Searing meat does not "seal in" moisture, and in fact may actually cause meat to lose moisture. Generally, the value in searing meat is that it creates a brown crust with a rich flavor via the Maillard reaction.

For years, the idea that searing meat helped prevent moisture loss was a cherished and oft-cited piece of culinary doctrine. It made sense and seemed consistent with people's experiences, so it was accepted, largely unquestioned, for nearly a century.

In recent years, however, the pendulum has swung the other way, with large numbers of people now declaring the theory to be pure nonsense - a humor12-myth, like fairies or leprechauns. It's been "debunked," they say, by "science."

But with meat we're about to braise, we don't care about "sealing in" juices. Properly braised meat is going to be moist and juicy no matter what. Searing before braising is done for reasons of appearance and flavor only.

As such, we're not concerned here with searing as it relates to the browning of meat prior to braising. For the purposes of this discussion, "searing" refers to the act of quickly browning a steak or other tender cut of meat, over a very high (i.e., 450°F or higher) heat, sometimes using a small amount of fat, as a part of a cooking procedure that uses dry-heat methods exclusively.