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c/chefsamy_sanchezamy_sanchez1mo ago

Honestly, I think everyone is wrong about searing meat before a braise

Ngl, I see chefs at my spot in Austin and online always browning meat first for stews. I did a test last week with two identical pots of beef bourguignon, one seared and one not. After 3 hours, the taste was the same, but the unseared one had way more tender meat. The seared pieces got a bit tough from that extra high heat step. Has anyone else tried skipping the sear and gotten a better result?
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3 Comments
willow_martin
Honestly that tracks... feels like we're all just doing the sear to look busy in the kitchen, like @davis.linda said. My last stew was a chewy mess, so maybe I'll try your lazy method next time.
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davis.linda
Reminds me of how we overcomplicate so many simple things...
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fisher.kevin
So what's the first simple thing you'd stop overcomplicating, @davis.linda?
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