxHex well the more surface area the faster it goes
My counter to that is you have to account for the ramp up time if you're not gonna heat up your liquids. Chuck flats 3 hrs 350, remove and vent and let cool at room temp has never failed me.
Gas oven is better.
@@safuan2009 In the oven, use a lid on your container. Dutch oven, all-metal pans with all metal covers Aluminum foil.
It works to keep the moisture in
Ethan, I have been cooking out of necessity for my family since I was barely ten, have owned a restaurant, and have been obsessed with watching/learning other people’s technique since staying up late to watch Emeril or Good Eats, and this was the best explanation I have ever heard for braising. Very well done. I learned from this. Love your content.
I thought this too. So well explained
Im chuckling because this was my first video by him and i totally commented and compared him to alton brown!
Your comment hits home for me. I also have been cooking for my family out of necessity since a very young age, and grew up choosing to watch good eats and food network instead of cartoons. I haven’t owned a restaurant yet, but I have been a lead cook. 🤜🤛 Glad we kept our love for cooking!
Ethan, please know that we who have been subscribing since the early days love your content, appreciate your insights, and are super excited to see your channel grow to bigger heights! Keep doing what you're doing. We're all behind you!
Thank you so much! I'm glad to have found a like-minded community of home cooks to come along the journey. I can't wait to see where this all goes in the coming years.
@Thomas Richardson such as?
@Thomas Richardson disagree.
You've worded this way better than I would've been able to, so I'm hijacking your comment to express my happiness. The content on this channel keeps true to its roots, and I love it oh so much. The production quality is the only variable and it's on a slow and steady climb up, which is quite something as the quality wasn't something to scoff at.
I love this channel. I love its host. I learned to love cooking and I learned to understand cooking on a whole new level. Ethan, you're the best. Thanks for giving regular folk like myself all these amazing ways to cook straight up feasts both for dinner parties and average weekdays.
@Thomas Richardson the titles are straight forward and exactly what the videos are about lol.
Hey Ethan, could you add temperature in °C on screen while you talk about it in F?
Makes it easier to follow as a european :)
I second this! It would be a small gesture that would help a lot
Just google the conversion......
Just take the F temp, subtract 32, and then multiply by five ninths. What could possibly be easier? ^.^
@@kevinpowers3907 no need to be an ass
This is easily one of the best vids you've made so far man, and you almost always make bangers. I know understand exactly why a braised pork belly I made for ramen last year failed so miserably, and I'm looking forward to trying again after fixing some mistakes you pointed out for me.
On the upside, if you remember a bad dish from a year ago, your regular cooking must be good! 👍
Are you a real estate agent from Australia?
What did you do to fuck up?
Cooking meat to perfection is the best way to honor the animal that gave its life so we could live another day. Great video, thank you.
I never thought of that. And you’re totally right. No more half-assing for me!
The animal didn’t give its live…it was taken.
@@NoahMartin2000 Which one? :-)
@@NoahMartin2000 Ah! Got it.
@@Homer-OJ-Simpsonpeople think we controlled the evolution of our food but history and food science show that we ourselves evolved alongside our food
Braising and slow cooking are my favorite methods to cook for sure.
One day I had an exam in the morning, but also decided to make beef ribs that day. I woke up early, prepped and put the ribs in the oven, went to college and passed my exam, and then came back, finished the ribs and they were amazing!
Just because it takes 4 or 5 hours to cook it, doesn't mean you need to be there for those 4 or 5 hours (especially if you cook it in the oven).
A great trick when the braise is not done in time is to transfer the meat to a pressure cooker and let it cook under pressure for a half hour or so. The last few years, I've been making most of my braised dishes in the pressure cooker (a stovetop Fissler pressure cooker from Germany). I cook it with the nearly the normal amount of liquid, and after it's done, I let the juices reduce and concentrate. It turns out just as good as slow braising (often even better) in a fraction of the time.
My grandmother swore by her German stove top pressure cooker!! She was born there & was one tough cookie! Holy moly could she cook.
Being a home chef boils down to two fundamentals - sourcing ingredients and technique. This was an excellent video on technique. I love diving into the chemistry and physics, the understanding makes me a better cook. Thank you.
shut up!
Definitely the BEST explanation of a cooking method I've ever watched. So many chefs bypass the science of cooking. Understanding the science for a "science-head" like me, makes the education stick in my head and I will never need to read a braising recipe again..thanks!
wow man, your videos are so well produced there's no lacking information , a real master class on braising!
I just bought a huge half loin sirloin pork tenderloin cut of meat and was wondering about braising it, so amazing that you happened to put out this video. Then you stop in the middle to warn me not to braise my sirloin....it felt like you were talking directly at me. Thanks for that.
A really clear breakdown of what might occasionally go wrong with a cooking technique that everyone insists is super simple. I really like that you didn't tie your discussion to a single recipe but instead discussed the finer points of the technique itself. Your video has taken all of the "hit or miss" out of braising and given me an excellent practical understanding of the process to use as a base for experimentation. Really appreciate it! Thanks so much.
One of my favorite braised dishes is duck tacos. I use muscovy duck, which is leaner and tougher than a peking duck, and braise it similarly to how one would do carnitas. Crisp under the broiler and server with typical taco accoutrements.
You hit the perfect level of detail in this video. You got into the science of why braising works and then left us with practical pragmatic information.
Big science guy and I love how in depth you went on the science behind the braiding process. 10/10 🔥🔥🔥
Got to love how he always goes into the science of cooking. Another awesome video to help improve my cooking skills.
i've been slowly developing as a cook(being homeless without a kitchen is quite a hindrance on that end) but when i find successes i tend to find confirmation from people like you and adam ragusea to confirm for myself what i was doing right and to reinforce those good practices. you're doing the lord's work lad.
Proud of you buddy
You are homeless but have a PC or smart phone?
@@francostacy7675 yes
How are you doing now? Have your skills and home situation improved?
Ethan, just wanna say thanks for everything. I found your channel about a year ago when I was looking for whetstone tutorials, and slowly went down the rabbit hole of cooking and educational videos. My wife agreed to do most of the cooking this year, but after finding out we’re expecting our first, I took up the mantle again with a (much) pickier audience.
I’ve been getting better and have been trying new things every day in the kitchen, and I can’t thank you enough. ✊🏾
I've been skillet cooking, just dropped in a tri tip sirloin two pound roast, i seared it for two minutes each on all sides, now I've added water one cup to start, put lid on, now cooking @ 170 - 200 degrees, continue to cook on low heat for bout 3- hours for tenderness, u will have to add water as it evaporates, the last hour u add carrots & potatoes., In closing be patient for tenderness.! Enjoy!
Love your work Ethan - congrats on the success of the channel!!!
I would love it if you would cover either:
- the Confit method of cooking (especially a duck leg or chicken thigh confit recipe) or
- Middle Eastern cuisine, especially shawarma
Two quick ideas there. Keep up the great work and enjoy the holidays!!!
Perfect video for today. I was planning on making a red wine braised beef roast and this helped me avoid mistakes I’ve made in the last
Absolutely love your teaching style. Informative, straightforward, with not only instructions but the rationale for those instructions. Thanks so much. I’m doing the short ribs today for dinner tomorrow.
Great explanation of what is happening with this cooking technique. Personally, I have been experimenting with a cheap chuck roast and turning it into mouth-watering birria tacos. It is fairly easy to do, and the juice is worth its weight in gold!
Thank you so much for this video. VERY few people would be able to explain and understand these chemical processes and explanations, and this makes cooking much more interesting. Amazing video, Ethan - all the best!
Man, I love your channel. You do such a good job of explaining things and making it easy to understand, and approachable. Super happy I found this channel.
Pan sauces with this format would be a good idea next :)
Beyond its particular value on braising, obviously, this is pretty much a near-perfect instructional video. The steps are there, the pitfalls are listed, but it also extends the technique outward into the realm of possibility so you can use it freely and adapt it as you wish. Absolutely first rate, sir. Bravo.
This is wonderful! All week I have been thinking about trying braising for the first time but have been nervous about doing this right. After watching this I feel a lot more confident, and can't wait to start experimenting with a chuck roast this weekend.
This is funny because braising is the simplest, most fool-proof cooking method there is.
It's basically just boiling meat for a couple hours. You really can't screw it up. Literally every other cooking method is harder.
Have fun!
I used to braise only occasionally as it takes so long. Then I got an Instant Pot pressure cooker and now I do it all the time. My favorites are chuck roast, osso buco and I make pork ribs this way too. (I'd do beef ribs this way too, but they don't fit in my pot. All come out tender, juicy and flavorful. Hint: try using Guiness instead of water.
This is fantastic resource you've given us Ethan,thank you!
If possible could you make a video in the future about how to use a pressure cooker for making braised meats?
I've been trying my hand at it and it's quite promising but I've really appreciate some pointers.
Ethan you popped off on this one. Love the level of detail in these explanations and will enhance going back to watch the short rib video (just in time with them currently in the fridge).
This answered A LOT of my questions about past failures! Thanks!
So proud of you and the progression your channel has made
What an outstanding breakdown. Very thoughtful, mindful of the beginner, and well done.
Great job!
Absolutely loved this format, great content. Would love some more ideas as to ways to experiment flavor wise. Lamb shank in an Indian curry sauce, goat cut in some kind of Indian curry, pork butt in birria seasoning / chili’s, etc. Would be great to have even a follow up video or even a minute on the end that talks more about specific pairings that would make great meals using the cooking method. Anywho, Thanks for the awesome content
The thing I love the most about this channel is how much you get into the underlaying process so we can play with it.
I'm about 4 vids away from conquering TH-cam, and this is one of the best I've watched. Thank you
I love the science aspect you bring together with the practicalities. I've watched several of your videos, and they are all great!
Cosmic alignment! I have 2 lamb necks to braise today. Never did lamb necks before and watching your video this morning gives me more confidence
serendipity.
Hi Ethan. Thanks for this video. I am an engineer and a science guy at heart but I love the kitchen. Always fascinating to get behind the physics, chemistry, and in some cases biology of what works in the kitchen. I am also a big hunter, so given that game meat typically is lower in fat (especially venison, but also in feral hogs) and generally tougher than equivalent farm-raised cuts, braising is my biggest go-to. My favorite is to take a whole venison neck braised with stout beer-based braising liquid. I use a standard mirepoix (celery, carrots, onion, garlic). Between the big neck bones and all the connective tissue on the neck, you get a wonderful sauce with deep, rich flavor. Absolute favorite in my family!
From Cork, Ireland...I will do exactly what you say....Beamish stout of course, being Older, better and from Cork!
Amazing content as always. You help us all raise our cooking game, thank you!
I never thought cooking had so much science behind it… I usually kinda just throw stuff in my pan and hope for the best 😂
Thankfully a lot of it happens without us really needing to think about it, but I find it super interesting to understand what's going on because you'll start to see all these similarities across techniques, cuisines, etc which is great for making more informed decisions as we cook!
Facts
You can do great cooking without knowing the science. Where knowing the science comes in handy is when you get thrown a curve ball (can’t find an ingredient, grill isn’t getting up to temp, etc.) and you have to figure out how to fix on the fly.
I keep learning something new from each of your vids Ethan. Thanks very much for the tips. This will certainly help me fix the issues I've had with braising. Cheers.
this is such a crucial step in good cooking, thanks for the clear break-down of why it is so necessary. Very good content.
Always love the vids Ethan, you’re definitely one of the best food channels on youtube!! Keep up the outstanding work!!
I lived in and near Switzerland for over 30 years and braising was a big deal there. You’ve explained it so well here. One thing we used to braise was breast of veal - sometimes with a stuffing inside. It was very inexpensive, but tasted divine.
Really nice! In Germany, we grow up with braising. I learned it from my (grand)mother and never had trouble. Now I know why. Thank you!
As always thanks for a super informative video you put in all the research and break it down excellently to make it very understandable
I love learning about the science behind cooking! Thanks for making entertaining and educating content.
Thank you for the informative science and excellent tips Ethan!!🙌🏼 We braise a Persian dish with chicken thighs, onion, tomato paste, saffron, garlic, turmeric, water or chicken stock and serve with basmati rice. So delish!!😋
So helpful. Everybody should watch this before braising. Thanks
Excellent. I can't wait to try out these tips.
Made some braised short ribs because of your video last month. They were absolutely perfect.
I made the pickled red onions and they turned out killer! gonna have to try some other recipes from the channel! love the content my man
I always learn new things from your videos Ethan which definitely expanded my cooking knowledge!
Great, concise video. I've made all the mistakes, oddly enough when following the recipes I used to the letter. I am excited to try again following the instructions in your video!
Really good video!
I really like explanations about how things work like this. Then we understand better what's going on and how to do things better.
I had no idea what braising actually was until now - even though my mother's braised beef was one of my favourite dishes.
Thanks for the great tips. I definitely need to use more liquid the next time. My favorites braising dishes are either an italian osso bucco or the typical german Beef Roast, a chuck roast with onions, carrots and maybe some celery as aromatics and red wine and broth as liquid with red cabbage and bread dumplings on the side - and some even marinade the beef in vinegar for a few days before to turn it into Sauerbraten
This an several other your videos actually inspired me to braise the beef (I was only eating chickens or pork for the past years). And the taste + texture are incredible, not to mention very small time investment comparing to the amount of meat for the week. Thank you!
Also I did it in a rise cooker, if someone is interested, it works like a charm. It has lower electricity consumption comparing to oven or stove
My favourite braise is inspired by carnitas. pork shoulder, a paste of chilli cumin garlic oregano chipotles in adobo, and then some oranges and stock or water and cola or molasses for the liquid. It's easier to manage than having to confit a whole pork roast in lard and you can make a delicious taco sauce with the leftover braising liquid
Thanks. I use a slow cooker but never really understood what braising really is so I am looking forward to doing it.
Thank you. You’re a food chemist !!! Learned tons !!!
The big Chleblowski for the win. Love the video. I have been a chef for a pretty long time (ugh I'm old) and this is one of the better braising videos I've seen. Comprehensive and engaging and it made me hungry.
Time. I always think I can do it with less time. Thanks for the highly helpful instructions. I'll take a whack at brisket this weekend.
Fabulous video. Well explained and fairly complete. Personally, I will normally sous vide all my tough cuts then sear before serving. This works well for me, particularly with beef short ribs
I wish I had known this years ago when I made braised dishes rather often. Thanks! Loved this!
Very informative, Ethan. Thank-you. I didn't connect the dots between cooking a brisket, which I've become quite good with, and braising a chuck roast. I enjoy cooking for my family and they're very patient with my experiments. Christmas? Braised short ribs, on mashed potatoes, with a side of confidence.
Merry Christmas.
Very informative video on braising with a lot of important reminders. Thanks.
My favourite baise ? Many, but recently-Peposo (Tuscan Beef Stew) served over polenta.
It would be interesting to see a video about every way to fail an emulsion. I have been struggling with cacio e pepe and other cheese sauces and would love to see visuals that would explain why I ended up with glue instead of a sauce
I second this
if your sauce is clumping up, add some of the starchy water from the water you boiled your pasta in, extremely good pro tip i learned from kenji j lopez-alt, might want to look into it yourself though i suck at cooking
Add some of the leftover pasta water a bit at a time and stir/mix until the lumps are gone.
My two favourite braising cuts are oxtail and veal osso buco. Had the latter tonight for dinner with creamy mashed potatoes and gremolata… heavenly. Great video mate! Cheers from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
Hehe, I totally can relate to the same day roast/braise. I always underestimate the time needed to actually get started. Will make sure to make it a day ahead in the future.
Now I know where I went wrong with a venison hind quarter! Thank you. I will try it again, ahead of time, and use your information.
I have made brisket once and it came out perfect. It was considerably more simple too.
I prepared a fail wrapping for the meat, there was an overlap where I would eventually fold the two sided over twice to seal the meat and etc.
I sat the meat in this foil “boat” sealing the ends.
Then Input a heap of sliced onion on top, thin strips, sliced pole to pole. The pile of onions was almost as large as the meat.
I held the top of the foil up so it was ready to seal and added lots of L&P Worschesterahire sauce, sealed it up, then placed it in the oven. I cooked that at 250F(110C off the top of my head) for hours and hours. I was in no hurry.
Simple was good. It tasted like I had done much more.
Ethan your content gets better and better every time!
YOU ARE A GODSEND. I enjoy the other cooking channels on TH-cam for different reasons. One of my biggest reasons I keep coming back here is I get to learn about food. I’m not the type to not press the red button just because you told me not to, I need a reason why! You give me that “why” and “how” and it is turning me into a very good cook and I am so grateful for you! Please never stop. Do you have a patreon?
You are my favorite food TH-camr, thank you for sharing your experience!
I loved this video, truly one of my favorites. What about a video on dough hydration 101 and what it means.
This was such a good video. Thank you so much! I just bought a Staub Dutch oven and can’t wait to try it out!
Just discovered this video a few weeks after trying to braise beef short ribs for the second time. I definitely made more than one mistake on this list. The end result was OK - nothing to complain about - but it was disappointing to spend that amount of time and money and get an average dish. This definitely motivates me to get back at it and correct my mistakes. I love the part at the end about experimenting with the flavor profile as well. Good stuff!
the best video ive seen about meats. thank you for sharing sir
Great video Ethan. Always love your content. Thanks for sharing.
Best brazing tip: before you go to sleep, sear your meat and aromatics, pour in liquid, bring to simmer, put in oven on 80°C = 175 F. Go to sleep and after 8 to 10 hours you have lunch prepared. No need for containers. Never was dry or overcooked. Before lunch I just take the meat out of liquid and reduce the sauce.
Grandmas old tip was to prepare this and go to bed. Low and slow is always the trick.
Thank you for the excellent video. Informative, thorough and organized. Well done !
Jewish style beef brisket slow braised in the crockpot for twelve hours (give or take). Not only was the meat itself one of the best things I've ever made the sauce (which was kind of sweet/savory almost BBQ sauce but not smoky) was amazing. I was putting it on almost everything for a week after the brisket itself was gone.
Thanks for clearing that up!
I'm starting to think that Ethan has cameras in my kitchen. Every time I make something and I think "I need to learn more about this process" or "I want to learn how to make XXX" he makes a video on it. Braised some chicken on Monday (video posted 2 days later), did some deep frying two days before the deep frying video, and he made a video about ramen the day after I was lazy and made some instant ramen and thought "Man I wish I could make better ramen!" Please keep answering my questions before I ask them!
Love this vid! I come back to it whenever I'm braising something. I have this tradition of making red wine braised ox/beef cheeks for new years, I think cheeks is the ULTIMATE braising cut since it's high in collagen and it retains moisture really well, it's also less fatty than some other cuts which in my world just makes for a better sauce. When braising my secret weapon is port wine or madeira and about a bottle or so of good red wine, the port or madeira adds bit of sweetness. Roughly cut celery, carrots, shallot onions, silver onions, garlic, bay leaf's and thyme. I also use home made reduced demi-glace.
I will strain out all the veggies, reduce the sauce as needed serve with mashed potatoes.
The dry brine is a must do step, I'm a sucker for Le Cruset their enameled cast iron pans are made for this. If you're using wine or tomato based braising liquid do not do it in a black cast iron pan, the acids in the liquids aren't good for the pan.
Amazing video. I’m going to use this and make my own venison shank recipe this Sunday.
Nicely done sir! Well thought out and thoroughly explained.
Bro you are a legend. Very very well presented and delivered.
This video has directly improved my cooking - hugely interesting.
Super helpful, thank you so much!
Thank you for all these valuable tips !
Just the answers I was seeking. ✔✔✔✔
Thanks, I find this a very helpful guide. There is a Korean style of braise that does not call for browning. Rather, one blanches first (yes, blanch, in water). Look for galbi jjim recipes. I recently made Maangchi's version for my family and we all agreed it was delicious...moist, flavorful, great texture. I did take an extra step and chilled the cooked meat for a few hours before reheating in the broth.
My sister and I were having this conversation just yesterday. How is something cooked in liquid dry? Excellent video, thank you.
Great explanations man
This was the perfect video for this format. Bravo sir
Been looking to improve my family's Sunday Gravy recipe. The base flavors are always good but they only use ground beef and ground pork. This video will help me introduce better cuts, like short ribs into the sauce for braising which will make it incredible. Thank you, Ethan 🙏🏼