10 Braised Meat Dishes For Cozy Dinners At Home

These Slow-Braised Meats Are The Ultimate Chef Flex 👩🏻‍🍳

I’ll be honest: slow-braising is the ultimate comfort cooking technique — low effort, high reward, deeply flavorful, and guaranteed to fill your home with the kind of savory aromas that make everyone count down to dinner. Few techniques feel as magical: with just a little patience, inexpensive cuts like lamb shoulder, beef chuck, or pork shanks transform into meals that taste as though they came straight from a restaurant kitchen.

At its core, braising is simple. First, the meat is seared to build flavor, then it’s slowly cooked at low heat in a small amount of liquid—wine, broth, tomatoes, or a mix—until melt-in-your-mouth tender. It’s comfort food at its best: cozy, hearty, and deeply satisfying.

The Secret: Braises Are Better the Next Day

As someone who worked in NYC fine-dining kitchens, I can promise you this: braised meats taste even better the next day. The flavors only deepen over time, making them ideal for entertaining, and since they’re often made entirely in one pot, cleanup is blissfully minimal. Once you learn the basics, you can apply the same technique to almost any cut of meat.

And speaking of pots — this is my favorite Dutch oven. I have it in 3 sizes and colors. I always recommend the 7-Qt as a lifelong investment. Heats evenly and cleans like a dream!

And once you’re ready to put your new skills to the test, I’ve rounded up 10 of my most popular braised meat recipes—from rich short rib ragu to tender lamb shoulder and beyond—that showcase just how versatile (and irresistible!) this cooking method can be. These recipes are true cold-weather heroes… and the best part? They practically cook themselves. 🙌🏻