Food

33 Braised Meat Recipes to Turn a House Into a Home

Nothing beats a tender braise on a cold day

By SAVEUR Editors

Updated: January 24, 2018

When the temperatures drop and snow starts to fall, we're in full-on braise mode. We'll braise anything, from chicken to beef to venison, and it's great every way. Browning meat before simmering it in a little liquid—usually some combination of wine, beer, and flavorful stock—gives incredibly tender, moist, and flavorful results. It works as well for slow-cooked roasts as it does for a quick weeknight meal of chicken in mustard sauce. Here, our favorite recipes for braised meats.

Braised Pork Belly (Wang Choy Chow Sau) — Braised Pork Belly (Wang Choy Chow Sau)Pork belly is rendered spoon-tender after a long braise with ginger, cloves, cumin, fennel, and star anise. Its cooking liquid can be reduced into a thick, fragrant sauce. Get the recipe for Braised Pork Belly »Ingalls Photography

German Braised Beef Rolls (Rouladen) — In this version of the German classic, thinly pounded beef is smeared with whole-grain mustard; rolled with bacon, onion, and pickle spears; and then braised until tender. Get the recipe for German Braised Beef Rolls »Landon Nordeman

Chettinad Pepper Chicken (Koli Milagu Masala) — This richly spiced chicken dish is adapted from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's classic Flavors of India (West 175 Publishing, 1995). According to Jaffrey, "What gives this a very special southern flavor is the use of fennel seeds, curry leaves, and, of course, the pulse (legume) urad dal. This is definitely a dish you will want to make very frequently." We couldn't agree more. Get the recipe for Chettinad Pepper Chicken »Ingalls Photography

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Peach-Braised Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Dijon-Peach Spread — Canned peaches melt deliciously into the braise for the pork shoulder in these satisfying sandwiches. Get the recipe for Peach-Braised Pulled Pork Sandwiches »James Roper

Honey-Braised Lamb Shanks (Mrouzia) — Lamb shanks are braised for hours in a sumptuous sauce of honey, almonds, and raisins in this centuries-old Moroccan dish served at the restaurant Mansouria. Get the recipe for Honey-Braised Lamb Shanks »Landon Nordeman

Mexican Braised Spare Ribs with Squash and Corn — Braise pork ribs with a homey, vegetable-rich sauce with a touch of heat, and use the leftovers for tacos. This is a classic recipe from Mexican cooking sage Josefina Velázquez de León. Get the recipe for Mexican Braised Spare Ribs with Squash and Corn »Matt Taylor-Gross

Lamb Shanks in Red Wine with Creamy Eggplant — A creamy eggplant purée, enriched with béchamel and Gruyère cheese serves as a bed for meltingly tender lamb shanks, slow-braised in red wine and aromatics. Get the recipe for Lamb Shanks in Red Wine with Creamy Eggplant »Christina Holmes | Food Styling: Eugene Jho

Beef Braised with Tomatoes and Cloves, Garofolato — In this classic Roman braise, lean cuts of veal or beef are slow-cooked in a tomato sauce enriched with red wine and perfumed by whole cloves. Get the recipe for Beef Braised with Tomatoes and Cloves »Andrea Wyner

Green Chicken and White Bean Chili — This rich tomatillo- and green chile-based stew cooks much faster than versions made with red meat, but tastes like it cooked all day. Get the recipe for Green Chicken and White Bean Chili »Joseph De Leo

Hungarian Braised Beef with Paprika (Pörkölt) — Known everywhere—except in Hungary—as goulash, this stew is made with a generous amount of paprika and cook down until the meat is fork-tender. Get the recipe for Hungarian Braised Beef with Paprika »Matt Taylor-Gross

Braised Venison Shoulder with Mushroom Pierogi — Venison is prominent on the holiday menus of many hunters because deer season coincides with late fall. Chef Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery in New Orleans braises venison shoulder in wine and serves it with mushroom pierogi, an homage to his mother, who has Polish roots. Get the recipe for Braised Venison Shoulder with Mushroom Pierogi »Christina Holmes

Braised Oxtail with Butter Beans — Oxtail, a tough cut of meat, becomes meltingly tender when braised in this traditional Jamaican dish, served with Coconut Rice and Red Beans, which soak up all the flavorful pan juices. Get the recipe for Braised Oxtail with Butter Beans »Matt Taylor-Gross

Braised Beef Stew with Garlic Cream — The silky garlic cream sauce at Las Cabras, Juan Pablo Mellado Arana's restaurant in Santiago, Chile, adds a welcome zing to this rich stew, but is also a great condiment in its own right—served with fries, slathered on sandwich bread, or spooned over meats. Get the recipe for Braised Beef Stew with Garlic Cream »Justin Walker

Braised Brisket Burgers with Pimento Cheese — Brisket is braised in stout, bourbon, and soy sauce in these spicy pimento cheese-topped sliders from Edward Lee, executive chef at 610 Magnolia in Louisville, KY. Get the recipe for Braised Brisket Burgers with Pimento Cheese »Matt Taylor-Gross

Carnitas Tacos (Michoacán-Style Braised Pork Tacos) — At the Viva Taco bus in Turlock, Silvestre Valencia adds jalapeño pickling liquid to the pork braise, which tenderizes the meat and keeps it from drying out. Get the recipe for Carnitas Tacos »Saveur

Shanghai Red-Braised Pork with Eggs — Two types of soy sauce and a touch of sugar give this dish—beloved throughout China—its signature glossiness and a deep red-brown tint. Serve the tender pork belly morsels and boiled eggs with a light vegetable, like bok choy. Get the recipe for Shanghai Red-Braised Pork with Eggs »Yuki Sugiura

braised beef shank with radishes and flaxseed relish — A low and slow braise is the best way to transform tough cuts of meat into fork-tender morsels. This version, made with a crosscut whole beef shank, is cooked in white wine and rich homemade beef bouillon layered with vegetables and aromatics for added complexity. Crunchy roasted radishes and a funky flaxseed, herb, and vinegar relish balance the pot roast's richness with acidity and texture. Get the recipe for The Ultimate Pot Roast »Heami Lee

Kashmiri Lamb in Chile Sauce (Mirchi Qorma) — Tender lamb simmers in a fiery sauce in this recipe from Adhoo's in Srinagar, Kashmir. Get the recipe for Kashmiri Lamb »Ingalls Photography

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) — Chicken is braised in a brick-red sauce of sweet paprika and chicken stock in our version of a classic Hungarian dish. Get the recipe for Chicken Paprikash »Todd Coleman

Telangana-Style Curried Chicken Stew — Carved out of ten former districts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangan officially became India's 29th state in June 2014. For this eponymous dish from Telangana home cook Padma Reddy, the skin is removed from the chicken to allow the flavors of the marinade—coconut, lime, garlic, ginger, cardamom, mace and more—to penetrate. Get the recipe for Telangana-Style Curried Chicken Stew »Ingalls Photography

Crispy Pork Belly with Persimmons — Lovely persimmons aren't just for salads and desserts. We also like to cook them in savory dishes, including this crispy pork belly simmered with miso, honey, and sake. Get the recipe for Crispy Pork Belly with Persimmons »Andre Baranowski

Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo (Adobong Tadyang) — Whole garlic cloves perfume the braise for this tangy beef dish from Marvin Gapultos' The Adobo Road Cookbook (Tuttle, 2013). Get the recipe for Filipino Beef Short Ribs Adobo »Romulo Yanes

Chickpea Stew with Lamb, Pork, and Veal (Cozido de Grão) — Chickpeas are bolstered with spicy sausage and three kinds of meat in a filling stew served at País das Uvas in Vila de Frades, Portugal. Get the recipe for Chickpea Stew with Lamb, Pork, and Veal »Todd Coleman

Hunter's Wife Chicken (Pollo alla Cacciatora) — The recipe for this stew, a northern Italian braise of chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce, is adapted from Marcella Hazan's book Essentials of Italian Cooking (Knopf, 1992). Get the recipe for Hunter's Wife Chicken »Ingalls Photography

Braised Pork and Clams (Porco à Alentejana) — For this dish, pork and fresh clams are braised in an aromatic mixture of wine, tomato, and red pepper paste. Get the recipe for Braised Pork and Clams »Todd Coleman

Mustard and White Wine Braised Chicken — This adaptation of a regional French classic swaps out the traditional Dijon in favor of a grainy, seeded mustard. Get the recipe for Mustard and White Wine Braised Chicken »Helen Rosner

Braised Rabbit with Mushrooms and Celery Root — Wild rabbit, a favorite among hunters in Kansas, is braised in beer and chicken stock to make an autumnal main dish. Get the recipe for Braised Rabbit with Mushrooms and Celery Root »James Oseland

Braised Pork Roast with Root Vegetables (Schweineschmor-braten mit Rübengemüse) — Juniper berries and caraway seeds give braised pork a floral, woodsy flavor. Wrapping it in bacon keeps the meat moist. Get the recipe for Braised Pork Roast with Root Vegetables »Todd Coleman

Coq au Vin (Chicken in Wine Sauce) — This wine-enhanced chicken braise dotted with pearl onions and button mushrooms is as simple to prepare as it is elegant to serve. Get the recipe for Coq au Vin »Maxime Iattoni

Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade) — Unlike French beef stews made with wine, carbonnade—a Flemish stew—relies on the deep, dark flavor of Belgian abbey-style beer. But what really gives the dish its distinctive character is the addition of brown sugar and cider vinegar, a sweet-sour combination that plays beautifully against the caramelized onions and rich beer. Get the recipe for Flemish Beef and Beer Stew »Barbara Ries

Beef Brisket and Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas — Tender, braised beef brisket is combined with raisins, sherry, pine nuts, and spicy chile powder in the fragrant filling for sugar-dusted, savory-sweet empanadas. Get the recipe for Beef Brisket and Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas »Penny De Los Santos

Doro Wot (Ethiopian Chicken Stew) — Spiced butter and an Ethiopian spice mix called Berbere are the secret to this long-cooking Ethiopian braised chicken dish. Get the recipe for Doro Wot (Ethiopian Chicken Stew) »Todd Coleman

Beef Rendang — Instead of searing the meat before cooking it in liquid, as is done with a Western-style braise, beef rendang reverses the process. Slowly simmering beef chuck with Indonesian spice paste, coconut milk, and lemongrass yields an amazingly tender, rich dish that's great with both white rice or crusty bread. Get the recipe for Beef Rendang »James Oseland

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