The good news is that we’re halfway through winter – only six more weeks until it’s officially spring. But the upside of the cold weather is that we get to enjoy heart-warming casseroles, soups and stews for a little while longer – very little beats a pot roast or Beef Bourguignonne to warm you up and make winter more bearable. And slow cooking meats like the neck, brisket and chuck are the ideal cuts for dishes like this, they’re not only more cost-effective, but they also help to make the dishes tastier thanks to their large amounts of collagen.

So, if slow cooking meats are your thing, then keep the following in mind:

• First off, the golden rule is that you cannot rush the cooking time! Collagen takes a long time to break down into gelatine, and it’s the gelatine that gives a casserole or stews its deliciously rich and satisfying taste. In short, the longer you cook it (within reason of course), the more flavour it will have.
• Start off by browning the meat. While this isn’t crucial, it does add extra colour and flavour to the dish, but make sure that the cut, ideally Halaal certified meat, is completely dry before browning it because the wetter it is the longer it’ll take to brown which in turn will only make it tougher. 
• Once brown, you can begin the braising, but keep in mind that the amount of liquid you add will affect the taste – the less liquid you use, the more concentrated the flavours will be. If you’re using water or wine, then you’ll want to add a little flour at the browning stage to thicken the consistency.
• The beauty of slow cooking meats, apart from their delicious taste and the cost-benefit, is that they allow you to plan ahead. Most stews and casseroles will take a few hours to make and will actually taste better the next day, so you can prepare them in advance and then just heat them up whenever you’re ready to serve your meal.

Good things take time – Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food Movement, said ‘the quest for slowness, which begins as a simple rebellion against the impoverishment of taste in our lives, makes it possible to rediscover taste’ and when you take your time with slow-cooking meats, the reward is in that taste!