The Larding of Meats for Braising.—When the meat to be
braised is ribs or fillet of beef, it is always interlarded, and con-
sequently never dry if of decent quality. But this is not the
case with the meat of the rumps, or with leg of mutton. These
meats are not sufficiently fat of themselves to allow of prolonged
cooking without their becoming dry. For this reason they are
larded with square strips of bacon fat, which should be as long
as the meat under treatment, and about half an inch thick.
These strips of fat are first seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, and
spices, besprinkled with chopped parsley, and then marinaded
for two hours in a little brandy. They should be inserted into
the meat equidistantly by means of special larding needles.
The proportion of fat to the meat should be about three oz.
per Ib.
To Marinade Braisings.—Larded or not, the meats intended
for braising gain considerably from being marinaded for a few
hours in the wines which are to supply their moistening and
the aromatics constituting the base of their liquor. Before doing
this season them with salt, pepper, and spices, rolling them
over and over in these in order that they may absorb the season-
ing thoroughly. Then place them in a receptacle just large
enough to contain them, between two litters of aromatics, which
will be detailed hereafter ; cover them with the wine which forms
part of their braising-liquor, and which is generally a white or
red ‘‘ vin ordinaire,’’ in the proportion of one-quarter pint per
lb. of meat, and leave them to marinade for about six hours,
taking care to turn them over three or four times during that
period.
The Aromatics or Base of the Braising.—These are thickly
sliced and fried carrots and onions, in the proportion of one oz.
per Ib. of meat, one faggot, including one garlic clove and one
and one-half oz. of fresh, blanched bacon-rind.
To Fry, Prepare, and Cook Braised Meat.—Having suf-
ficiently marinaded the meat, drain it on a sieve for half an hour,
and wipe it dry with a clean piece of linen. Heat some clarified
fat of white consommé in a thick saucepan of convenient size, or
a braising-pan, and when it is sufficiently hot put the meat in
the saucepan and let it acquire colour on all sides. The object
of this operation is to cause a contraction of the pores of the
meat, thereby surrounding the latter with a species of cuirass,
which prevents the inner juices from escaping too soon and
converting the braising into a boiling process. The frying
should, therefore, be a short or lengthy process according as to
whether the amount of meat to be braised be small or large.
106 GUIDE TO MODERN COOKERY
Having properly fried the meat, withdraw it from the
braising-pan, cover it with slices of larding-bacon if it be lean,
and string it. In the case of fillets and ribs of beef, this treat-
ment may be dispensed with, as they are sufficiently well
supplied with their own fat.
Now pour the marinade prepared for the meat into the
braising-pan, and place the meat on a litter composed of the
vegetables the marinade contained. Cover the pan and rapidly
reduce the wine therein. When this has assumed the consist-
ency of syrup add sufficient brown stock to cover the meat (it
being understood that the latter only just conveniently fills the
pan), cover the braising-pan, set to boil, and then put it in a
moderate oven. Let the meat cook until it may be deeply pricked
with a braiding needle without any blood being drawn. At
this stage the first phase of braising, whereof the theory shall be
given hereafter, comes to an end, and the meat is transferred
to another clean utensil just large enough to hold it.
With respect to the cooking liquor, either of the two fol-
lowing modes of procedure may now be adopted :—
Page 64
Presented as published in 1909. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The Larding of Meats for Braising.—When the meat to be braised is ribs or fillet of beef, it is always interlarded, and consequently never dry if of decent quality. But this is not the case with the meat of the rumps, or with leg of mutton. These meats are not sufficiently fat of themselves to allow of prolonged cooking without their becoming dry. For this reason they are larded with square strips of bacon fat, which should be as long as the meat under treatment, and about half an inch thick. These strips of fat are first seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, and spices, besprinkled with chopped parsley, and then marinaded for two hours in a little brandy. They should be inserted into the meat equidistantly by means of special larding needles. The proportion of fat to the meat should be about three oz. per Ib.
To Marinade Braisings.—Larded or not, the meats intended for braising gain considerably from being marinaded for a few hours in the wines which are to supply their moistening and the aromatics constituting the base of their liquor. Before doing this season them with salt, pepper, and spices, rolling them over and over in these in order that they may absorb the seasoning thoroughly. Then place them in a receptacle just large enough to contain them, between two layers of aromatics, which will be detailed hereafter; cover them with the wine which forms part of their braising-liquor, and which is generally a white or red "vin ordinaire," in the proportion of one-quarter pint per lb. of meat, and leave them to marinade for about six hours, taking care to turn them over three or four times during that period.
The Aromatics or Base of the Braising.—These are thickly sliced and fried carrots and onions, in the proportion of one oz. per Ib. of meat, one faggot, including one garlic clove and one and one-half oz. of fresh, blanched bacon-rind.
To Fry, Prepare, and Cook Braised Meat.—Having sufficiently marinaded the meat, drain it on a sieve for half an hour, and wipe it dry with a clean piece of linen. Heat some clarified fat of white consommé in a thick saucepan of convenient size, or a braising-pan, and when it is sufficiently hot put the meat in the saucepan and let it acquire colour on all sides. The object of this operation is to cause a contraction of the pores of the meat, thereby surrounding the latter with a species of cuirass, which prevents the inner juices from escaping too soon and converting the braising into a boiling process. The frying should, therefore, be a short or lengthy process according as to whether the amount of meat to be braised be small or large.
Having properly fried the meat, withdraw it from the braising-pan, cover it with slices of larding-bacon if it be lean, and string it. In the case of fillets and ribs of beef, this treatment may be dispensed with, as they are sufficiently well supplied with their own fat.
Now pour the marinade prepared for the meat into the braising-pan, and place the meat on a litter composed of the vegetables the marinade contained. Cover the pan and rapidly reduce the wine therein. When this has assumed the consistency of syrup add sufficient brown stock to cover the meat (it being understood that the latter only just conveniently fills the pan), cover the braising-pan, set to boil, and then put it in a moderate oven. Let the meat cook until it may be deeply pricked with a braiding needle without any blood being drawn. At this stage the first phase of braising, whereof the theory shall be given hereafter, comes to an end, and the meat is transferred to another clean utensil just large enough to hold it.
With respect to the cooking liquor, either of the two following modes of procedure may now be adopted :—