I’m not going to bore you with a recipe for braising, unless you specifically want me to (in which case, drop me a line). There are lots of excellent braising recipes and ideas on the net written by cooks far more proficient than I.

What I am going to do is a to share a handy braising tip from a genius of clever cheffy tips. In his book, Ad Hoc At Home, Thomas Keller suggests using cheesecloth to stop the braising herbs and veg from sticking to the meat, “Cut a piece of cheesecloth about 4 inches larger than the diameter of the pot. Moisten the cheesecloth and wring dry, place over the vegetables, and fold over the edges to form a “nest” for the meat.”

Genius! Well, maybe not exactly “genius” but pretty smart.

I find it is easier, and tidier, to use a piece of cheesecloth that’s big enough to loosely wrap the whole piece of meat before putting it into the pan and surrounding it with the vegetables.

So today I’m braising a 6 pound piece of pork belly for this Saturday’s dinner at Shelley-belly’s Underground. Dinner itself is supposed to be a surprise so no more details… maybe next week.