This take on a classic Southern French daube really challenged what I thought I knew about braising. Braising 101 is essentially: choose a tough cut of meat, brown it, and place it in a pot with a flavorful liquid to cook low and slow until fall-apart tender and succulent. I also naively thought that red meat demanded to be cooked in red wine.

Here’s how this recipe is different. You don’t have to brown the meat first. (I know, if you’ve done a lot of braising, this feels very wrong.) And the only liquid you’re adding is an entire bottle of cheap, dry, white wine and some citrus juice. As the braise slowly progresses, the wine cooks down which makes a flavorful, concentrated broth and and allows caramelization of the meat to occur in the Dutch oven while you go about your day. Because this process takes so long, you can opt to cook it overnight and easily reheat once ready to serve.

No stock, no scraping of the pan, and no spattering of grease on your cooktop. This is the perfect lazy-day braise that yields fantastic flavors without much effort. The mellow notes of the white wine, citrus, and herbs allow the venison's natural flavors to really shine.

I prefer bone-in shanks for a good collagen-rich broth, a neck roast would be another good option, but any tougher cut will do (lessen cook-time if it’s not bone-in). To make this a complete meal, I recommend simultaneously simmering brothy, herby beans in the low-temp oven then roasting some vegetables once the meat is almost done. You could also serve with buttery egg noodles, hearty greens, or cheesy parmesan grits—and maybe another bottle of cheap white wine.