Braised Meat Recipes - Cooking Light

Photo: John Autry

Healthy Braised Meat Recipes

A braising pot is a heavy slow cooker without a plug: In go tough, inexpensive cuts of meat, such as beefy short ribs or bone-in chicken thighs, and out come melt-in-your-mouth treats—after a long simmer. Few other cooking methods achieve this type of total transformation.

Photo: John Autry

Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon

Stovetop braising is ideal for small, quicker-cooking meats, like chicken thighs; oven braising is suited to larger cuts.

View Recipe: Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon

Photo: John Autry

Beer-Braised Brisket

For longer braises, add quicker-cooking ingredients like vegetables in stages so they don't turn to mush over time. Serve this deliciously rich beef over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Leftover brisket makes tasty sandwiches.

View Recipe: Beer-Braised Brisket

Photo: John Autry

Cabernet Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta

Serve this decadent dish with a chunk of bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.

View Recipe: Cabernet Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta

Photo: John Autry

Soy and Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder

Serve this East-meets-West pulled pork on hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls with shaved cucumber and carrot ribbons tossed with rice vinegar. Or stuff it into tortillas for Asian-style tacos with matchstick-cut cucumber and carrot.

View Recipe: Soy and Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder