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
Instant Pot Roast Gravy
Making gravy in the Instant Pot is a breeze. The easiest method is to remove the pot roast and vegetables when they are done cooking then switch the cook setting to saute. If there arent enough beef drippings to make a gravy, add some beef broth. Combine a little water and some corn starch in a liquid measuring cup to form a cornstarch slurry. When the drippings and broth start to simmer, whisk in the cornstarch mixture a little at a time until it becomes a gravy consistency. Simmer about 3 minutes adding more beef broth to thin if needed. Add salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder to taste.
How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
Here is an overview of the recipe steps. If you are new to using an Instant Pot, you might find my guide on How to Use an Instant Pot helpful.
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Perfect Cut Of Roast Beef
Choose a cut of beef with plenty of marbling and fat for a pot roast recipe like this one. Here are three of my favorite options:
- Chuck roast is the most common cut of beef used for pot roast. It becomes so tender after low and slow cooking . It has plenty of marbling, which makes it juicy after cooking and adds flavor to the drippings. Cooked just right, a chuck roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
- A bottom or top round cut of beef is what is used when making roast beef. This cut comes from the rear of the cow, which means it’s leaner than both brisket and chuck roast. I like to add a little more fat to the Instant Pot when I use this cut to keep it moist .
- Brisket is a little pricier than chuck roast, but it has a lot of connective tissue that makes it tender after a long day of being cooked slowly . It’s also perfect for cooking in the Instant Pot.
- Check out my perfect cuts of beef guide.
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.
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How To Make Roast Gravy
- To blend : Remove the beef roast and vegetables from the pressure cooker and scrape off the excess fat from the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot. Then, simply use your immersion blender to blend the sauce together, creating an emulsified gravy.
- To strain: Remove the beef roast and vegetables from the pressure cooker and scrape off the excess fat from the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot. Then, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
PRO TIP: For a thicker gravy, make a roux in the saucepan by cooking 2 Tablespoons each butter and flour over medium heat for about 1 minute. Then, scrape off the excess fat from the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot and strain into the saucepan with the roux. Cook until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.
How Do You Shred Beef Easily
Repeat as needed and discard inedible pieces. Thats how we made our Instant Pot barbecue beef recipe.
This is how we serve it! SO good right??!!
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Other Roast Recipes Youll Love:
How To Make Pot Roast In A Pressure Cooker
In our photos, we are using a 6-quart Instant Pot, which is an electric pressure cooker.
Other brands make electric pressure cookers, too. If you own one of them, you should be able to use this recipe without any problems .
Step 1, Season the beef and bring it to room temperature. Ive already touched on this above, but Ill quickly do it again, here.
After testing, we found that when we left the beef out on the counter to come closer to room temperature before cooking it, the pot roast was much more tender at the end of the cooking time.
I also love that the beef gets a chance to sit with the salt for about an hour before cooking. In this time, the salt seeps into the meat and helps to season and tenderize it.
Step 2, Brown the beef on all sides. By browning the beef on all sides before cooking at high pressure, we add color to the meat and add lots of flavor to the pot.
For a one-pot meal, brown the beef right in the pressure cooker using the Saute function. If your pressure cooker does not have this function, simply brown the beef in a heavy pan on the stove.
After browning, I remove the beef so I can move on to the veggies.
Step 3, Lightly brown vegetables. For extra flavor, we add onions, carrots, and celery to our pot roast, but I like to cook them in the bottom of the pot a bit first.
Step 4, Deglaze the pot and place the beef and vegetables back in. By deglaze, I mean to add liquid and scrape the bottom of the pot until it is clean.
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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.
Why Youll Love This Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe:
- A chuck roast prepared in Instant Pot results in a pot roast that is astonishingly tender and tasty, and it may be ready in a fraction of the usual cooking time.
- To prepare this dish, you will only need one pot, which might be your Instant Pot .
- The leftovers are delicious after being reheated. Below you can find further reading about how to reheat a pot roast.
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Expert Tips & Tricks:
- Want to ensure this quick chuck roast recipe is cooked evenly? Allow the meat to rest on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes before cooking. This helps take the chill off.
- For the best sear, pat the beef chuck roast dry with paper towels prior to seasoning. The dry surface and hot oil give you that extra crispy brown crust, which packs in so much flavor.
- Looking for pot roast with potatoes and carrots? Simply omit the parsnips and replace them with an equal amount of carrots.
- Beef Broth vs. Chicken Broth: As youll see in the recipe below, I used chicken broth as the liquid in the recipe. I personally find that my homemade chicken stock produces a lighter pot roast recipe. However, if you prefer beef broth feel free to swap an equal amount of it in place of chicken broth.
- What pressure cooker should I use? I prefer to use my Instant Pot, but any pressure cooker you own will work. Feel free to use your Electric Pressure Cooker, Power Cooker, Presto, Power Cooker XL, or Crock-Pot Express. Just make sure to follow the manufacturers cooking technique, as it varies between each brand.
What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For Pot Pot Roast
To create a pot roast, you dont need to spend a lot of money on a high-quality cut of meat because the Instant Pot can tenderize even a less costly roast in under an hour. This is one occasion in which you may save costs without sacrificing the quality of the dish in any way.
In light of the aforementioned, the most popular option for pot roast is chuck roast, which is what it will be known in the United States, and blade roast, which is what it will be called in Canada. It is a very inexpensive cut, but it has a high marbling content, which makes the flesh exceptionally soft. You are free to use any variety you choose, but if you are shopping in Canada, look for a roast that is branded pot roast.
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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?
Instant Pot Perfect Beef Pot Roast Recipe
This Instant Pot Perfect Beef Pot Roast Recipe is a staple at our house! This recipe turns out perfect every single time!
Its so easy and fool proof! We love to serve this with our Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes and these delicious Honey Roasted Carrots!
You can also make this Perfect Beef Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker, find the recipe HERE!
Place roast back into Instant Pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery and spread all around the roast.
Looking for more Pot Roast Recipes?! Try our Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast!
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Instant Pot Frozen Pot Roast
You can easily prepare a pot roast using a frozen chuck roast when cooking in the Instant Pot. Unlike slow cookers, the Instant Pot will get hot enough in a short amount of time to safely cook frozen meat.
- Skip searing the meat, as you can not sear a frozen cut of meat.
- Place the frozen beef roast, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder inside the pressure cooker.
- Pour in beef stock around the roast, then top the roast with horseradish.
- Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes per pound For a 3 pound roast that would be 90 minutes.
Whats The Difference Between A Pot Roast And A Chuck Roast
A chuck roast is a cut of meat and a pot roast is a style of preparation. Any cut of meat that comes from the chuck, or the shoulder part, is a chuck roast. A pot roast doesnt have to be chuck, it can be any cut of meat thats prepared by slowly braising it with a little liquid until its juicy and tender. Although quite frankly, some of us believe that a well-marbled chuck roast does, indeed, make the most magnificent pot roast.
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How To Make A Pot Roast In The 3 Qt Mini Instant Pot
My pot roast was 2.6 lbs. and I was a bit concerned if it would fit. No worries there, all I had to do is cut it in half.
For this recipe, all you need is your roast, salt, and pepper to taste and sauce of your choice. Whether you choose Chuck, sirloin or whatever cut you prefer, as mentioned we used chuck roast and it was 2.6lbs.
My husband picked up a 14.2 oz. of P.F. Changs Mongolian-style BBQ sauce. It was super! The secret is in the sauce.
After I cut the roast in two, seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, I added one cup of water to the pot, placed the meat on the trivet, and dumped the sauce on top. You can add onions, or peppers too if you like. I set the pot to the High Pressure/Pressure manual for 45 minutes. I let it naturally release and removed the roast to a platter to cool down a bit.
In the meantime, I had cut up some baby red potatoes and seasoned those with salt, pepper, and a little balsamic glaze. I added one cup of water to the pot, placed it down the trivet, and dumped my potatoes on top. Set to High Pressure again for 11 minutes and had some perfect potatoes to go with our roast.
The roast was mouth-watering tender and delicious.
Want To Be Sure Theres Enough Gravy
My family has come to associate roasts with Yorkshire Pudding, and they often request mashed potatoes along with it. When these sides are on the menu, I know well need enough gravy to fill a small swimming pool.
Therefore, this recipe is written to make a big batch of extra gravy. The notes section of the recipe also contains instructions for reducing the liquids if you dont want to make as much gravy.
Doubling the liquids in this doesnt change the cook time, but it will take a little longer to come to pressure. Just be sure you dont fill your pressure cooker above the max fill line.
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