The Fruits You Should Be Adding To Pot Roast For More Flavor

The best family dinners are hearty, aromatic, and flavorful. Pot roast checks all those boxes with tender beef and seasoned vegetables combined for an enjoyable meal that can be prepared in many ways, from a classic pot roast to a Mississippi pot roast to a smoked pot roast on a grill.

Spices of all kinds can be added to a pot roast for depth of flavor, but citrus can add even more flavor. It's a favorite technique of celebrity chefs such as Michael Symon, who use it to take an ordinary pot roast to a new level. Adding oranges or lemons — either wedges and/or zest — can add pleasant aromatics to this classic dish, but it can also enhance the flavor and texture of the sauce that's ladled over pot roast from the cooking pot when it's time to eat.

In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid in fruits like limes, lemons, and oranges can also help tenderize a beef roast and balance out the richness of the beef's flavor and the bitter taste of some vegetables. The acids break down the roast's proteins so the meat is even more tender when it's finished. For cooks who are big on presentation, citrus wedges can add color as a garnish and a quick squeeze of juice can be added to a finished plate for extra flavor.

While putting citrus wedges or zest into a pot roast is one way to add citrus flavor, there are also other options. Marinating a roast before cooking is an easy way to add citrus flavor too. Oranges or lemons will combine with a marinade to provide sweetness and tenderize the roast, especially if the roast soaks in the marinade overnight.

Staples like Mississippi and Georgia pot roast don't call for citrus, but there are plenty of ways to tinker with other recipes. Orange beef is a popular Chinese dish that uses orange juice and orange wedges can be used as a substitute in an orange beef-inspired pot roast. Oranges can also be used in a spicy pot roast recipe that offers a little bit of everything from a flavor perspective. Similarly, a chili-lime recipe offers a Tex-Mex-inspired take on a pot roast that works well in tacos and other pot roast leftovers.

Citrus doesn't just work well on pot roast. Lemons can add sweetness and brightness to a roast chicken meal and tangerines pair well with spices to allow for experimentation with flavors, whether the tangerines are part of a stuffed chicken dish or part of a roast medley.