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If searing does in fact “lock in juices,” we would expect that the steak that was first seared and then roasted would retain more juices than the steak that was roasted and then seared Unfortunately for old wives’ tales, the exact opposite was the case I carefully weighed each roast at each step of the process to gauge the amount of moisture and fat lost during cooking These are the results: The meat that was seared first and then roasted lost 1.68 percent more juices than the one that was roasted and then seared It’s not a huge difference, but the knowledge that searing conclusively does not lock in juices was liberating in the ways that it allowed me to think about the recipe Score: • Commandment I: Perfect Crust? Check • Commandment II: No Gray Zone? Negative • Commandment III: Full-on Juiciness? Check Inside and Out So, great, you may be thinking—you can sear first or you can sear afterward, and it makes no difference What’s the big deal? Well, the big deal, as some of the more astute readers may have noticed in looking at the timing above, is that if you start with a raw roast, it takes around 15 minutes in the hot pan to get a well-browned crust, during which time the outer layers of the roast are busy heating up and overcooking, just like they did when roasted in a 400°F oven But to get a well-browned crust after the prime rib has been roasted, you need only around minutes in the pan Why is this? It all has to do with water In order for the surface of a roast to reach temperatures above the boiling point of water (212°F), it must first become completely desiccated When you sear raw meat, about half of its stay in the skillet is spent just getting rid of excess moisture before browning can even begin to occur You know that vigorous sizzling sound when a steak hits a .. .The meat that was seared first and then roasted lost 1.68 percent more juices than the one that was roasted and then seared It’s not a huge difference, but the knowledge that... What’s the big deal? Well, the big deal, as some of the more astute readers may have noticed in looking at the timing above, is that if you start with a raw roast, it takes around 15 minutes in the. .. crust, during which time the outer layers of the roast are busy heating up and overcooking, just like they did when roasted in a 400°F oven But to get a well-browned crust after the prime rib has been