Ordinary Braisings

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4 to 5-quart heavy cocotte or Dutch oven that closely fits the roast
• •Long narrow boning knife and clean ½-inch metal skewer or sturdy chopstick
• •Butcher's twine
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Tongs and ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the larding fat

   Toss the chilled back-fat strips with the brandy, parsley, nutmeg, half the pepper, and half the quatre-épices. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Keep the strips straight and very cold, because firm fat passes through the meat cleanly while warm fat buckles and smears.

2. 2

   Lard and marinate

   Season the beef all over with the salt and remaining pepper and quatre-épices. Make evenly spaced channels through the length of the roast with a long narrow knife, widen each gently with a clean ½-inch skewer or chopstick, then push in the seasoned fat. If a strip bunches, withdraw it and chill it again rather than tearing a larger tunnel. Scatter half the carrots and onions in a close-fitting dish, add the beef, garlic, bouquet garni, and bacon rind prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273), then cover with the remaining vegetables. Pour over the cold Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), cover, and refrigerate for six hours, turning the beef three or four times.

3. 3

   Drain and dry

   Lift out the beef and let it drain over a bowl for thirty minutes. Strain and reserve every drop of marinade, keeping the vegetables and other aromatics separately, then dry the beef thoroughly with a clean cloth or paper towels. A wet roast cannot brown. The used marinade is safe only after the hard reduction that follows, so don't taste it cold.

4. 4

   Brown without burning

   Heat the clarified butter in a heavy cocotte that only just holds the roast. Brown the beef briskly on every surface, including the ends, until it wears a deep Maillard bronze, then lift it out. Brown the drained carrots and onions in the same fat, stirring so every cut face takes colour. Do not practice pinçage by leaving raw vegetables to scorch beneath the meat. If the fond turns black or smells acrid, wipe out the pot and begin again with fresh clarified butter; burnt bitterness does not improve during four hours of cooking.

5. 5

   Build the braising base

   Lay the bacon slices over the browned beef, tie them securely with butcher's twine, and settle the roast over the browned vegetables. Add the garlic, bouquet garni, and bacon rind. Pour in the reserved marinade and boil briskly with the lid off until the liquid becomes a syrupy glaze around the meat. Watch the last few minutes closely. If the glaze catches at the edge, lower the heat and loosen it immediately with two tablespoons of consommé; ça se rattrape before it burns.

6. 6

   Braise the first phase

   Pour in just enough hot Ordinary or White Consommé (No. 1) to cover the beef. A close-fitting cocotte keeps this quantity short and strong; bones would only demand a larger pot and more liquid, while yielding little in the time the beef needs. Bring the liquor to a boil, cover, and place in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about two hours. The first phase is complete when a thin skewer reaches the centre without releasing red juices, though the meat will still resist.

7. 7

   Strain and continue

   Lift the beef into a bowl. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth, pressing nothing, then discard the exhausted vegetables, rind, garlic, and bouquet garni. Wipe the cocotte clean and return the beef and strained liquor to it. A brigade transferred everything to a second clean pan; a bowl, a sieve, and the same wiped cocotte accomplish the same clear result at home.

8. 8

   Baste to tenderness

   Return the cocotte to the oven with its lid slightly ajar and continue braising for one and a half to two hours. Turn the roast and baste it every thirty minutes as the liquor falls below its surface. This attention is the dish, not ceremony: an exposed patch dries while the rest grows tender. If the meat remains firm when the clock says it should be done, add a small ladle of consommé, cover, and continue in twenty-minute intervals. Ça se rattrape. The beef is ready only when a skewer passes through without resistance.

9. 9

   Finish the short gravy

   Lift the beef out and keep it loosely covered. Strain the cooking liquor once more, let it stand for five minutes, and skim away the clear fat from the surface. Return the liquor to the cocotte and whisk in the hot Thickened Gravy (No. 41) a few spoonfuls at a time, using only enough to give the sauce a light coating consistency. Simmer briefly. If it runs like broth, reduce it; if it becomes heavy, loosen it with Ordinary or White Consommé (No. 1). The finished gravy should be short, substantial, and glossy, not floury or abundant.

10. 10

    Rest slice and serve

    Rest the beef for fifteen minutes, remove the twine and bacon covering, then slice it across the grain. Repeated oven glazing belongs to a whole joint presented intact; because this roast is sliced before serving, that labour would polish a surface immediately cut away. Arrange the slices generously, spoon over the hot gravy, and pass the rest at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a compact beef rump or bottom-round roast with an even grain. This preparation was designed for mature, lean beef rather than a tender roasting cut; the larding supplies what the meat lacks, and the long braise handles the muscle.
• •Pork back fat is not streaky bacon. Ask the butcher for long, clean pieces and keep them very cold. The original proportion is three ounces of fat per pound of beef, preserved here exactly, because a lean rump needs that protection through prolonged cooking.
• •Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) is a finished component despite its title. Use it cold and measure it at one-quarter imperial pint per pound of beef, which scales here to 1½ cups. Its own preparation remains in its own recipe.
• •The cocotte matters more than its pedigree. It should hold the roast closely enough that a modest amount of Ordinary or White Consommé (No. 1) covers it. Adding bones to the braise only forces you into a larger pot with weaker liquor; they cannot surrender their full gelatin and savour before the meat is done.
• •Serve with pommes purée or buttered noodles, something quiet that catches the gravy. A supple, fresh red such as Beaujolais-Villages has enough acidity for the larded beef without bullying the sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin the larding fat eight and a half hours before cooking: two hours in brandy and seasonings, six hours for the larded beef in its marinade, then thirty minutes to drain. Longer is not better because the finished marinade contains enough acidity to alter the meat's surface.
• •The finished braise improves overnight. Cool the beef and sauce promptly in separate shallow containers, cover, and refrigerate for up to three days. The set fat lifts cleanly from the sauce the next day.
• •To reheat, return the sliced or whole beef to its gravy, cover, and warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven until heated through. If the sauce has tightened in the cold, loosen it with a spoonful of Ordinary or White Consommé (No. 1).

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)