Braising and roasting meat: butter-soft and juicy inside
Which cuts to braise and which to roast, why tough beef only turns tender after 2–3 hours, how much liquid to use, how to roast meat to within a degree, why it needs to rest and how to slice it so it never seems dry.
Two kinds of meat — two methods
Meat is either tender or tough, and that decides how to cook it. Tender cuts (fillet, loin, chicken breast, sirloin) come from muscles that did little work: they have little connective tissue. They're cooked quickly to the right temperature — fried or roasted hot. Braise them for hours and they dry out.
Tough cuts (shoulder, neck, shin, brisket, beef cheeks, chicken thighs) are hard-working muscles full of collagen. Cooked quickly, they're rubbery. But with long heating in liquid, collagen turns into gelatine — the meat becomes soft, juicy and falls into shreds on its own.
- Braise: beef chuck, brisket, shin, cheeks; pork neck and shoulder, ribs; lamb shoulder; chicken thighs and drumsticks.
- Roast or fry: fillet, sirloin, rib-eye, rib roast, pork loin, chicken breast, whole chicken.
What happens during braising
Collagen starts to break down from around 70 °C, but slowly — it takes hours. Meanwhile the muscle fibres contract and lose juice. So in the first hour the meat gets tougher than it was, and many people decide it "won't braise" and give up. Keep going: after 2 hours the collagen becomes gelatine, which soaks back into the fibres, and the meat softens.
The main rule is a gentle heat. A rolling boil (100 °C) squeezes juice out of the fibres faster than the collagen dissolves, and the meat ends up dry and stringy even while swimming in sauce. The liquid should barely tremble — 85–95 °C.
Braising: step by step
- Cut the meat into large 4–5 cm pieces: small ones dry out. Pat dry with kitchen paper and salt — 1 tsp per 1 kg.
- Brown in a heavy casserole over high heat in small batches, so the pieces don't touch, to a deep brown crust. That gives 80% of the dish's flavour.
- Remove the meat and, in the same fat, cook onion, carrot, garlic and 1 tbsp tomato paste.
- Deglaze: pour in 100–150 ml wine, stock or water and scrape up everything stuck to the bottom — it's concentrated flavour.
- Return the meat and add liquid to half or two-thirds of the way up the meat, but don't cover it completely.
- Cover with a lid and braise on the lowest heat or in the oven at 150–160 °C.
How long to braise
Times are a guide: check with a fork. Done meat is easily pierced and starts to separate into fibres when pressed. If it resists, give it another 20–30 minutes.
- Beef (chuck, brisket): 2.5–3 hours.
- Beef cheeks, shin: 3–4 hours.
- Pork neck, shoulder: 1.5–2 hours.
- Pork ribs: 1.5–2 hours.
- Lamb shoulder: 2–2.5 hours.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks: 40–60 minutes.
Roasting: salt first
Dry brining is the best way to make roast meat juicy. Salt the meat 12–24 hours ahead: 1% of its weight (10 g per 1 kg), and leave it on a rack in the fridge uncovered. First the salt draws out juice, then the juice dissolves the salt and is reabsorbed, and the proteins hold more moisture. A dry surface also browns better.
No time? Salt just before it goes in the oven. The worst is 10–40 minutes ahead: the salt has drawn moisture to the surface but hasn't had time to pull it back in.
Take the meat out of the fridge 30–60 minutes before roasting (1–2 hours for a large joint) so it cooks evenly.
A thermometer: the only precise way
Recipe times are just a guide: joints vary in thickness and ovens heat differently. A probe thermometer costs about as much as one good piece of meat and ends dry or raw meat for good. Insert the probe into the thickest part, away from the bone.
- Beef: rare 50–52 °C, medium rare 54–57 °C, medium 60–63 °C, well done 68–70 °C.
- Pork: 63 °C is juicy and safe (with a 3-minute rest); up to 70 °C is firmer.
- Chicken: breast 70–74 °C, thighs 80–85 °C (dark meat needs more heat to turn tender).
- Mince (burgers, meatloaf): at least 71 °C.
- Lamb: 57–63 °C pink, 70 °C well done.
High and low temperature
The classic method is high heat (200–220 °C). The crust forms fast, but the outside overheats more than the middle, leaving a grey band of overcooked meat around the pink centre.
The reverse sear gives a more even result. Roast at 110–130 °C until 5–7 °C below the target temperature, then sear 1–2 minutes per side in a very hot pan or blast in a 250 °C oven for 8–10 minutes for the crust. The meat will be evenly pink edge to edge.
Roast a whole chicken at 200 °C for about 40–45 minutes per kilo. For crisp skin, dry it and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Resting: don't cut straight away
Fresh from the oven, the juices inside are under pressure and concentrated in the centre. Cut immediately and they run out onto the board, leaving the meat dry. While it rests, the temperature evens out, the fibres relax and the juices spread through the joint.
A steak or chicken breast rests 5 minutes, a 1–2 kg roast 10–15 minutes, a whole chicken or turkey 15–20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil, not tightly, or the steam will soften the crust.
Slicing: against the grain
Look at the meat: you'll see parallel lines — the muscle fibres. Cut across them. Each slice then contains short lengths of fibre and chews easily. Cut along them and the fibres stay long, and even perfectly cooked meat will seem tough.
The tougher the cut, the thinner you slice: brisket and flank 3–5 mm, roast beef 5–10 mm. Use a long sharp knife and cut in one stroke, don't saw.
Questions and answers
Why is my braise tough after 2 hours?＋
Either it boiled too hard or it needs more time. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer and keep going, checking every 20–30 minutes.
Do I need to brown meat before braising?＋
For flavour, yes: the crust gives a deep, roasted taste and colours the sauce. For tenderness, no. In a hurry you can skip it, but the dish will be plainer.
Can I braise in a slow cooker?＋
Yes — the stew or slow setting gives the gentle heat you need. Use less liquid, since it barely evaporates in a slow cooker.
How do I roast chicken without a dry breast?＋
Go by the breast temperature — 70–72 °C — then rest the bird. You can also roast it breast-side down for the first 30 minutes, then turn it over.
How long does braised meat keep?＋
3–4 days in the fridge covered, up to 3 months frozen — with its sauce so it doesn't dry out.
More kitchen secrets
Sushi and rolls at home: restaurant-style rice, fillings and safe fish
Which rice to use and how to rinse it, the water ratio and seasoned vinegar, how to cool rice properly. How to roll maki and inside-out rolls that don't fall apart, which fish is safe raw, fillings without raw fish, baked rolls and storage.
Read the articleHow to assemble a cake at home: level layers, soaking syrup, smooth sides and drips
How to cut a sponge into even layers, how much soaking syrup each layer needs, why to pipe a dam and do a crumb coat, how to smooth a cake with a scraper, how much frosting a 20 cm cake needs, how to make chocolate drips, stack a tall cake and transport it in one piece.
Read the articleHomemade ice cream without a machine: rich vanilla, sorbet and banana ice cream
Two-ingredient ice cream with condensed milk, a classic custard-based vanilla, why ice crystals form and how to prevent them, sorbet with the right amount of sugar, frozen-banana ice cream, ice lollies and storage tips.
Read the article