Braising

Braising isn't something I have done very often.  The selling point for braising is that you can make a delicious meal from a very inexpensive cut of meat.  The down side is that it is not quick and if you mess it up, you get a dry inedible chunk of meat and wasted time.

So, let's cut to the chase.

1) Buy a cheap cut of red meat.

2) Spice the meat (salt and pepper at least)

3) Start on the top of the stove with a hot pan.  Add some oil and sear the meat until you get a nice crust on the outside.  

4) Cut the heat, add enough stock to cover half the meat and cover the pot almost all of the way.

5) Put it in a cold oven and turn the heat to 250F (121C) and leave it in the oven for 2-3 hours.

6) When the temperature reaches between 170F-180F (77C-82C) degrees, turn the temperature down to about 200F and leave it there for another hour or so.

7) Enjoy

You can also add vegetables and other flavorings while cooking to give you a full meal at the end.  Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and onions work well.

You can use almost any kind of liquid, wine, broth, stock, water.  

You can use almost any spices you like.

If you add a bit of flour to the oil and meat as you cook them, it will thicken up the liquid to make something closer to a gravy than an au jus.

How long you cook the meat is less important that it not get over 180F (82C).  

Don't fully cover the pot in the oven.  The evaporation of the liquid is important to regulating the temperature of the meat.