Instant Pot Frozen Roast
This recipe may have originated out of necessity when I forgot to thaw my roast in advance, but its quickly become our chosen way of making roast! The results are so tender, that I dont see the need to thaw the meat in advance anymore.
If youre looking for pull-apart tender pot roast with minimal effort and time, this is definitely the recipe for you!
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.
Why This Method Works
- Never comes out dry! It cooks with lots of moisture in the Instant Pot so it doesn’t come out dry.
- Cooks in less time! Typically a large cut of beef takes hours and hours to roast in the oven but in the Instant Pot it cooks up almost completely hands-free in only a couple of hours.
- Cooks perfectly! Comes out with all the juicy fall-apart tenderness you expect!
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How Long To Pressure Cook Vs Slow Cook
There are two main types of pressure cookers stovetop pressure cookers and electric pressure cookers. Electric pressure cookers typically have a shorter cooking time than stovetop pressure cookers, but they may require additional time to release the Pressure Cooked food from the pot.
Stovetop pressure cookers typically have a longer cooking time than electric pressure cookers, but they may not release the Pressure Cooked food from the pot as quickly.
The best way to determine whether or not you need to add additional time to your Pressure Cooked meal is to trial-cook it in one of these two ways: by using a kitchen timer or by pressing the Cancel button multiple times.
How To Make Pressure Cooker Potatoes And Carrots
After roast and gravy are done you can make potatoes and carrots in the instant pot super quickly!! Or you can purchase a second instant pot – I have a smaller 3-quart pot that I love to cook my side dishes.
We have recipes more recipes for pressure cooker potatoes and carrots too!
Either way pressure cooker potatoes and carrots with this pressure cooker frozen beef roast is fast and easy!
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Cooking A Roast From Frozen In An Instant Pot
I recommend thawing your chuck roast if possible, since you wont be able to brown a frozen roast and will miss out on the flavor that searing adds to the pot roast. If you dont have time to thaw, you can cook a frozen roast in your pressure cooker. You will just have to increase the pressure cooking time and skip the step of browning the meat.
Pressure cook a frozen 3 pound beef chuck roast for 90 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Then add your potatoes and carrots and pressure cook for 5 minutes more. If your roast is larger than 3 pounds, add 10 minutes per pound to the pressure cooking time.
How Long To Cook Pork Roast In The Instant Pot
When you roast a pork butt in the oven, it takes about 40 minutes per pound. The Instant Pot is MUCH quicker.
In the Instant Pot, you should cook a pork butt for 15 minutes per pound. What does that mean? That means that you set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes per pound. If the roast is 3 pounds, you set it to pressure cook for 45 minutes.
The roast ends up being in the Instant Pot for longer than just those 45 minutes though. Before the pressure cooking starts, the Instant Pot spends time coming up to temperature. That can take as long as 10-15 minutes.
Then, after the pressure cooking time is up, the pressure needs to be released. I do what is called a natural release for 10 minutes. A natural release happens if, when your pressure cooking time has reached zero, you do nothing. Basically, the heater of your Instant Pot stops heating at that point, and then the pressure inside slowly dissipates.
I do the natural release for 10 minutes whenever cooking meat in the Instant Pot because a quicker release results in a drastic change of temperature that can make meat seize up and get tough.
So do the natural release for 10 minutes and then switch the valve to Venting and let the remaining pressure escape. You then open up the Instant Pot and take out the roast.
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Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Making Pot Roast in the Instant Pot is a huge time saver. Instant Pot Roast is ready in half the time that it takes to cook the same meal in the oven. You can even enjoy pot roast on a weeknight if you want to using this recipe. No need to wait for a Saturday or Sunday to make this easy instant pot recipe.
Here’s a recipe for Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs that I think you’ll enjoy too.
Plus, pressure cooking a chuck roast makes a normally tough cut of meat so tender and extra flavorful. The meat just falls apart after being cooked in the instant pot, and the resulting juices create the most amazing beef gravy.
To make this recipe even better, we are cooking the meat along with the potatoes and carrots, so that everything is cooked at the same time and ready at the same time. You won’t find an easier Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe anywhere!
This recipe has a long list of ingredients, but they are all simple ones that you probably already have. Most of them are seasonings that will create the most delicious Instant Pot Pot Roast.
Love using your Instant Pot? Or maybe you are a new Instant Pot User? Try our Instant Pot Salmon Recipe.
If you’re looking for more comfort food recipes, you might also like this Chicken Fritta.
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.
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Can I Use Frozen Beef For This Recipe
You wouldnt think that youd be able to go from freezer to Instant Pot in this recipe, but, just like using frozen chicken breasts, you can also use frozen beef for this recipe. Because the meat cooks with steam and pressure, it will thaw and then cook all at the same time.
The only difference is in the cooking time. Add about 20-30 minutes to your pressure cooking time if going with a frozen roast. No need to sear it either, just rub the spices on the roast and then put the frozen roast in the pot and go to the pressure cooking step.
My Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Was Tough Why Did That Happen
There are a couple of reasons for your Instant Pot pot roast not cooking as expected so Ill run through the most common issues below:
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Tips For Making Pot Roast
- No Instant Pot? No Problem. Pot roasts can be made using many different cooking methods. If you dont have an Instant Pot, you can try our recipes for making pot roast in the slow cooker or in the oven.
- Easy Freezing: If you have leftovers, roast can easily be shredded and frozen to eat at a later date. Just remove any vegetables and place in a Ziplock bag or a freezer-safe airtight container to freeze. When ready to re-heat thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat or add to your favorite shredded beef recipes.
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What Side Dishes Go Well With Pot Roast
Well mashed potatoes . Im a huge fan of the two together! However, the potatoes are the second part of this recipe and are easy enough to skip. Other side opportunities include:
- If you want a little greens, consider adding this simple tossed green salad.
- Roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, or broccoli are easy to whip together while the roast isroasting.
- If you like the idea of potatoes but not mashed potatoes, you could make my favorite Company Potatoes or some simple roasted or baked ones in the oven with a little EVOO or butter and salt and pepper.
- Sometimes I like to go simple with my veggie sides and arrange cut-up carrots, celery, and cucumbers to a dinner plate with some hummus or ranch dressing for dipping.
- Other grain and pasta sides that go great with pot roast include couscous, white or brown rice, and wide egg noodles.
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How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
So, here is my basic Instant Pot pot roast recipe . This is an adaptation of my long time favorite low and slow traditional method roast. Its secret ingredients are Montreal Steak Seasoning and a packet of onion soup mix. They give awesome flavor to to the roast!
Coat the beef roast with olive oil and rub a generous amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning on all sides of the roast. Then sear the beef in the pot using the saute function. After searing, remove the beef and add a chopped onion with a small splash of beef broth to deglaze the pot. Once deglazed, pour in the remaining broth and add a trivet.
Place the beef roast on the trivet and pour a package of onion soup mix over it. Set two or three bay leaves on top.
Pressure cook on high pressure at 25 minutes per pound, followed by natural release. Then remove the roast from the pot.
Add vegetables to the pot and pressure cook for 5 minutes. I add baby potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion to mine.
To serve, cut the roast against the grain or cut into chunks and serve with the vegetables and a ladle of the broth. You can also make a gravy by removing the vegetables, then making a cornstarch slurry and adding it to the pot to thicken the broth. But I prefer to serve my roast without gravy, and I include a savory bread, such as my Savory Jalapeno Irish Soda Bread, or a good grainy wheat bread, to use to soak up the broth.
The roast is tender and juicy with lots of flavor.
Here is the Recipe card:
Can You Pressure Cook With Oil Instead Of Water
If youre like most people, you probably think of pressure cooking as a method of cooking food in a high-pressure cooker. But what about pressure cookers that use oil instead of water.
In this case, the idea is to heat up the oil before adding the water, which helps create a more efficient and complete cooking process. If you do this correctly, pressure cookers can be used just like any other stovetop appliance.
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How Long Does A 4lb Roast Take
A 4lb roast, or a pork tenderloin, can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to cook. The key is to keep the roast moving so it doesnt get too brown or too overcooked.A four-pound roast will take around two hours to cook, according to the average person. This means that it will be done in about an hour and a half.
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.
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Instant Pot Vs Crock Pot
I think chuck roasts are especially easy to cook in the Instant Pot. Unlike a crock pot that often allows too much moisture to escape through the lid, the Instant Pot locks in the juices of whatever meat youre cooking. Im not saying dont use a crock pot or slow cooker, but I definitely prefer the Instant Pot to a Crock Pot.
How Long To Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot
Answer
Instant Pot Roasts How Long to Cook Them
If youre like most people, you probably dont think much about how long it will take for your roast to cook in an instant pot.
But if youre not careful, your roast could end up being overcooked or undercooked. Heres a quick guide on how long to cook a roast in an instant pot:The Instant Pot comes with a timer that tells you how long it will take for the roast to reach your desired cooking time.
So, if you want your roast to cook for 30 minutes, insert the timer and set the pot to Pressure Cook for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, keep checking the digital readout to see how much time has passed. If it says finished, then your roast is done!
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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.
Cook The Chuck Roast And Vegetables
- Use the sauté function on your Instant Pot to sear the seasoned beef chunks in a little olive oil in batches. Set the seared beef aside and sauté the diced onion and garlic. Add the tomato paste, a little red wine, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Flavor baby! Return the seared chunks of beef to the pot and tuck them down into the cooking liquid.
- Next, layer the carrots and potatoes on top of the meat so theyre slightly above the level of the liquid. Secure the lid and cook the pot roast on high pressure for 35 minutes. When done, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
Because the beef has been cut down and will cook much faster, you can add the carrots and potatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. This means the pot only needs to come to pressure and release pressure once and saves you about 15 to 20 minutes.
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