How much liquid do you use when you braise? I put in enough liquid to leave just the top of the meat exposed. Is that right?
Also, I find that when I braise (in this case, a turkey breast), that the meat ends up pretty dry. Am I doing something wrong? I brown the meat, braise until cooked through, slice & dice the meat and return to the pan to cook off the rest of the chicken stock. I leave the lid off when I do this. Should I keep the lid on and just turn up the heat until the liquid cooks off?
niblet, according to my favorite cookbook (Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1971 ed.), the top must be “tightly covered” while braising. Wouldn’t this create steam, which would help keep the top of the meat from drying out? If your cover is tight, try lowering the heat just a tad. Alternately, you can turn the meat over from time to time.
It sounds as if you may need to lower the temperature of the braising liquid. If it visibly bubbles or simmers, it’s way too hot. Drop the temp and cook longer.
Generally you’re supposed to add liquid to about halfway up the meat.
But the other problem is that braising probably isn’t such a great technique for turkey breast. Braising is great for tougher meat that has lots of connective tissue–the long cooking time dissolves the connective tissue resulting in tender meat and lots of gelatin released to the liquid, creating a thick, luscious sauce for the meat. Good braising meats: chuck, ribs, neck bones, tail, and so forth.
But turkey breast is already very tender. There isn’t any connective tissue in it to be released during braising. Thighs would be a better candidate for braising. And you don’t want to cook off all the liquid, you want to be left with a sauce afterwards.
Thanks, all. I thought this thread had sunk to the bottom of the cold, cold sea. I will turn the heat down. In truth, braising a turkey breast is from a recipe I found to make turkey for sandwiches. I may try it with thighs. It is a very tasty turkey, just dry the way I was doing it.
And may I say that “a little liquid” is an utterly not helpful direction in a recipe.
If you want to make turkey breast for sandwiches that will taste like deli turkey, try brining it then roasting it. The difference in texture between deli turkey breast and thanksgiving turkey breast is the brining.
I agree with the others on turkey breast not being the best for braising. I’d go with thighs. Not only are they tastier, they’re cheaper!
Also of issue is the amount of room between the top of the liquid and the lid. You don’t want a huge amount of space there. Use a shallow pan, or put a layer of parchment or tin foil in between if the lid is much more than an inch or so above the food.
If you’re interested in learning more, I can highly recommend All About Braising by Molly Stevens. Lots of technical information for those who like things like that, along with really incredibly wonderfully yummy recipes that can be followed with or without reading the techie stuff. I can’t tell you how many really good meals I’ve made out of that book. I love me some braise.
Oh, no, no, no. I like to braise in chicken stock - but will be braising in white wine next time when I switch to thighs - then lemon zest, lemon juice, paprika, black pepper. Although when I just want turkey and cranberries, I agree the brining is the way to go. Did you know there are people out there who just throw a turkey in the oven without brining it? They also make weak-ass coffee and are heathens.
