What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For Pot Roast
Any tougher cut of meat is good as pot roast because of the way it is cooked. This is because these cuts are full of connective tissue, which is broken down during the roasting into rich, succulent flavourful meat. Oh and the resulting gravy is just wow. Lets look at three types of meat that you can use.
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.
How To Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
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Pot Roast Vs Roast Beef
The names pot roast and roast beef may refer to the same dish. However, there are a couple of small differences. Pot roast is meat cooked in broth/liquid, although its not always submerged like the meat in a stew, so the top still browns. The cooking broth becomes the gravy in which the meat is served or is poured over.
Roast beef, if strictly speaking, refers to meat cooked dry or out of any liquid. It can sit in its cooking fat and juices but the gravy or sauce is usually prepared afterwards or separately.
Our Instant Pot roast beef recipe is more like a pot-roast, although you will get plenty of browning and the meat can be sliced like roast beef rather than shredded. The cooking broth is made with added gravy mix which flavor the meat and then becomes the serving sauce.
How To Store Leftovers
Put the leftovers in the fridge up to 3 to 4 days. Just make sure to put inside an air tight container.
The broth with the roast will help to prevent it from drying out. It is really delicious the next day and we all enjoy eating the leftovers.
However, we rarely have any left because everyone loves this recipe so much. Once you try it, you will understand why we all fight over who gets the leftovers.
They are loaded with flavor.
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How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Thanks to an electric pressure cooker, a pot roast can be on your table in 1.5 hours total. However, this sirloin tip roast takes the same time and is differently delicious. Another affordable must-try beef roast recipe!
- Make dry rub: Combine seasonings on a large plate and stir together.
My favorite pot roast dry rub is a combination of salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. See optional add-ins and variations for other seasoning combinations to try!
- Season roast: Dip roast in a large shallow plate with homemade dry rub making sure all edges are covered well. It will create a delicious outer crust.
- Sear the meat on all sides: On the Instant Pot, press Sauté and wait until the display says Hot. Only then add oil and sear for 3-4 minutes per side. I would not recommend skipping this step like you can with Instant Pot pulled pork because it adds a lot of flavor to a pot roast.
- Cook onions and deglaze the pot: Add the slices from 2 large onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Then add beef stock, red wine, and vinegar to deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom. You want to avoid the Burn notice but you also want that extra flavour!
- Put the roast back and add mushrooms: Once youre done deglazing, press cancel. Add the roast back into the pot and lay the mushrooms on top of the roast.
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 Make This In The Slow Cooker
Yes! If you do not have an Instant Pot, no worries there. In fact, I first adapted this recipe for the slow cooker before I re-adapted it for the Instant Pot. You all loved the slow cooker version so much that I decided to see if I could make it even easier for you. So if you are in the mood for this Americanized comfort food on these last days of cold weather then you have options. Slow cooker or Instant Pot, both so good, both sure to be hits with you and yours.
What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For This Recipe
When I make pot roast, I typically go for one of three cuts of meat, a chuck roast, a brisket, or a bottom or top round. Heres why:
- A chuck roast is tender and falls apart easily when slow cooked. This is due to the chuck roasts amount of marbling that makes it juicy when cooked down. This also makes it easy to shred. A chuck roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
- A brisket has a lot of connective tissue that makes it tender after a long day of being cooked slowly. However, brisket is a little pricier than a chuck roast so keep that in mind.
- A bottom or top round cut of beef is what is used when making roast beef that you get sliced at the deli. Coming from the rear of the cow, its leaner than the brisket and chuck roast. Because of this leanness, you might want to add a little extra fat while it cooks so it doesnt dry out. You can do this with oil or butter.
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Top Tips For Roasting Beef In The Instant Pot
- Dont skip searing the beef. Not only does this start the cooking process, but the browning also contributes greatly to the overall flavor of the dish.
- Follow the timing. Too much time on high pressure and the beef will overcook. The key here is to give it a good start at high pressure and then let the roast cook low and slow as the pressure naturally releases.
- Remember to add the broth. The Instant Pot wont come to pressure without a bit of liquid. We found 1 cup was just enough to avoid stewing the beef.
- Dont throw out the sauce at the end. Its amped up with flavor from cooking with the beef and is absolutely decadent spooned over medium-rare slices.
How Do You Add Flavor To Pot Roast
A seriously delicious pot roast seasoning mix is one of the reasons this recipe is so special. This mixture of dried herbs and spices adds a TON of flavor to both the roast and the gravy. 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 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.
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 a pressure cooker. In this recipe, we are using a pressure cooker to make the pot roast. A pressure cooker takes the cooking time down dramatically.
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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.
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.
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Instant Pot Pot Roast: The Ultimate Guide
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Instant Pot Pot Roast is probably both one the most sought out Instant Pot recipes and also one of the most confusing for beginners. Questions abound with it. Is pot roast better in the Instant Pot than the old fashioned low and slow method, or at least as good? How can you assure that your Instant Pot pot roast is tender? How long should it cook?
In short, yes, you can get very good pot roast from the Instant Pot, and it is quicker than the low and slow method, although it still does take a good amount of time to do properly. This guide will take you through the key points of making a great pressure cooker pot roast and provide my tried and true recipe. Yes, pot roast can be easy!
Why Make Roast In The Instant Pot
- A one pot meal: A complete meal in one pot is super convenient.
- Budget friendly: Save your money and your time and enjoy a fancy dinner on a budget.
- Serves a crowd: This is a great meal for any type of gathering and makes great leftovers!
- Loads of flavour: Thanks to the pressure cooker, all of the flavors permeate and penetrate each other.
- Texture: A foolproof method of getting fall apart meat that melts in your mouth.
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How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast:
How To Make Instant Pot Roast
The first step is to add the roast to the Instant Pot.
Next, add all of the seasonings to the roast. Just a few ingredients gives this roast amazing flavor.
Then, pour the beef stock on top.
Add the lid and set it to sealing. Set the timer for 50 minutes and do a slow natural release.
The next step is to prepare the vegetables. I like to cut them up while the roast cooks. Cut the carrots and potatoes into large chunks so they wont get mushy.
When the roast has finished cooking, remove it from the instant pot and shred the beef.
Then, add the potatoes and carrots to the instant pot. Cook them on high pressure for 10 minutes with a quick release to release pressure.
Remove as soon as finished cooking. The meat will be fork tender and full of flavor.
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Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe Tips
- Dont skip the natural release time. Allowing the pressure to naturally release makes the meat more tender.
- Be sure to follow the recipe directions to pressure cook the chuck roast on its own first before adding the potatoes and carrots. While it may be tempting to add the vegetables at the very beginning to save a step, dont. If you pressure cook your potatoes and carrots for an hour they are going to be overcooked and mushy.
- A fresh 3 pound roast will need to pressure cook for 60 minutes at high pressure before adding the vegetables. If your roast is larger, add 10 minutes per pound to the cook time.
- If you prefer to serve your pot roast with mashed potatoes, you can omit the baby potatoes from this recipe. Try my Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipes.
- If youd like to substitute baby carrots for the chopped whole carrots just know that they will turn out very soft, since they cook more quickly than regular carrots.
