Carolyn:
What is the difference between braising and roasting? Is one method better for tough cuts of meat.

Braising, Sear a large piece of meat the place in a tightly covered pot with liquid coming up half way or less and cooking at a medium-low heat (325 degrees) for a long period of time. If the meat is in small pieces, sear and place in a tightly covered pot with liquid covering the meat. Either way you can add aromatics (carrots, onions, celery etc) to the cooking liquid if desire

Roasting. There are two ways to roast meats. One is to roast with a low temperature (300 degrees) until the meat is medium rare for juicy flavorful product. The other way is to roast at a higher heat for a shorter period of time. The latter product can have some dry outer areas. The meat can be seared before roasting, however, it mainly will increase the flavor of the meat not necessarily seal in flavors as the outer crust will develop leaks and the juices can run out.