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The common technique I know of is braising, or, basically, sear the meat (eg beef, pork, chicken), 2 minutes per side, then add liquid, cover, and put in oven at low heat for 1 - 2 hours. This works great for flavorful, tender meat. However, it does not develop a crust or 'bark' on the surface, I think because the 2nd part of covered heating in the oven causes the surface of the meat to get lots of liquid. And any sauce or dry seasoning I put on the surface of the meat falls off. This leads to the meat having a single texture of tender and moist.

Is there a technique of slow, covered cooking first, followed by searing or heating to get the desired crust or bark on the surface? My goal is to have the tender, moist texture on the inside, complemented by a drier, crunchier surface with lots of dry seasoning.

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    BBQ and sous vide come to mind, but this depends on the type of meat and the cut of that animal. Perhaps a more specific question would yield some responses. What are you trying to make?
    – moscafj
    Oct 16, 2017 at 11:51
  • Fry it? Even better, soak the fried meat in the juice, like Korean wings.
    – user3528438
    Oct 18, 2017 at 3:55
  • Beware of a full boil -- it'll make the meat tough. You typically want a low simmer for these things. (I forget the exact temperature range ... hot enough to melt collagen, though)
    – Joe
    Oct 19, 2017 at 16:38

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Yes, but I don't know if there's an official name for it. We do this a lot in pressure cooking, to get the appealing mallard reactions (caramelization). Typically, after cooking you can put the meat under the broiler to crisp it up (common examples are a whole chicken or carnitas).

Example recipe for Carnitas: https://callhimyeschef.com/2013/02/19/carnitas-under-pressure/

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  • I've also done it for ribs (following the recipe from Good Eats)
    – Joe
    Oct 19, 2017 at 16:37
  • @Joe Me, too. That's an excellent example!
    – lspare
    Oct 19, 2017 at 16:53
  • I have seen it on Master Chef with tougher cuts of meat.
    – paparazzo
    Oct 19, 2017 at 19:26
  • I see -- the technique here is brown and slow cook (or speed up by using a pressure cooker), then broil for crispiness. Thank you @Ispare, this is the kind of answer I was looking for !!
    – d l
    Oct 21, 2017 at 16:52
  • This is a classic combination method, not unlike par cooking potatoes for french fries or homefries. You could even go all out and sear-simmer-sear to get browning at first for flavor in the simmering liquid, then final sear for texture and more Maillard.
    – MarsJarsGuitars-n-Chars
    Feb 21, 2018 at 19:57

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