Michael Symon's Tip For Shredding Pot Roast Without Losing Juices

May 18, 2023

Pot roast is one of those classic dishes in which the taste is accompanied by an expectation that each bite will be both juicy and flavorful. While typically cooked with liquid such as broth, wine, or water, pot roast sometimes loses juices when you take it from pot to plate. Luckily, Michael Symon knows that the secret to this meal is to cook the meat until it's so moist and tender it breaks apart with a fork. But the next step is equally as important.

The professional chef demonstrates in a video shared on the Food Network's YouTube channel that breaking your pot roast apart in the liquid it cooks in will make it even juicier. Symon explains, "I break up the meat a little bit right in the broth and then we could spoon it out and start building our plate from there. So, this way when you pull it apart in here, it kind of gets the benefit of getting some of that extra juice on there." This way when you plate the pot roast, it will be "meltingly tender."

Those meaty, soup drippings are going to help prevent your pot roast from drying out. However, breaking up your pot roast in your pot full of juices is a good culinary practice for another reason. All of that rich, fatty liquid is full of flavor that forms as the meat cooks. Allowing it to sop it up a bit as you lightly tear the meat apart in the juices will only enhance the meat's taste.

And if you are worried that it will be too juicy, don't be. In his recipe shared with Cooking Channel, Symon noted that he likes to serve this meat with a substantial helping of creamy polenta, which will absorb all those beautiful liquids. And if you are wondering how to reheat your pot roast and have it tasting equally yummy, Symon shared on Twitter, "Just add a little [stock] and bring up to temp on [the] stove top."