Braised short ribs differ in texture when on stove top vs in oven
I've made braised beef short ribs several times previously and I've found that when they're braised on a low flame in a cast iron pot over the stove, they ended up being more tender compared to those I left in the oven in the same cast iron pot.
In both cases, the pot was covered with a lid, the braising liquid was essentially the same in composition and volume, the cooking times were the same (four hours) and the ribs were from the same butcher. The temperature of the braise seemed to be the same as they were at a very mild simmer in both cases.
I understand that a pot on a stove would receive heat primarily from the base of the pot while a pot in an oven would be exposed to heat from all directions. However, seeing as how in both cases the ribs were completely submerged in liquid, I figured that the direction of the heat source should not matter enough to cause differences in the texture of the meat.
Does anyone have any idea what else might be causing the difference in texture?
Best Answer
"For the same time" seems to be your problem here. An oven will warm a pot much more slowly than a stovetop, especially a heavy iron stew pot. You'll need to monitor your temperature, and only count the time after it reaches 68 Celsius. The warming up phase can be easily close to an hour in the stove, eating away a lot of the actual cooking time.
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Is it better to braise on stove or in oven?
Braise in the oven or on the stovetop. The goal is to allow the liquid to simmer slowly; don't let it creep to a boil or the meat will cook too rapidly and dry out before it gets fully tender. In the oven, 350\xb0F usually gives a nice simmer. On the stovetop, medium heat is usually about right.Do short ribs get more tender as they cook?
In fact, the longer the short ribs braise in the liquid the more tender and delicious they become.Why are my braised short ribs dry?
If the ribs brown too quickly over heat that's too high, you could scorch the meat and the pan; brown the ribs too slowly and the meat will dry out.At what temperature should you braise short ribs?
Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Why Braised Short Ribs are a perfect make ahead meal.
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Answer 2
Looks like the differences in the temperature gradient is causing the change in the results. The simmering on the stove top is caused by the liquid on the bottom of the pot converting to gas and bubbling through the rest of the liquid into the cooler air, only some of which is trapped under the pots lid. So you have convection within the liquid braising the ribs.
In the oven, the entire ensemble is the same temperature, less convection within the stock is happening, and the ribs are essentially being cooked at the higher average temperature of the stock.
Have you considered lowering the oven temperature to compensate?
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