Braising: the basics for roasts, goulash and roulades

Sear hard, deglaze the browned bits, little liquid, low heat, lots of time, lid on. Everything else is variation.

Pat the meat dry and sear in batches in genuinely hot fat — wet or too much meat boils grey instead of browning.
The brown crust on the pot base is the flavour. Deglaze with wine, stock or water and scrape it up.
Only enough liquid for the meat to sit a third deep. Braising is steaming, not boiling.
Lowest heat — it may only murmur. Boiling braised meat goes tough, simmering goes tender. The oven at 150 °C is more even than the hob.
It is done when a fork slides in without resistance. That takes 2 hours for goulash, 90 minutes for roulades, 2–3 hours for a roast — and none of it can be shortened.
Cook the day before. Every braised dish is better reheated.