Julia Child’s Nearly Forgotten Trick for More Flavorful Pot Roast

Julia Child introduced Americans to French cooking techniques that were once the fiercely guarded secrets of professional chefs. From perfecting scrambled eggs to assembling a top-notch Caesar salad, she informed how many of us are still cooking today.

One of these is a simple tricks that will come in handy this time of year is how she gives pot roast the best possible flavor. Her hack—searing the meat—takes just minutes.

Why Everyone Should Have a Good Pot Roast Recipe

A slow-cooked, old-fashioned pot roast has been a family dinner staple for generations, and for good reason: It uses inexpensive cuts of beef and makes enough to feed a good-size crowd. Plus, leftovers can be transformed into even more meals, like roast beef hash, tacos, and French dip sandwiches.

The beef cuts used for pot roast, such as chuck and top round, are cheaper because they’re tough and need a long, slow braise to become fork tender. To give a pot roast the deepest flavor, Julia demonstrates on The French Chef that this technique alone is not enough; first, she says, it must be browned.

What Is a Maillard Reaction?

As a recipe developer, a question I often hear is whether this step of browning meat before braising or slow cooking is really necessary. What readers don’t realize is how much flavor they miss out on if they skip this easy technique.

Julia explains this browning method on The French Chef episode for boeuf Bourguignon, or beef braised in red wine. Although the meat for this dish is sliced into large pieces, she emphasizes that the browning doesn’t change with large roasts. “You do it exactly the same way,” she shares.

That method is to heat oil in a large pan until it’s very hot. Pat the roast dry with paper towels, then place it into the oil. The meat will immediately begin to sizzle and sear, developing a crust on the surface. Browned bits called fond also form in the pan. In the episode, Julia calls this entire technique “the treasure of cooking.”

What Child is demonstrating is called a Maillard reaction, which happens between sugars and proteins in foods when exposed to high heat. Here, the roast's surface is caramelized, which "has a lot of flavor" explains Julia. Browning the meat before adding it to liquid will result in a much more savory dish than braising alone.

How to Sear a Pot Roast

This browning technique is simple and takes just a few minutes. However, Julia reminds us in her episode and her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, that removing excess moisture is an crucial first step.

Before searing the meat, she dries off the surface with paper towels. Once added to the pan, she leaves room around the meat so traces of moisture can evaporate. “If the pan gets crowded, then the meat steams,” she shares. Steaming will prevent browning, and browning is the whole point of this technique.

After searing, gather up the fond in the pan by deglazing it with liquids, like wine or stock. This releases the browned bits into the sauce, adding color and additional flavor and color.

Incorporating browning into your next pot roast recipe might not turn you into the next Julia, but it might convert you into forever using this simple technique.