ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › Holding braised meat while reducing braising liquid?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Holding braised meat while reducing braising liquid?

post #1 of 8
3/17/11 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 

One contestant on top chef was making a braise. At the end he took the meat out and reduced the braising liquid to make a sauce.

 

When the jury tasted his dish they all said the meat was dry. Tom Colicchio told the contestant he should never take braised meat out of its braising liquid, which makes the meat dry.

 

If you  can't take meat out of the braising liquid, and yet the braising liquid needs to be reduced to make a sauce... how do you hold the meat?

 

So far what I've done is I've kept a little bit of the braising liquid in a pot with the meat while I reduce the rest of the liquid... but there's barely enough liquid in the meat pot to keep the meat truly moist, and that also means I'm left with that much less sauce....


Edited by French Fries - 3/17/11 at 9:38am
Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

The Making of a Chef Innovator, without the Pomp
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
post #2 of 8
3/17/11 at 11:39am

You don't have to rest it wet. It was probably just not properly cooked in the first place.

more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
Reply
post #3 of 8
3/17/11 at 3:04pm
Thread Starter 

OK so you don't mind reserving the meat without any juices? I thought I remembered Tom Colicchio saying that a braised meat should never be allowed to rest outside of its cooking liquid. Maybe I heard that wrong?

 

Thanks Phatch.

Reply
post #4 of 8
3/17/11 at 3:14pm

That might be his opinion. And I've done it both ways, just depends what I'm doing next in the kitchen rather than a hard and fast rule.

more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
Reply
post #5 of 8
3/17/11 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 

OK Thanks.

Reply
post #6 of 8
3/17/11 at 8:05pm

According to McGee, letting a braised item rest in the braising liquid will allow it to reabsorb some of the liquid it lost during cooking, but I doubt that it's enough to save an improperly cooked item. In the case of the topchef episode with the inherent time constraints, the chef probably hurried it and let the braise get too hot too fast. Letting a braise go too long can have the same effect as well.

 

To do a reduction, let the meat rest in the liquid, then take it out while you're doing the reduction. Just before the reduction is done, drop it back in for a little bit to reheat. Take it out, then finish your sauce.

Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
Reply
post #7 of 8
3/17/11 at 10:05pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks Greg, that's good info to know. I hadn't thought about first letting the meat rest in its liquid for a bit, so it can reabsorb some of its juices. I'll try that.

Reply
post #8 of 8
3/21/11 at 4:29pm

I agree, let the meat rest in the juices before removing it and if time permits, let it cool a little too. Steaming hot meat will dry very quickly out of it's braising liquor.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Food & Cooking

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

The Making of a Chef Innovator, without the Pomp
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › Holding braised meat while reducing braising liquid?