How To Slow Cook Stew In Instant Pot

How Can I Make My Stew Flavorful

How to Make Beef Stew in Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker | Quick and Easy Dinner

Have you ever made a stew, only to find it lacking in flavor? The worst!

You wont find that problem with this recipe! Heres what were doing to pack in the flavor

Sear the beef before adding it to the slow cooker this brings another depth of flavor to the beef
Use tomato paste for a deep tomato flavor that doesnt dilute the gravy
Worcestershire sauce packs a nice umami flavor thatll really brighten everything else. Add more if you want!

Garlic, Onions and Herbs add a nice earthy balance and flavor to the stew
Use Beef Broth instead of water
Season to Taste at the end with salt and pepper. Sometimes a little extra salt and pepper is all it needs.

Which Instant Pot Models Have The Meat/stew Button

Sometimes only a few of the Instant Pot models have a specific smart program, and within the series the 3 quart models may not have the button either. The mini model only has so much space on the control panel.

Before you buy your Instant Pot, double-check if the meat/stew button is on both the model and size. Its also possible that earlier versions of a model dont have a button and its added into new models as they adjust the functions of a specific Instant Pot Model.

How Do You Make Stew Meat Tender

Not cooking the stew long enough.

Chuck meat is your best bet for beef stew, but its also a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender. Rush the cooking process and the beef will be tough and chewy. Follow this tip: For really tender meat, cook the stew low and slow, for approximately two hours.

Instant Pot Beef Stew Instructions

Put IP on sautè mode, add 2 Tbs olive oil.

Add beef.

Cook until about half done, add flour and continue cooking.

Add veggies , stock, sauce and seasoning.

Put IP on stew setting and set time for 35 minutes.

Release steam and open IP, add peas.

Serve with crusty bread or hearty crackers or use my biscuit recipe.

Tips On How To Make Slow Cooker Recipes In An Instant Pot

Tip #1: Adjust the Liquid Level

Every Instant Pot recipe must start with at least 1 cup of liquid. The liquid is required to prevent burn and to help the Instant Pot build pressure correctly.

Because the heating is so gradual in a slow cooker, the odds of something burning are slim BECAUSE enough juices from the food has been released by the time the slow cooker has reached its highest heating temperature.

Tip #2: The Instant Pot is designed to get really hot, really fast.

This means you have to START with liquid, otherwise your food will burn before its had a chance to release any juices.

With that said, anytime you make a slow cooker recipe in an Instant Pot, you need to adjust the recipe so that youre starting with at least 1 cup of liquid. This might mean adding additional liquid in order to reach the minimum needed.
This additional liquid can be water, stock or the same liquid that the slow cooker recipe calls for its your call. But make sure theres 1 cup of liquid at the bottom of your Instant Pot before you start cooking.

Tip #3: Natural Pressure Release vs. Quick Pressure Release

Anytime you make a recipe, the Instant Pot must build pressure, then cook your food, and then release the pressure. The pressure is typically released one of three ways:

The type of pressure release you choose for your slow cooker turned Instant Pot recipe matters, because anytime there is pressure inside the Instant Pot, your food is cooking.

Other Ingredients to beware of:

A Homemade Beef Stew Crockpot Recipe

hearty comfort food

To me, nothing screams comfort more than a big pot of soup or stew. My mom used to make a big batch of homemade beef stew for us on the weekends as soon as the weather got cooler.

It was the ultimate cold weather food and wed always go for seconds and thirds throughout the day.

Homemade Beef Stew is still one of my favorite lazy Sunday meals I make for my own family now and they love it just as much as we did.

How To Make Beef Stew In The Instant Pot

Set Instant pot to sear and add olive oil.
Season beef with salt and pepper.
Brown the meat until you get a nice sear on all side of the beef.

Add onion, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion powder, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Stir well to combine ingredients. *Make sure to cut vegetables in large chunks. This will keep them form becoming mushy while cooking.*
Cover and seal the lid and set for 20 minutes with High pressure on manual mode.
Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally for 5 minutes before releasing all the pressure.

Add more salt and pepe to taste.
Stir in cornstarch slurry, by whisking 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. cold water.
Serve immediately with chopped parsley if desired.

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Beef & Barley Stew : Slow Cooker Or Instant Pot

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A deep, dark confession: Mr Magpie hates barley and I made this beef & barley stew despite his protestations. I was convinced that this was similar to many other things that he had eaten before and hated the problem was simply that it wasnt MY beef and barley stew. That sounds like my ego talking but its true in a lot of cases when it comes to Mike trying out food that hes disliked since childhood.

Make Ahead And Meal Prep Tips For This Instant Pot Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Pot Roast – Instant Pot Recipes – Slow Cooker Recipes

chop the carrots and celery the day before and add them to a zip-top freezer bag in the fridge
peel and chop the potatoes and onions and store them in a zip-top freezer bag in the freezer. This prevents the potatoes from changing color and the onions from spreading odors in the fridge.
cut the beef into chunks and place in zip-top freezer bags. Store in the fridge.

This Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe makes a big batch with enough for LOTS of leftovers.

In fact, I think I love the flavors even more the next day. So you can make it ahead for a freezer friendly recipe to the next time you are craving beef stew. Or prep it the night before on your Sunday meal prep and portion it out for work or school lunches.

All those thick rich and deep flavors get a chance to build even more overnight.

So delicious and the perfect meal for busy weeknights or a cozy Sunday dinner.

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What Is The Best Stew Meat

A common question that is asked about how to make beef stew, is what type of beef should you use? While you could probably get away with using just about any cut of steak, a Beef Chuck Roast is my personal favorite.

Make sure to trim the chuck roast of any excess fat, as any excess fat can cause a greasy gravy base afterwards.

Chuck Roast is also great because while its a naturally tough piece of meat, it becomes nice and tender when its slowly cooked .

What If Your Instant Pot Doesnt Have The Meat/stew Smart Program

Dont worry. You dont have to miss out on making amazing meat or stew recipes in your Instant Pot doesnt have this button. Most recipes use manual in the cooking instructions anyway.

Double-check the recipe youre preparing for any additional instructions related to time and ingredients to help you have a great finished dish.

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Instant Pot Meat/stew Setting: What Is It Which Models Have It

Instant Pots include smart programs to help you cook conveniently and efficiently. Were you looking at the front panel of the electric pressure cooks and want to know more about the Instant Pot Meat/Stew setting? Here is a preview of the buttons features and which models include the setting.

The Instant Pot electric pressure cookers include smart programs that were created based on extensive testing. Smart programs control multiple aspects of the cooking process including temperature, pressure, heat intensity, and duration all at the push of a button. The Instant Pot Meat/Stew button controls one specific smart program.

One thing to note: Not all of the Instant Pot models and sizes within a series have the same set of smart programs. This is especially true for the 3 quart models. For example, within a series , the mini models do not have all of the not all smart programs are available compared to the 6 and 8 quart models. And like the cake button, the meat/stew smart program is included in a limited number of models, and its not available on the 3 quart models. Always double check the Instant Pot you are thinking of buying if the meat/stew smart program is important to you.

And one more note: this post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through my link. You wont pay any more if you use this link.

What Is The Best Meat For Beef Stew

The best meat for beef stew is usually going to be a chuck, chuck roast, chuck shoulder, or some other variation of chuck. They have good marbling, are a fairly inexpensive cut, and will get nice and tender while being flavorful. But you can also use bottom eye, bottom round, rump, or even an English pot roast.

If you are at the store and looking at the meat section, look for something that says stew meat and that should do it! Or ask your butcher what he/she recommends.

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Ingredients In Instant Pot Beef Stew

Olive oil. For beef stew, I like to cook the meat in a light olive oil canola oil also works.
Beef. You can use a chuck roast and cut it yourself, but I find its easiest to just buy stew meat already cut up and trimmed at the butcher counter.
Veggies. For our version of Instant Pot Beef Stew, we use the classics carrot, onion, celery, potatoes, and peas . You could also throw in some parsnips, green beans, or pearl onions if you want to up the veggie ratio.

Garlic. Not much to explain here! Garlic. Always lots of garlic.
Tomato paste. We love to use tomato paste in our beef stew because it helps to thicken the stew. It also has a really concentrated tomato flavor, so it adds a ton of flavor.
Tomato puree. You could use tomato puree or canned tomatoes here. My kiddos dont really like whole tomatoes, so I sneak them in this way. If you have canned diced tomatoes on hand, that works too!

Seasoning. You don need much in terms of seasoning we use LOTS of salt, a few bay leaves, a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, and just a pinch of sugar.
Broth. Youll want low-sodium beef stock or broth. We always use low-sodium so we can control the amount of salt that goes into our dish.

Tips For Making The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Dont cut the cubes of beef too small or they will fall apart before soaking up all of the delicious juices while cooking.

Browning the beef before adding it to the slow cooker is important. Searing the meat on high heat locks in all the delicious flavor and allows the meat to come out tender.
You can peel your potatoes or leave the skin on.

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Ingredients Of Instant Pot Beef Stew

Its 1 pound of chuck stew beef, small cubes.

Prepare 2 Tbs of flour.

You need 1/2 pound of carrots, peeled and sliced.

Its 1 of medium white onion, diced.

Its 1 pound of white or golden potatoes, cubed.

You need 6 cloves of garlic, minced.

You need 4 cups of low sodium beef stock.

Prepare 3 Tbsp of steak sauce.

Prepare 2 tsp of thyme, rosemary.

Its to taste of S& P.

You need 1 bag of frozen peas, thawed.

How To Cook Beef Stew Meat:

Instant Pot Slow Cooker Cowboy Stew

Beef stew meat is notoriously tough, so its important you give it enough time to cook. Also, we want to get as much flavor out of the beef itself, so its also important to sear the beef before you let it cook with the veggies and the broth. Usually this takes many hours, but since we are using the instant pot today, its only going to take about 35-40 minutes. Wild stuff!

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Tips For Making The Best Beef Stew:

What type of meat do I use for beef stew? We prefer using beef chuck since I find it produces the most tender beef but if you are in a pinch, you can use beef stew meat

What is the best pressure cooker for making beef stew? Be sure to use at least a 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker for this recipe. I use the 6 Quart DUO PLUS.

Can I skip browning the meat before? While you can skip this step, I would definitely brown the beef in the Instant Pot prior to adding the other ingredients. Its an extra, more involved step but completely worth it for that caramelized and hearty depth and extra layer of flavor you get. On those days you are pressed for time, you are totally free to skip the browning if youd prefer an easy dump and go recipe.

What vegetables do you use in beef stew? Be sure to use a combination of aromatics like onions and garlic plus vegetables. I used carrots, celery, potatoes and a sweet potato. Feel free to leave that out if youre not a sweet potato fan and you can also add some green peas or mushrooms if you like. And for low carb / keto use turnips or cauliflower instead of potatoes.

What other key ingredients do I need to make the best beef stew? Add some tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and a star anise for a punch of flavor. If you cant find a star anise or are not a fan, feel free to leave it out.

Ingredients Needed For Crockpot Beef Stew

Heres a quick look at the ingredients youll need to make this hearty stew. You can find the exact measurements, along with a handy print button located in the recipe card below.

Beef Chuck Roast make sure to trim any excess fat
Onion

Bay Leaf
Cornstarch to thicken the stew
Frozen Peas if youre not a fan of peas, you can leave these out too

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How To Make Hearty Beef Stew In The Instant Pot

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Cooler weather brings a hunger for hearty meals, and this Beef Stew is just what youve been looking for.

My Instant Pot swiftly became one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Its right there with my slow cooker.

I add several new posts every week and Never Miss a Thing!

Not only does it let you do lots of passive cooking, when you have so much more you need to be doing around the homestead. But when you dont necessarily have the time for a slow cooker meal, the pressure cooker is a huge short cut!

Instant Pot Slow Cooker Conversions

Low on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like keep warm on a traditional slow cooker.
Medium on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like low on a traditional slow cooker.
High on the Instant Pot Function is more like medium-high on a traditional slow cooker.

To further explain:

The low setting on a crockpot is about 190-200 degrees and the high setting on a crockpot is between 225-275 degrees,
For the slow cooker function on your instant pot, the low is about 170 degrees, normal is 200 degrees, and the high is 210 degrees.

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How Do I Pressure Cook Meat In Instant Pot

Cover bottom of pot with 1 cup cold water for a 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups of cold water for an 8 quart instant pot. Add in trivet and place frozen or fresh ground meat directly on trivet. Put the lid on the Pressure Cooker and turn valve to seal. Set to High Pressure for 20 minutes if frozen, 6 minutes if fresh.

How To Make Instant Pot Beef Stew:

Sauté the beef. Turn the instant pot to the sauté function. Season the beef with lots of salt and pepper. Add your oil to the bottom of the instant pot and then add half of the beef. Sauté until brown. Remove and sauté the rest of the beef.

Stir in tomato paste. Once the beef has cooked, add the beef you already cooked back to the instant pot. Add the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom of the pan. Stir in tomato paste, tomato puree, bay leaf, Worcestershire, sugar, and salt.

Add everything else. Place the veggies on top.

Cook! Put the lid on, and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Press the instant release button. Watch out!

Thicken the stew. Add a mixture of cornstarch and beef broth to the beef stew. Turn the instant pot back to saute and whisk in cornstarch mixture. Stir until thickened. Add in peas. Let the cook until thawed. Serve with lots of fresh parsley and crusty bread! Oh! And dont forget to season with salt and pepper.

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