Whether you’re braising meat or vegetable, you follow the same simple procedure: sear, sauté aromatics, and simmer until tender.

Here, pork shoulder is studded with garlic and seared until golden brown all around. Next, even more garlic is sweated down with briny anchovies and bright Calabrian chiles. After a splash of white wine, it simmers for hours until the pork gets all kinds of tender, moist, and succulent.

Although you can dig in right out of the oven, for best results chill overnight and enjoy the next day. When the braise is hot, the fibers of the meat are so tense they can’t retain much liquid.

Allowing the meat to fully cool in the braising liquid will give those fibers a chance to relax and absorb those tasty juices, and once reheated will be moister than it was just out of the oven.

As a bonus, the fat in the braising liquid will rise and congeal on top, so you can easily pop it off for a skim and cleaner tasting sauce.

read all about how to braise anything here