Ina Garten's Pot Roast Features Some Extra Boozy Ingredients

Cooking with alcohol is nothing new — in fact, it's a technique that's been around for centuries. Using beer, wine, and spirits in your recipes can transform them in terms of taste and texture. And when it comes to the pot roast recipe that Ina Garten's makes for guests, two types of alcohol are used to create a delicious meal.

Whether you're making a Mississippi pot roast or another version, there are many ways to double up on flavor, for example, by adding a sweet ingredient like apple sauce. In Ina Garten's recipe, she uses the typical ingredients like onions, carrots, and herbs, but personalizes the recipe with two boozy ingredients: red wine and brandy (or cognac).

These two ingredients are used to deglaze the Dutch oven and help create a flavorful broth. But don't worry—as the alcohol heats, that boozy taste will cook out, resulting in an absolutely delicious sauce for your roast.

Cooking with red wine and brandy has its perks. First and foremost, red wine is a classic ingredient in slow-cooked dishes like pot roast because it balances acidity, fruitiness, and tannins, elevating the meat's natural flavors. During the cooking process, the wine breaks down the proteins and fats in the roast, allowing the flavors to blend. As the wine reduces, it creates a subtle sweetness and earthy undertones, complementing the savory elements of the dish's meat, vegetables, and herbs.

Brandy, on the other hand, contributes warmth and a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. When combined with the red wine, brandy helps to round out the flavor profile, adding a hint of complexity that enhances the overall taste.

In Garten's recipe, you can use brandy or cognac — a type of brandy. These two are similar in taste but do have some key differences: Cognac has a smoother taste with complex layers of fruit, spice, and oak, while Brandy tends to be fruitier and lighter,

One of the main reasons red wine and brandy improve pot roast texture is their ability to tenderize the meat. Alcohol, particularly the ethanol in wine and spirits like brandy or cognac, helps break down the meat's tough fibers and connective tissues. This results in a silky, flavorful gravy that coats the meat and vegetables, elevating the overall tasting experience.

Red wine and alcohol also help the roast retain moisture during the long, slow cooking process. As the roast cooks in the wine and alcohol mixture, the meat absorbs the liquid, keeping it juicy and preventing it from drying out. This slow-cooking method also allows the flavors from the wine and the other vegetables, herbs, and spices to permeate the meat, creating a deeper, more flavorful dish with a delicious, mouth-watering, and tender texture.