Winter is a time when braised meat dishes show up on restaurant menus. A plate of braised short ribs is a hearty, filling meal, and often at a lower price than other meat entrees — a point not lost on restaurateurs concerned about declining revenues in a recession.
The long braising process tenderizes tougher cuts of meat, like the shoulder and shanks. Meat pieces are browned in fat, then immersed in a stock containing aromatic vegetables and an acid such as wine or tomatoes, and simmered for several hours. The cooking stock is then reduced and flavored with wine, herbs and other ingredients.
In her new book, “The Art of Simple Food,” Alice Waters describes the comforting quality of a braise: “A simple and economical cut of meat is slowly altering in moist heat, gradually reaching a state of falling-off-the-bone tenderness, surrounded by a rich and tasty sauce.”
“I think the resulting product can be better than just having a piece of strip steak,” said Jerry Pellegrino, chef-owner of Corks and Abacrombie restaurants. “You have so much more control over what the end product can taste like.” Corks, in Federal Hill, is currently offering braised pork shanks and braised beef short ribs on its menu.
At Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia, chef James Lewandowski serves a braised lamb shoulder with roasted winter vegetables. “The great thing about braising is you can do something remarkable with a lesser cut of meat,” he said.
Customers find the braised dishes very satisfying, Lewandowski said. “People feel better because they’ve got this nice big medallion of lamb that they didn’t pay $35 for, and it reminds them of something their grandmother would have made.”
Red Maple in Mount Vernon offers a pomegranate-braised lamb on its dinner menu. Tark’s Grill in Lutherville has had braised short ribs with mashed potatoes on the menu since opening a year ago. “I think that now that winter is setting upon us we will probably do some more braised items, like a lamb shank,” said general manager Mark Hoffman.
While customers surely enjoy the lower cost of braised dishes, Pellegrino warns that restaurateurs might be undercharging for them. While the cuts of meat do cost less than steaks and chops, he said, it would be easy to overlook the cost of the labor involved in the braising process: chopping vegetables, browning meat, deglazing pans and reducing sauces.
“There’s a tradeoff,” said Pellegrino. “When you add in all the extra work, when you calculate labor, by the time you’re done making the remnant cut edible it’s almost as expensive as the prime cut.”
