First What Is A Pork Butt
The cut referred to as a butt roast or Boston Butt is actually from the front of a pig. The shoulder area to be exact. The shoulder is divided into two cuts the top rectangular part and the lower triangular part.
Historically, the top rectangular portion was a less popular cut. Butchers in colonial New England took these less popular cuts and packed them in wooden barrels for storage and transportation. The barrels used were called butts. So now you know. Interesting, right?
Now on to an easy and relatively quick recipe for pork roast. I know, this sounds a bit like an oxymoron. Pork shoulder roasts generally benefit from long cooking times. With the introduction of the Instant Pot, an updated electric pressure cooker, that has all changed. In about an hour you can have a fork-tender pork roast on the table.
The Best Veggies For An Instant Pot Beef Roast:
Because were trying to approximate the flavor of that dried onion soup mix, were going to use an entire onion in this recipe. I know, most dinner for two recipes use half an onion or less, but this time, were using the whole thing!
Then, we add two whole carrots and half a pound of baby potatoesthats it! In my expert beef roast opinion, celery is for beef stew, not beef roast. You can use one large Russet potato, chopped, instead of baby potatoes, if thats what you have on hand. Honestly, my mom always used Russet potatoes! The way a potato cooks in beef juices and red wine will make your eyes roll back in your head. Thats why, as a vegetarian most of my life, my Moms beef roast was something I couldnt resist.
Finally, our extraneous seasonings: tomato paste, dried spices, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine. When these flavors mingle with beef, a magical elixir is created that you will want to drink from a mug.
Again, just a reminder, friends, that this recipe is for the smaller Instant Pot Mini 3-quart machine. I dont know if you can double it, because I havent tried it. If I took a large recipe, scaled it down, and then doubled it, that would be the definition of insanity, ok? However, if youre looking for a larger instant pot beef roast recipe, try the internet. But, if youre cooking for two and looking for your favorite comfort foods scaled down, then Im your girl.
What Vegetables Go Well With Pork Roast
Every pork roast dinner has the following ingredients carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic, and of course pork.
For the potatoes, I used red potatoes because thats what I had on hand. However, you can also use gold Yukon or Russet. I usually dont peel red or gold potatoes, but I do for Russet.
Its important you cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. If you cut them smaller, they may end up mushy after pressure cooking.
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Why Buy An Instant Pot
One major benefit to a pressure cooker is steam pressure cooks meat faster than the oven.
For example, if you cooked this Pork Roast For Two recipe in the oven, it would take you almost 2 hours until the meat is tender. In the Instant Pot, it takes about 30 minutes.
The fact I can make a pork loin roast faster without sacrificing flavor is quite amazing.
Unlike a slow cooker, you can sear the meat directly in the pot. This means the meat will have more flavor from the browning.
With a slow cooker, most inserts arent stovetop proof, so you have to sear the meat in a separate pan then transfer it to the cooker.
Not only is there an extra dish to wash, sometimes you dont have time if youre prepping the slow cooker before leaving for work.
Ready to buy one? I have the LUX60V3 6-in-1 use, which you can buy directly from Amazon .
How Long Does It Take To Cook Pot Roast In A Pressure Cooker
The time it takes to cook pot roast in an Instant Pot will vary depending on how large your piece of meat is. For a 3-pound piece of beef, the total time required will be about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This includes the time to bring the beef to room temperature , searing time, and the cook time required inside the pressure cooker.
I know 2 hours and 30 minutes might seem like a long time, but for ultra-tender and juicy beef, we need all of it. The great news is that a pressure cooker makes much quicker work of pot roast compared to a slow cooker, oven, or when it is cooked on the stove-top.
Now, I mentioned there was extra time for bringing the beef to room temperature. After testing this pot roast recipe in our own kitchen, we found that if you start with beef straight out of the refrigerator, the roast doesnt become as tender as when you give the beef some time out of the fridge so that it comes up to room temperature before cooking it.
For a three pound roast, we found that leaving it on the counter for 1 hour was perfect. This extra time has another benefit, it gives us a chance to season the meat. Right after taking the beef out of the fridge, we season it liberally with salt, which means that as the beef sits, the salt has a chance to seep into the meat, making it extra tasty when cooked.
As a general rule, when cooking roasts in a pressure cooker, assume 20 minutes of cook time for every pound of meat.
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What If My Pot Roast Is Tough
If after cooking the pot roast, it is still tough, all you need to do is cook it longer. If the beef is still tough, it just needs more time for the braise to do its magic and break down the connective tissues in the beef.
Since we are using a pressure cooker, if after our suggested cook time, the beef is not as tender as youd like, you will need to place the lid back onto the pot, seal it, and then cook at high pressure for additional time .
How Long Do You Cook A Roast In The Pressure Cooker
The big question!
The short answer? About 1 hour.
The long answer:
How long a roast will need to be pressure cooked depends mostly on how large the roast or the pieces are that you cut it into.
I prefer to cut my roasts into chunks that are approximately 1 lb in size . However, the cook time also depends on the thickness of the pieces, so there has to be some wiggle room.
To be on the safe side, you can always allow for a little extra time pressure cooking the meat I opt for about 1 hour pressure cooking on high for smaller pieces. If your roast is frozen, or it is in one large piece, you will want to add a significant amount of time to ensure that your meat is fall apart tender.
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Easy Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- 1 boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch seasoned salt, or to taste
- 1 pinch onion powder, or to taste
- 1 can beef broth
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large onion, cut into 4 wedges
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- Step 1
Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides in the hot oil season with pepper, seasoned salt, and onion powder.
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- Step 2
Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, add the quartered onion, and seal the lid. Bring the cooker up to full pressure. Reduce heat to low, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Use the quick-release method to lower the pressure. Mix in carrots and potatoes, seal the lid again, and return the pressure cooker to the heat. Bring the cooker up to full pressure and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Use the quick-release method again and transfer the roast and vegetables to a serving dish.
What Do I Serve With Pot Roast
Roast with potatoes and carrots are the classic combination. This recipe cooks up small potatoes along with carrots. So the beauty of this recipe is that you have everything you need to make a complete meal out of it.
However, Ive made those steps optional so if you prefer your roasts with mashed potatoes, its easy to make the switch. When cooking mashed potatoes for roasts, I like my potatoes to take on the roast flavor. Therefore, I generally follow my mashed potatoes recipe but just cook them in a steamer basket above the juices in the cooking pot.
Also, in my house, I cant get away with making a roast and not making Yorkshire. My family prefers the Betty Crocker version Ive been making for years however, the next time I make roast Im planning to try this Yorkshire Pudding recipe, which is similar but less likely to deflate. We like to use our popover pans for crispy individual servings, you can just use a muffin pan.
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Can You Make Mashed Potatoes And Gravy With Instant Pot Pot Roast
Yes! If you are a mashed potato fan, youve got to try my favoriteInstant Pot Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy recipe! Its made with dry onion soup mix and youre only putting four ingredients into the Instant Pot so it is truly the easiest pot roast you will ever make and so fall-apart tender. When the roast is done, you pull out the potatoes and mash them with sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic and top them with savory beef broth gravy right from the Instant Pot!
How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
Step 1 Start by generously seasoning both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper.
Step 2 Then turn on the saute setting in your Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker and use the adjust button to turn it to the medium saute setting then add two tablespoons of olive oil.
Brown the beef on both sides until you get it well caramelized, this will add to the flavor so dont skip this step.
Step 3 pour in the gluten free beef broth along with the herbs and garlic, and using a flat ended spatula or wooden spoon deglaze the pot by scraping up all the meat bits from the bottom. This will help ensure that you dont get the burn notice.
Step 4 Add the chopped up onions, carrots, and celery to the broth, this will add flavor to the meat juices and in turn create a really delicious gravy. We dont serve these vegetables with the meat but Ive got directions for cooking those later on as they only take a couple of minutes after the meat is cooked.
Step 5 put the beef chuck roast on top of the vegetables then lock the lid and cook for it 47 â 50 minutes at high pressurefor an average sized roast. Please read the recipe notes on cook times for specific details on timings for different sizes of roast.
Step 7 Now to make the gravy! Remove all the vegetables from the meat juices and mix the starch with cold water as directed in the recipe, then use the saute setting and while stirring pour in the starch mixture.
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Instant Pot Roast Pork
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Yield: 6-8 servings Method: Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
Instant Pot Chuck Roast
This easy Instant Pot Chuck Roast recipe produces tender and juicy pieces of beef with a rich and flavorful broth. This melt-in-your-mouth roast requires no browning, which cuts down on the prep time significantly. It is a very simple and naturally gluten-free beef recipe, yet the few ingredients needed impart incredible flavor.
Ive made this recipe several times on days when I just donât have the energy to babysit a recipe in the kitchen. My family, who raves about this beef pot roast every time I make it, finally said, You need to share this recipe on the blog! I dont know why it never occurred to me to do so, but Im glad they finally convinced me.
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How Long Does A Small Roast Take To Cook
Roast for about 13-15 minutes per pound for rare, 17-19 minutes for medium, and 22-25 for cooked through. Check the meat with a thermometer to make sure it is the temperature you want it145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium. (Baste the roast a couple times while cooking, and keep an eye on the vegetables.
How To Make This Round Roast Recipe
This recipe comes to life in literally just 48 minutes with the help of your Instant Pot.
In Step #1, dont forget to put the metal trivet down in the metal pot. This will prevent the BURN message from appearing!
Keep the potatoes lined out on the side of the pot as shown in Step #2 so the roast sits directly on the metal trivet .
The final, finished product should look just like Step #4.
You can continue on and make a mashed potato as well. I like to add riced cauliflower to add another vegetable into the mix.
Mix in your favorite seasonings and some butter though to boost the flavor.
Here is a great Mashed Potato recipe to try too!
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Tricks Weve Tried To Prevent Potato Wedges From Sticking
Its pretty common for oven fries to stick to the pan you are roasting them on. Here are a few tricks weve tested to prevent it:
- Use parchment paper This works, but the potatoes do not brown as well.
- Add fat directly to the pan Adding some of the fat to the pan instead of tossing with the potatoes works really well.
- Soak in hot water Soaking the wedges in water removes some of the potato starch, which is what causes the sticking.
- Use a heavy nonstick baking sheet This is our favorite trick. Using a heavy nonstick baking sheet really helps if you have one, we recommend it.
In our recipe below, weve combined a few of the tricks above in hopes that you wont find yourself slowly peeling roasted potato wedges from your baking sheet.
Brown Meat In The Instant Pot
Im in the club of, I know browning adds flavor, but Im willing to sacrifice some flavor so I dont smell like meat. In this recipe however, I finally gave in to the fact that the flavor was 100% better when I sealed in those spices and achieved a deep brown crust. However, Ill admit, sometimes I sear 2-3 sides and then call it a day.
To brown your roast in the Instant Pot, set saute to high and wait until the pot says hot. Then add your oil and meat and DO NOT MOVE THE MEAT for at least 4 minutes. When the meat will release easily from the pot, you know youve formed a good crust. Flip it and repeat on another side. Depending on how many pounds of meat you are cooking, you may need to do this in batches.
If there is leftover browning at the bottom of the pot, add a splash of water or broth and use a spoon to scrape it up. This will prevent a BURN error from occurring as the pot is building pressure.
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Instant Pot Eye Of Round Roast Beef
Let me tell you, this Instant Pot eye of round roast is going to surprise you! As you slice into this hunk of meat, you will notice how tender and juicy it is.
In fact, once you make this cut of beef in the Instant Pot, you will never want to make it any other way.
Want a slice of lighter meat? If you really arent into red meat, make this pork shoulder roast instead! It is just as juicy and full of amazing flavor.
