The Unexpected Baking Ingredient Alex Guarnaschelli Adds To Pot Roast

Alex Guarnaschelli knows how to amp up a home cooked meal. She's taught us how to make tomatoes more flavorful and mix meatballs for the most tender results. She's also shared hacks for pancakes, garlic bread, and even healthy spinach side dishes. And if you're a fan of pot roast, well she's got a trick for that too: Add a little brown sugar.

Guarnaschelli shared the tip during an appearance on the Live With Kelly and Mark show a few years ago (back when it was Live with Kelly and Ryan), where she explained that brown sugar can add an extra layer to a classic pot roast by giving it just a touch of sweetness. She said during the appearance, "Just a little brown sugar doesn't make it super sweet, it just picks up on the brown notes from the meat." She stirs in the brown sugar after she's seared the meat in the pan and has started to brown her vegetables. She uses a ¼ cup for a three to four pound chuck roast, and adds in some red wine vinegar at the same time.

Guarnaschelli also likes to use apples in her pot roast in the winter for a little more sweetness, cooking them with her pot of vegetables after she's seared the meat and removed it from the pan. Once the brown sugar and vinegar are in, everything is slow roasted together.

Some people like to add bourbon to their pot roast when using brown sugar too, or beer for a German-style pot roast. Mustard can complement the brown sugar too, and if you want to use a different sweetener, honey or maple syrup can work. Just use a little less to start with and see how everything tastes before you copy Guarnaschelli's measurements. If you end up liking the taste, you can also try Guarnaschelli's brown sugar trick on slow-cooked brisket or ribs. The celebrity chef even uses it on meatloaf and oxtails. Brown sugar can help tenderize meat and speed up browning, and it produces a gorgeous crust on everything from steaks to poultry. Just remember, a little goes a long way, and you usually want to follow Guarnaschelli's lead and add something to balance it, like vinegar.