How One Sweet Addition Reshapes The Way Pot Roast Tastes

Pot roast makes a fabulous, flavorful addition to busy home cooks' low-prep meal rotation — especially during colder weather, when stick-to-your-ribs comfort foods seem to hit even harder. Today, we're exploring one quick ingredient to elevate your go-to pot roast recipe without any extra steps: applesauce. Pork chops and applesauce are a classic pairing (and a personal favorite of Joan Crawford). But, this sweet-meat combo isn't only for pork. 

Applesauce can be used in many culinary arenas as a versatile sweetener. In pot roast, its smooth yet thick texture packs the savory beef with moisture. Large, toothy chunks of classic pot roast veggies like potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions can all be placed directly into the pot around the browned meat as normal. During their tenure in the slow-cooker, those vegetables absorb both the apple flavor and the moisture from the sauce, becoming even more fork-tender as the meat's fat renders and disperses.

To make applesauce work for your pot roast, mix it with your usual moisture elements like gravy, water, red wine, or beef stock. Roughly 2 cups of applesauce is the right amount for a 3-to-5-pound roast. Then, pour the moisture components over the browned meat and veggies, and let the roast transform into a tender, dimensional, hands-off meal. In a slow-cooker, cook on high for four to five hours or low for seven to eight hours. Or, cook it in the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for as many hours as the roast has pounds (i.e., four hours for a 4-pound roast).

A hint of spiced, sweet applesauce can be a seasonal way to showcase autumnal ingredients in the fall and winter months. But thanks to applesauce's hardy shelf-stability, this meat-and-potatoes upgrade can be enjoyed any time of year. To that end, this moisture-packed pot roast hack can be a thrifty way to use up leftover homemade applesauce. Or, if you're going the store-bought route, Mott's is one of our all-time favorite applesauce brands; opt for a no-sugar-added variety for greater control over the tasting profile of your pot roast, imparting bold appley tones without any over-the-top sweetness.

Try adding a generous scoop of applesauce to basic slow-cooker pot roast for a subtle pop of unexpected flavor alongside umami-forward onions and Worcestershire sauce. A touch of sweetness also helps counterbalance spiciness, which could make subtly-sweet applesauce a terrific addition to traditional Mississippi pot roast with pepperoncini, or this Moroccan-inspired Harissa pot roast with chickpeas and parsnips. Or, for an impressive, sophisticated meal that works just as well for a dinner party as a weeknight meal, spoon some applesauce into our super tender herb and fig pot roast recipe. The interplay of aromatic thyme, rosemary, garlic, and yellow onion alongside earthy figs and red wine creates a memorable bouquet, which becomes even more luscious with a moisture-packed scoop of spiced applesauce.