It's really easy to make and very rich. I used lamb leg, as the butcher didn't have lamb shoulder.
Maybe my French oven is larger than the one used in this recipe, because 3 pounds of meat were enough for one very snug layer. One bottle of wine (cabernet sauvignon), minus an obligatory sip, was enough to cover it.
I started doing it at 6 pm, therefore I used a jaccard to tenderize the meat. I left it marinating for 2 hours and after 2 more hours in the oven, it was really fork tender.
When you recommended to use salt and pepper generously, you were not kidding. I could have used a bit more, as I use kosher salt, which is not very strong. Maybe some mild pepper would give it an edge too.
I served with rice, which I made adding culinary lavender, a wonderful perfume that didn't get obscured by the lamb.
All in all, a very easy and satisfying dish. I might try it with different kinds of meat, like beef.

I have a Portuguese themed dinner next week so this is going to be perfect.

I do have 2 questions though:

- I have a half leg of lamb in the freezer so I plan to use that. Should I cut it in 1/2 in. slab first so as to emulate the recipe as close as possible?

- Out of curiosity why 400 degs? The brazing lessons recommends something closer to 300 degs. Is this because it's lamb?

Thanks in advance.

Good questions. I likely cut the lamb leg up a bit, but I guess that is up to you.

As for the cooking temperature, you could definitely cook this dish "lower and slower" and have great results. In fact, I often do cook it at a lower temperature (depending on time). Cheers!

First of all THANK YOU for the greatest cooking school online. I’ve stumble upon your link by pure chance via MetroKintchen site. Little did I know that I was in for treat! I am a novice cook and was looking for technical instructors / mentors. Since you were very kind with loads of free information I was visiting your site quit often for some time. But after a while it did not feel right taking advantage of your generosity and I decided to sign up. What a treat! What a bargain!!! I know. I took baking and chocolate clinics at FCI and paid arm and leg for them. The classes were full and the instructors (for my money?!) were arrogant.
Here at Rouxbe I have a luxury of one-on-one training. Great training that is. The information is not held back and is generously shared with thousands of others. One can repeat any lesson at any time and as often as needed. Just great! I only wish I could cook all the time. Oh well…

Now the questions.
01. Oven temperature of 400° - for braising it is quite high. Is not the braising synonymous to “low and slow”?

02. What is the purpose of marinating the meat if it is going to be braised for a long time? From what I have read marinating process was started mostly for the preservation purpose. Now days we marinate primarily for the flavor (not for softening the tissue). So could you please explain what are the benefits of 3-4 hours of marinating in this recipe?

Since I did not have 6 hours to dedicate for this recipe I had to deviate from the instructions. I followed the 1st step then proceeded to the second step and placed the vessel into the cold oven, which was set to 300°. After 2 hours of braising the meat I decided that I could benefit from a short nap. I left the kitchen and parked myself on the couch, making sure the timer is close by. When I woke up….Yes, you’ve guessed it; I did not hear when the timer went off. It was 3:40am!!!!@#$#@@?#. I rushed to the kitchen to retrieve my precious darling from the oven. I was in luck as my oven was 50° off. So all this time without knowing it the braised lamb had perfect environment (low and slow at 250°). The lamb was not overcooked (surprise!) and delicious.

I thought it was going to be a short post of gratitude not more. Again thank you for everything you are doing.

Faye

First let me start by saying...THANK YOU RIGHT BACK :-) We are thrilled that you are enjoying the school and it was kind of you to say so.

Now to answer your questions:

1- Braising can technically be done at any temperature. Here is a link to a bit more info about this. Also both the Combination Cooking and Braising Lesson go into this in a bit more detail.

2- The marinating period just gives the meat even more time to absorb the flavor of the marinade. They sort of get to just hang out and become friends :-)

As for your results...so cute!!! Hasn't that happened to all of us. Of course we may not all have been as lucky as you seemed to be. Keep up the good work Faye and thanks again for your kind words! Cheers!

I've made a lot of the recipes here on Rouxbe, including several where braising was the cooking method, and they have all been fantastic...up until this one. The recipe itself is simple and the preparation straight-forward, so I don't think I did anything wrong, but I was underwhelmed with the flavor this dish. The wine overpowered almost everything else and I was left wondering if it might not be better to use 750 ml of stock in place of one of the bottles of wine?

I read the other comments here before I made this dish and noted that one of the staff indicated not to use a big Napa cab, so I decide on two bottles of good quality French Burgundy....a wine that I cellar and drink fairly regularly, so I'm confident that it wasn't a wine quality issue.

Just to be clear - I'm not complaining, just relaying my experience. Perhaps it's just a matter of taste. Whatever the case, I've been very satisfied with my Rouxbe membership and want to thank you all for the incredible job you do here.

Cheers - Jeff

This is an old Portuguese Grandma's recipe which is meant to be simple in flavor and process. I have made several times and enjoyed it. Although, once I used a wine that did not seem to do the dish justice. Next time, you may want to try using a bit of stock. That's the beauty of knowing the techniques behind cooking methods such as Braising and Combination Cooking you are then free to make your own tweaks.

Thanks for feedback Jeff, it's very much appreciated. Keep up the great work. Cheers!