Braising is a method for turning tougher cuts of meat into a tender, delicious dinner with a flavorful sauce. The technique is simple: You brown the meat first in a braiser pan, add a little liquid, then cover the pan and let it cook slowly. The results are phenomenal, and the reason many chefs fill their restaurant dining rooms night after night.

If you’re here with short ribs, pork shoulder, lamb shanks, or another cut you’re not quite sure what to do with, the important decisions are simple: how much liquid to add, what temperature to use, and how to tell when the meat is ready. This guide walks you through each one.

Braising combines two kinds of heat. First, you brown the food in an uncovered pan. Then, you add some liquid, cover the pan, and let everything cook slowly until tender.

Each stage brings something different to the finished dish. Searing develops color and flavor. Slow cooking gives tougher cuts time to soften and lets the braising liquid become a sauce.

The amount of liquid helps distinguish braising from stewing and roasting:

These aren’t rigid categories. Add a little more stock and your braise may begin to look like a stew. Leave the lid off at the end and it may finish more like a roast. What matters is the result: tender food with a flavorful liquid around it.

Braising was made for cuts with plenty of fat and connective tissue. Shoulder, shank, rib, belly, and thigh can be chewy when cooked quickly, but become tender over a few unhurried hours.

Lean cuts are better suited to quicker cooking. The American Meat Science Association notes that cuts with less connective tissue, including loin steaks and pork chops, are generally most tender when cooked quickly over higher heat.

Save beef tenderloin, boneless chicken breast, and pork loin chops for faster methods. They don’t contain the connective tissue that makes a long braise worthwhile, so they’re more likely to dry out before the sauce is ready.

Tofu works for a different reason. You aren’t breaking down connective tissue. You’re giving the tofu time to absorb the sauce around it. Use less liquid, choose plenty of flavor, and keep the cooking time short.

Look for a pan with a wide base, enough depth to hold liquid, and a well-fitting lid. It should also move safely from the stovetop to the oven.

A wide cooking surface lets you brown meat in a single layer. The sides contain the braising liquid without fully submerging the food, while the lid slows evaporation during a long cook. When one pan can handle every stage, the browned bits from the sear stay right where you want them: in the sauce.

For short ribs, brisket, oxtail, and other braises that begin with high heat, our Titanium Braiser Pro is built for a deep sear. Its coating-free NoCo® titanium interior can move from the stovetop to the oven, with enough room to brown larger cuts without crowding.

Our Dual Handle Always Pan® is well suited to chicken thighs, tofu, and braising vegetables. Its wide base gives you plenty of room to brown multiple pieces, while its Thermakind® ceramic nonstick coating helps delicate ingredients release cleanly. The pan is oven safe up to 450°F, and its glass lid is oven safe up to 425°F for cooking covered in the oven.

If you’re comparing materials, our guide to cast iron and ceramic cookware explains where each one shines.

It’s a bit of a myth that searing seals in moisture. Searing gives the braise its browned flavor and color. If one side comes out a little paler, dinner will still be fine.

The oven is usually the best place for the long, covered stage of cooking because it surrounds the pan with steady heat. But you can also braise on the stovetop. Keep the burner low, maintain a gentle simmer, and turn the meat occasionally so the bottom doesn’t cook faster than the top.

The cut will tell you more than the clock. Use these ranges as a starting point, then check for tenderness.

Food safety and braising tenderness aren’t always the same thing. According to USDA guidance on doneness and safety, poultry is safe at an internal temperature of 165°F, while whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb are safe at 145°F with a three-minute rest. Tough cuts are often cooked beyond those temperatures so their connective tissue has time to soften.

A few notes for each:

• Short ribs: English-cut ribs give you one thick piece of meat per bone. Try the method with our red wine-braised short ribs.

• Pork belly: Score the fat before searing and keep the top above the liquid. For a crisp finish, uncover the pan and raise the oven to 425°F for the final 10 to 15 minutes. Our braised pork belly with taro offers another approach.

• Chicken thighs: Keep the skin above the liquid and begin checking at 40 minutes. Try our crispy braised chicken thighs with cabbage and bacon.

• Tofu: Press it well, brown it on two sides, and use a smaller amount of boldly seasoned liquid. Our bok choy and tofu green curry follows the same idea.

Braises also reheat well. Let the finished dish cool, refrigerate it in a covered container for up to three days, then reheat it gently. Any fat will firm up on the surface in the refrigerator, making it easy to lift away before reheating.

For cleanup, our guide to caring for ceramic nonstick cookware will help you take care of the pan once dinner is over.