12 braised and slow-cooked dishes for the first cold nights

🍲 Cold weather brings back the dishes that take their time

There is a moment, every September, when you turn the oven back on without even thinking about it. Evenings get shorter, the wind shifts, and a tough cut of meat suddenly becomes the best idea of the week. A braise asks almost nothing of you: sear the meat, add the liquid, put the lid back on and let time do the work. Twelve dishes that fill the house with smell for hours and fall apart with a fork.

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Beef stew with beer, Dutch oven or slow cooker

The classic that works in the oven or in the slow cooker, depending on when you leave the house. After four hours of gentle cooking, the beef cubes fall apart on their own. Beer brings a depth that plain broth will never give you.

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Slow cooker pot roast with cranberries and orange

Eight hours on low while you do something else entirely. Dried cranberries and orange zest cut through the richness of the pot roast. You walk in at night, the house smells great and supper is done.

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Braised cacciatore chicken legs

Chicken legs browned first, then braised with carrots, peppers and tomatoes. A braise that does not eat your whole day. Serve it over pasta, or with bread to mop up the sauce.

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Braised beef cheeks with port

Beef cheek is the cheapest cut that gives the most impressive result. Three hours in the oven and it falls apart with a fork. The port sauce coats a celery root puree exactly right.

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Braised pork shank osso buco with apples

Pork shank braised until the meat leaves the bone by itself. The raw apple gremolata, added at the end, wakes up the whole plate. Cheaper than veal osso buco, and just as good.

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Cajun pork stew with beer

Pork simmers with cajun spices until the sauce thickens. It has just enough kick to warm up a weeknight supper. A stew that breaks the routine.

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French onion beef stew

Two comfort dishes glued together: braised beef stew and French onion soup. The onions caramelize a long time before the beef joins in. Broiled cheese on top, decadence fully assumed.

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Red beer braised beef shepherd's pie

The shepherd’s pie of your childhood, but with braised chuck instead of ground beef. It takes longer, it tastes ten times better. Once you have made it this way, there is no going back.

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Braised beef ragù sauce

The chuck roast braises for hours in the sauce, then shreds right into it. You get a rich ragù that clings to the pasta. Make a big batch, it freezes beautifully.

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Braised rabbit with plums

Rabbit simmers with bacon, white wine and black plums. The fruit brings a sweetness that surprises in a savoury dish. For a supper that steps out of the ordinary without being complicated.

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Braised lamb shank curry

Quebec lamb shanks braised in coconut milk and curry paste. The meat pulls off the bone, the sauce is creamy and fragrant. The kind of dish that perfumes the house for hours.

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Beef Barley Soup Recipe (Slow Simmered)

The chuck braises for two hours before joining the broth and the pearl barley. The result: a deep broth, tender meat and a soup that stands in for a full meal. The kind of pot you make all fall long.

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