Ina Garten Knows The Secret To Seared Pot Roast (And Now You Do Too)

If there's one thing Ina Garten knows about cooking, it's that comfort food equals love. The Food Network star and author has inspired countless other cooks to try their hands at setting up a simple and stress-free dinner parties. From her perfect roast chicken to her slow roasted spiced pork, the Barefoot Contessa's recipes embody the satisfying fare many crave. Among Garten's stand-out recipes, her company pot roast is arguably one of the best. But, unlike others, her pot roast isn't cooked in a slow cooker. You'll need a Dutch oven and one simple ingredient that will render the meat and sauce exceptional, and that's flour.

Garten's pot roast starts with coating an entire chuck roast in flour, and searing the meat in oil for about 4 to 5 minutes per side on medium heat. As the exterior of the roast sears, it begins to caramelize. During browning, the meat undergoes a textural change, becoming slightly crispy while holding onto the juices inside. This caramelization is the secret to the rich flavor that's extracted from the meat — along with the pan drippings that are married with flour, olive oil, and juices. Searing is the reason it pays to make pot roast in the oven instead of a slow cooker, as the floured and browned meat has the chance to drum up all of those drippings, which in turn work some magic on the sauce.

If you're a pot roast aficionado, you may have tested a recipe or two. Many methods call for the addition of flour to thicken the roast's liquid. This can be done by creating a roux or slurry — yes, there's a difference. Garten's step of coating the roast in flour beforehand, however, eliminates this need since the roast itself will pick up the juices inside the pot and work to thicken the sauce. By allowing the roast to sear, you also ensure that the flour cooks thoroughly, absorbing all the seasoning and mitigating the risk of that uncooked flavor that can result from a last-minute sprinkle of flour.

You can always add a slurry if you like your sauce thicker, but Garten has some other tricks up her sleeve. When making the sauce for the roast, she adds vegetables, herbs, tomatoes, red wine, cognac, and chicken stock, and places the seared roast back in the Dutch oven to allow it to slowly cook. After a couple of hours, she removes the roast from the Dutch oven, takes half of the now-thickened sauce, and purees it in a food processor until smooth. The fat and juices from the sauce naturally emulsify, creating a velvety-smooth blend that she then adds back into the pot. Ina Garten's pot roast may take a little extra time, but the simple addition of dredging the roast in flour makes this recipe a comfort food masterpiece.