Why Is My Pot Pot Roast Tough
Theres a good chance that it hasnt been cooked for long enough. Because a beef roast is safe to cook well before it is ready, there is no harm in giving it a little bit of additional time to prepare it.
When I make pot roast, I prefer to chop it into smaller parts so that it can simmer and become soft in a shorter amount of time. You might want to chop the roast into even smaller pieces if you are using a less-than-ideal sort of roast, such as one that is quite lean and does not contain a lot of fat.
How To Make Pot Roast In Pressure Cooker
- Turn your pressure cooker to the Saute function and pour in 1 tablespoon oil.
- While the pressure cooker is heating, liberally season the chuck roast on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the seasoned roast into the heated inner pot, and sear the roast for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned.
- Turn the instant pot OFF from the saute function and remove the pot roast from the inner pot and place on a platter.
- Pour in about ½ cup of the beef broth and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot, so that pressure can build appropriately and you wont get a burn notice.
- Add seared roast back to the inner pot. Pour in the rest of the beef broth and then sprinkle the with additional salt, pepper, and onion powder. Top the roast with minced garlic and horseradish.
- Cook for 20 minutes per pound on high pressure. This would be 60 minutes for a 3 pound roast.
- Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes. This will keep the pot roast super tender.
- Remove the pot roast from liquid and place onto a platter or cutting board. It is okay if it falls apart as you are removing the roast–it should be fall-apart tender.
- Tent the meat with foil and let rest for 5-10 minute befores shredding or slicing and serving with the cooking juices.
Instant Pot Pot Roast Faqs
What is the best cut of meat for pot roast?
How long do you cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot?
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.
Can I cook a frozen roast in the Instant Pot?Why is my pot roast tough?Do I have to trim my roast?
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Can I Freeze This Dish
Yes, this beef bourguinon will freeze well once its made. You can keep it in an airtight container for up to three months. Be sure to label it and add the date that you made it. If youre anything like me, your freezer is full of leftovers and meals for another day and you dont want to lose track of how old something is.
How Long Does Leftover Pioneer Woman Instant Pot Pot Roast Last In The Fridge
After it has been cooked, the Pioneer Woman Instant Pot Pot Roast that has been produced can be kept for up to 5 days in the refrigerator before it goes bad. Even after that, it may still have an acceptable flavor, but when it comes to food, it is best to err on the side of caution because you never know what can happen.
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Tips For The Best Instant Pot Pot Roast
So, with all that background in mind, I have found that there are a few key tips to making a good Instant Pot roast.
- Start with good tried and true cut of meat. So, use a chuck roast. In a pinch a round roast might suffice.
- Use a good amount of flavoring. In my case I cook in beef broth and use Montreal Steak seasoning, onion soup mix, and bay leaves.
- Pressure cook the roast for at least 20 minutes per pound.
- Natural release, preferably a full natural release, but if impatient, try to get at least 20 minutes.
- Pressure cook the vegetables separately to avoid mushy veggies.
What Can I Do With Leftover Pot Roast
As I hinted to above, youll love the leftovers almost as much as youll love eating the dish the first time. My favorite ways to eat leftover pot roast, in no particular order:
- On sandwiches. Boring, maybe. But add some banana peppers and a little mayo on top of that roast, slap it between two pieces of bread any bread will do and thats one amazing sandwich!
- Add shredded pot roast to a simple pasta dish.
- Beef empanadas!
- Add leftovers to a beef-based soup.
- Lettuce wraps are a great, low-carb way to serve up this protein.
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What Beef To Use For This Recipe
If youre wonder what kind of meat works best in a stroganoff, youre in luck because you have a lot of options. Youll notice in the ingredients list of this beef stroganoff recipe I suggest getting stew meat. Generally when you purchase this, its already cubed or cut for you and ready to go. Thats one less step when youre in a hurry to get dinner done.
But if you have beef in your freezer or you cant find stew meat or just prefer to cut it yourself, then the best kind to buy is a beef that is more tender. If you have tender meat, then that means you dont have to cook it as long. . These types of cuts include sirloin, steak tips, flank, tenderloin, or rib eye.
If you dont purchase your beef pre-cut, then youll want to cut it into small chunks or thin strips.
Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 If desired, cut the beef into bite-size pieces, discarding fat and cartilage if necessary. Return beef to the mixture in the insert and serve.
- tip 2 Leftover beef from this Instant Pot® roast recipe makes a great sandwich, especially with a creamy horseradish spread.
- tip 3 Be sure to stir in the cornstarch mixture gently since the vegetables will be very tender.
- tip 4 Wondering what to do with your pressure cooker roast leftovers? Try our recipe for Roast Beef Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions, It’s the perfect lunch follow-up.
- tip 5 You can also enjoy any leftovers from this Instant Pot® beef roast recipe as a delicious Pot Roast Casserole with a clever shortcut using Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes.
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Can I Cook A Frozen Roast In The Pioneer Woman Instant Pot Pot Roast
Absolutely! The cooking time should be increased to 90100 minutes for a roast weighing 3 pounds, 100110 minutes for a roast weighing 4 pounds, and 120 minutes for anything weighing more than 4 pounds. Even though you wont be able to sear a frozen roast, you may still season it with salt and pepper and add liquids as the recipe asks for below.
What To Do With Leftovers:
- Make Pulled Pork Sandwiches We love to make pulled pork sandwiches with any leftover meat. It makes the perfect lunch the next day.
- Serve Egg Noodles You can also serve leftovers over egg noodles. This is delicious and so budget friendly.
- Variation to use Shredded Pork Roast It really is so good and a great use of money because the meat can be used many different ways. The potatoes and carrots get the best flavor from the instant pot pork roast recipe.
- Pork Roast Pot Pie Shred the pot roast and dice the carrots and make pot pie. We love to make biscuits and serve over the top and my family loves it.
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Why We Love This Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
This Instant Pot Roast is so tender it falls apart when you try to take it out. It has such great flavor, that you can even skip the searing if you want .
One thing it is missing? Mushy vegetables.
Vegetables in the Instant Pot cook very quickly, often just a few minutes or less, so its better to leave them out while the roast cooks, and add them later at the end.
I know that this is an extra step and you might be wondering if its worth it.
Trust me on this one.
This way, you will have a perfectly juicy and tender pot roast, and perfectly cooked but still totally appetizing veggies.
You know Im not into any extra unnecessary steps , but the potatoes and carrots will cook in just a few minutes and if you buy small, pre-washed potatoes, you dont even need to chop them.
Is Pot Roast Low Carb
On it’s own, pot roast is a low carb meal, since it’s just a slow cooked beef roast. This recipe includes potatoes and a thick and silky gravy, which makes the recipe a bit high in carbs due to the starch needed to thicken it.
If you’d like to reduce the amount of carbs in this Instant Pot Pot Roast, you should not include the potatoes. You can also either skip the gravy, use keto gravy, or enjoy the broth without thickening it, like an au jus.
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Instant Pot Chuck Roast
Adapted from Meg Dow | The No Shop Instant Pot | Page Street Publishing, 2021
If youve been using your Instant Pot for a while now, you probably already know how ingenious they are. If youre new to the pressure cooker game, trust us when we tell you that, for time saving alone, theyre worth the counter space. But just wait until you taste this tender, warmly-spiced pot roast. Dinner just hit the fast lane.Meg Dow
Table of Contents
How Do You Add Flavor To Pot Roast
A delicious mixture of dried herbs and spices adds a TON of flavor to the chuck roast and the gravy. This is the key to flavor and one of the things that sets this recipe apart from others. Many other pot roast recipes are under seasoned resulting in a bland, flavorless roast.
The amounts called for in the recipe will make exactly the amount of seasoning needed. It can be mixed up in advance and stored in an airtight container to save time.
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How Long To Cook Roast In Instant Pot
Using this recipe, it takes 60 minutes at high pressure to cook a 3-pound pot roast in an Instant Pot. Add to that the time that the pot takes to come to pressure and the time needed to release the pressure, and you’ll need approximately 90 minutes to make a roast in the instant pot.
In the oven, a pot roast cooked low and slow takes from 3-4 hours, and a slow cooker pot roast takes at least 5 hours. Using the Instant Pot to make pot roast is so much quicker!
If your roast is larger than 3 pounds, you should cook it at high pressure for 20 minutes per pound.
Instant Pot Beef Recipes
- There is nothing better than Instant Pot Beef Recipes!
My favorite dessert to serve with roast beef recipes is this mini pavlova recipe. It’s the perfect ending to a great meal. And, try more of the best beef cuts according to your needs and budget by following my guide on the Best Cuts of Beef and our Popular Beef Dishes!
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Get That Perfect Sear
But were not done with that trusty sauté function just yet! Once youve removed the onions, garlic and leeks, Use the sauté function to sear each side of your chuck roast.
Start by adding olive oil to your Instant Pot, and then sear each side of the chuck roast for 3-4 minutes per side. The goal here is to get the outside of your roast nice and brown.
Why do you sear the roast before pressure cooking? This gets those delicious meaty juices in your roast flowing and starts the meat tenderization process. Plus, by searing before pressure cooking, you avoid having to take EVERYTHING out of your Instant Pot to sear at the end.
How To Make A Pot Roast In Your Pressure Cooker
- Cut. Cut the beef chuck roast into several pieces, each the size of your palm. Place the beef into the Instant Pot.
- Add. Mix together the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, dried Rosemary, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Then add the onions to the mixture.
- Cook. Pour sauce on chuck roast. Close the lid and pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. Immediately release all pressure.
- Veggies. Add potatoes, cut up carrots or baby carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms.
- Finish. Close the lid and cook on high pressure 4 minutes. Allow the pot to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes. Then, release all remaining pressure. Remove beef chuck and shred.
- Serve. Place on a serving dish. Arrange all the vegetables around the meat. Serve the pot liquid as a sauce or au jus gravy on the side.
- Optional: You can make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce, but you may not need to.
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What Is The Best Cut Of Beef For Pot Roast
Chuck roast is the most common cut of beef used to make pot roast. Chuck is from the front part of the animal and the different cuts will be labeled as blade, boneless cross rib, top blade, bottom blade, and shoulder. And, there can even be different names for the same cut from store to store. I know how confusing this can be! Certified Angus Beef has detailed information on the specific cuts of beef that are best for braising.
Here are the details on my favorite cuts to use for pot roast.
How To Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot
Making a pot roast in your Instant Pot is pretty easy to do. Instead of braising your roast in the oven, you can make an Instant Pot chuck roast in about half the total time.
I do something a little different than other recipes you may see online. I like to cook my vegetables after the meat is cooked. I have found that if I cook my vegetables for the same amount of the time I cook the meat, the vegetables become soft.
I like the vegetables to be tender, so I cook a pot roast in two stages. One long cooking cycle for the meat, seasonings, and liquid, followed by a very short cycle for the vegetables.
Here are the recipe steps:
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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
