Does Meat Have Pores That Can Close?

It’s a popular kitchen myth that meat should have pores. When searing, the pores supposedly close so that no more meat juice can escape and the meat stays juicy. However, unlike skin, meat is made up of muscle fibers. So it has no pores that could close to prevent liquid from escaping. So the myth is clearly debunked.

Nevertheless, it is noticeable that little or no meat juice escapes during searing. However, the reason for this cannot be traced back to supposed pores: a lot of meat juice is only retained because the cooking process is quite short and the juice only emerges clearly and visibly later.

But even without pores, the searing of meat serves an important purpose. The high heat causes the surface proteins of the outer meat cells to caramelize, creating a tasty crust. However, even this crust cannot prevent the escape of meat juices. If you want the meat to remain juicy, you should then continue to cook it at low temperatures.