Reasons You Want To Learn How To Cook Pot Roast In The Instant Pot:
1-Time
Your time is valuable and I know dinner is a dilemma we all face. We want to provide our families with healthy and delicious meals, but we dont have time to prepare. Often, I forget until 4-5:00 to think about whats for dinner. In the past, all of the low and slow cooked meals my family loved were off limits unless I was super organized and remembered to get food into a slow cooker by noon at the latest. Instant Pot to the rescue. Learning How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot is money in the bank. I promise you will thank me later!
2-Flavor
This Instant Pot recipe is full of flavor in every bite. I season the meat with a simple seasoning mixture of salt and pepper. The real flavor makers are the Worcestershire sauce, Balsamic vinegar and fresh garlic and onions. These ingredients combined, help make the dish more appealing in color and flavor. As I discussed in my Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe, Worcestershire is a sauce I keep in my kitchen at all times. It is filled with all kinds of goodies that add an extra boost of flavor to meats and sauces. Worcestershire is key when learning How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot!
3-No More dry roasts
4-Everybodys going to love it
Wouldnt that be a picture worthy post? Family reaction to a real meal mid-week! Seriously though, no matter the day of the week, everyone will love this dish. Pot Roast has always been a first Sunday of the month go-to meal for us.
5-So Simple
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.
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Cooking Juices Are Gold
Spoon some of the delicious leftover cooking juices on the cooked beef after you place it in a serving dish. This keeps the beef moist and also adds flavor. In addition, you can serve the remaining juices in a gravy boat. My kiddos and husband like to pour the juice over the top of their mashed potatoes, veggies, etc. â whatever else Iâm serving with the beef. Trust me, itâs drool-worthy!
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Instant Pot Pot Roast Experiment
In our Instant Pot Pot Roast experiment, we pressure cooked 3 nearly identical chuck roast steak at High Pressure for 20 mins, 45 mins, and 75 mins with an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.
Out of the 3 results, we enjoyed the 45-Minutes Instant Pot Pot Roast the most.
It was overall the most well-balanced in terms of Meat Texture, Meat Juice, Meat Flavors, and Sauce. It was definitely the most delicious one!
So, we developed this easy pot roast instant pot recipe based on this cooking time.
You can read more about the pot roast experiment here:The Best Pot Roast Cooking Time Experiment.
Why I Love My Instant Pot For Pork Roast
There are three things that I really love about cooking a pork roast in my Instant Pot .
The first is the sauté function. Using it creates a lovely, caramel-colored layer on the pork. Which means I dont have to pull out another pan and get it dirty. Love it!
After searing the roast, I remove it from the Instant Pot and put the trivet that was included to get the roast up out of the cooking liquid and off the bottom of the pot. I think it helps to maintain the color from the searing as well as ensuring that the bottom doesnt burn.
The second thing that I love is the fact that once the lid is locked on and cooking time is set, Im free to focus on something else.
Finally, the result is like a slow-braised, tender pork roast, but in the Instant Pot, it cooks in much less time.
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What Is Pot Roast
Pot roast is more of a method than a specific cut of meat. To make it, sear a large cut of beef until browned on all sides, and then cook it with aromatics like herbs, onions, carrots, and broth until its melt-in-your-mouth tender.
You can make this in a Dutch oven on the stove-top, in the oven, in a slow cooker, and in a pressure cooker. In this recipe, we are using a pressure cooker to make the pot roast. A pressure cooker takes the cook time down dramatically.
How To Crisp The Outside Of A Pork Roast
One drawback of the Instant Pot is that its a wet cooking method, which means that you dont get a crisp crust on the outside of your roast, even if you seared it at the beginning. The steam in the pressure cooker has made that not crusty. For sure.
Now, if you like a crisp crust on your roast youll need to use the oven after the Instant Pot has done its work I have instructions for that in the recipe below. Or you can read about it in my post How to Roast Pork Perfectly.
Basically, you let the pork rest for a bit. Then put it into the oven at a very high temperature for just 10 minutes. This will make the crust nice and dark.
FYI, if youre planning to shred the pork you really dont need to crisp it up in the oven first.
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Classic Roast Beef And Vegetables
Last but not least is everyones favorite old standby: sliced roast beef with vegetables. Its something you can throw into the slow cooker and cook while youre working all day, or its something you can serve up for a special Sunday dinner. Peas, carrots, potatoes and green beans are all great options for sides. Just dont forget to make the gravy.
CC0/pixel1/Pixabay
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 .
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Other Ingredients For Instant Pot Roast
- Onions and mushrooms: Yellow or white onions. Brown or portobello mushrooms yield more flavor than white mushrooms. You can use red onion as well, if thats all you have.
- Red wine: Any medium priced red wine like Pinot Noir. Do no use the cheapest one though, flavor not the same.
- Seasonings: Dried rosemary, thyme, onion and garlic. Paprika , salt and pepper.
- Broth: Best one would be low sodium beef broth. But chicken or vegetable broth, or even water, would be fine too. If your broth is not low sodium, reduce salt by 1/2 tsp.
- Vinegar: You can use red wine, balsamic or apple cider vinegar on their own or in any combination. Also part or all can be replaced with Worcestershire sauce. I used 1 tbsp apple cider + 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.
- Potatoes and carrots: Please note vegetables fit to cook at same time with the roast only in 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot.
Brown Beef Roast In Instant Pot
Press Saute button to Sauté More function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to ON on the screen.
Wait until it says HOTon the screen .
*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a Maillard reaction.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pots inner pot. Ensure the whole bottom is coated with olive oil.
*Note: In total, there are 6 sides to a beef roast. We are browning 4 sides of the beef roast excluding both ends .
Pat dry the beef roast with paper towel. Generously season one side of the beef roast with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place the beef roast in Instant Pot .
Brown the first side for 4 minutes. Generously season the other side with salt and black pepper.
Brown that side for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Finally, brown the other 2 sides for 2 minutes and 30 seconds per side .
Set aside the browned beef roast.
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Can I Use Frozen Beef
You might be wondering if you can use frozen beef for pot roast. Technically, the answer is yes, the cook time will just be longer .
That said, for the best results, we highly recommend following our method which calls for thawed beef thats seasoned with salt and been left on the counter long enough to take the chill off. This extra time creates the most flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Using thawed beef also allows us to brown the outside of the meat before braising it, which adds a lot of extra flavor to dish.
Serve Instant Pot Roast Beef
After 8 10 minutes rest, your Instant Pot Roast Beef is ready to be sliced
*Pro Tip: Cut pressure cooker roast beef against the grain for best result.
For Round of Eye Roast: you will want to slice it as thin as you can .
For Top Sirloin Roast: you can slice it into steak size.
Serve this classic Instant Pot Roast Beef and Gravy with your favorite side dishes. Enjoy~
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Step : Pressure Cook The Pork Roast
Add the meat back into the pot and continue to pressure cook for 37 minutes.
When its done, begin to release the steam, slowly and carefully, so that you do not burn yourself or anyone else. This should take about 5 minutes.
Place the meat on a plate and allow it to rest while making the veggies and the gravy.
How To Make The Best Pulled Pork Using A Slow Cooker
Pulled pork is perfect for the slow cooker. Its easy to do and is the ultimate make-ahead meal. Our recipe makes pork thats tender, full of flavor, and juicy. Its delicious served alone or add a bit of your favorite barbecue sauce. The slow cooker shines in this recipe. We start with a pork shoulder also called pork butt or Boston butt.
Its a relatively tough cut and does well when cooked over an extended period. Its also well marbled with fat, which prevents the pork from drying out while cooking. As the pork cooks, the fat melts and sort of self-bastes during cooking.
Making pulled pork in a slow cooker or crockpot is easy, but we still have a few tips for you, so you make it best.
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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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Ive Seen Cook Times For 90 Minutes Yours Is Less Than An Hour Why
Some of this is personal preference, but I think that 90 minutes under pressure for a 3-5 lb chuck roast is simply too long and I think the meat is usually overcooked.
I find that the meat is dry, stringy, and after that long of a cook time all the flavor has transferred from the meat and into the gravy, so youll have an awesome tasting gravy but your pot roast will have no flavor.
However, some folks seem to love it cooked that long so if thats your preference, go for it!
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Here Are The Instant Pot Beef Roast Experiment Results:
Which Cut of Beef to Use? Round of Eye Roast is great for making deli-style cold cut roast beef, while Top Sirloin Roast is great for making medium-rare steak-size sliced roast beef.
*Pro Tip: Beef cuts such as chuck roast with tough connective tissue will not be optimal for this Instant pot Roast Beef Recipe.
What Are The Best Cuts Of Meat To Use
The best cuts of beef for pot roast are tougher cuts of meat like chuck, brisket, and round. Traditionally, the beef cooks at a low temperature for a long time. Its because of this that tougher cuts of beef work so well. When I say tougher cuts of meat, Im talking about the leaner cuts with lots of connective tissue.
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What To Serve With Pulled Pork
We love pulled pork since its perfect for so many occasions. Here are some of our favorite sides to go alongside the tender, tasty pork:
Homemade Coleslaw I love the crunch of coleslaw with pulled pork. If you dont like mayo-based salads, try our mayo-free coleslaw.
Herb Potato Salad This mayo-free potato salad is perfect served cold or warm. Heres our classic creamy potato salad if that is more your style.
Quick and Easy Pasta Salad This fresh and easy pasta salad packed with crisp vegetables, fresh mozzarella, and tossed with a simple homemade dressing.
Ultra Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese Youll love this ultra creamy mac and cheese recipe! With the perfect ratio of milk to cheese to sauce, this macaroni and cheese is at the top of my favorites list!
Benefits Of Cooking Pork Roast In An Instant Pot
I love using the instant pot to make all kinds of meats, and this pork roast is just one of them.
There are 3 main benefits from cooking in the Instant Pot:
- It Saves Time: Everything cooks quickly, which is especially important when you come home from work and you and your family are hungry. Instead of serving them a sandwich you can give them a delicious meal.
- Flavor: Meat like this pork roast comes out so tender and juicy, which is great, especially with a cheaper and touch piece of meat.
- Its Easy: We are all busy and finding a quicker and easy way to cook things is at the top of my list, as Im sure it is for you too. They have made pressure cooking so easy now with the instant pot vs the old fashioned pressure cookers, you will learn how right away.
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More Instant Pot Recipes
- Our Favorite Bone Broth is made in a pressure cooker. Think of bone broth as a more intense, velvety broth. It can be used in recipes calling for stock or broth, but also doubles as a delicious and comforting soup to enjoy by itself.
- Instant Pot Pot Roast is so tender, it melts in your mouth. This easy recipe makes ultra-flavorful beef guaranteed to satisfy the entire family.
- Our Ultimate Pulled Pork is amazing when made in a pressure cooker. See our tips as well as how to make it in a slow cooker.
- These Instant Pot Eggs could not be simpler! If you are looking for a 100% foolproof method for how to cook hard or soft boiled eggs, this is it.
This Is The Best Way To Cook A Roast In Your Instant Pot
Raise your hand if a good blade or chuck roast is your favourite roast beef to make.
Me, me and me again.
There is nothing like a long, slow cooked chuck roast where the fat melts away and leaves you with tender, juicy bits of delicious beef. It also is fantastic that you can cook it for a good 9-10 hours in a crockpot.
Who bought themselves an Instant Pot this past year?
While they have been around for a while, I think that NOW they are really becoming mainstream, as in not only food bloggers have Instant Pots, that type of mainstream. I bought mine last summer when they were on for an incredibly cheap price on Prime Day and I swear that it hasnt left my counter for more than three days since then.
The very first thing that you need to learn is how to make a blade/chuck roast in your Instant Pot. Seriously. You will thank me for this later.
If you use a slow cooker/crockpot, you need to own one of these. I kid you not, I cant remember the last time I was so happy with an appliance. The ability to cook a blade/chuck roast in your instant pot in 120 minutes thanks to the high pressure option is incredible. I was running late that day and had these two roasts that I had picked up to make for supper. I put them on at 4 pm and we were eating by 6.
CRAZY AMAZING THIS INSTANT POT IS.
Sorry for the Yoda talk there briefly.
What usually takes a day in the slow cooker was achieved by the high pressure setting on my Instant Pot in two hours.
US friends:
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