BRAISING

This is a technique of cooking things, usually cuts of meat, slowly to enhance flavor and tenderness. The best results are obtained when some kind of acid food is included to help with the tenderizing and to add flavor.
In the book I use beef to make a stew in which canned tomatoes provide plenty of acidity and flavor for the dish.
     All the steps in searing meat are the same ones that you would use in preparation for braising the meat. It only takes some liquid that contains acid and slow cooking to break down the fibers of the meat to braise it. Don't panic! Tomato juice has plenty of acid to do the job this time.  Canned whole tomatoes are excellent for this type of cooking. Drain the excess juices into a container, straining them past the lid of the can, or using your hand, then, pour out the whole tomatoes and rough cut them on a chopping surface.

Using the knife blade for a spatula, put the chopped tomatoes into the casserole pan.

If you find the meat is fork tender, skim excess fat from the top of the dish before stirring it around, or serving it.

The fat adds flavor to the sauce, so you may be content to skim the fat as shown just until the barely submerged spoon fills up more with other juices than with the relatively clear fat. There are other ways to skim that require more equipment, but we'll talk about that another time.

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Preheat the oven to 325o Fahrenheit for 10 minutes before putting the casserole in. While oven is heating, bring the flame proof casserole to a boil on the stove then turn it lower until time to place it in the oven.

Check it for the first time after two hours. If the meat isn't easily pierced with a fork, leave it longer.

Open the lid away from you. I won't have to tell you twice, if you don't pay attention.