Updated on April 9th, 2023
Many family dinners have been blessed by the presence of a delicious serving of pot roast. Juicy, tender, and rich, everyone at the table just can’t resist. And because it’s so tasty, you may find your guests and family members asking for ore, and at times you didn’t plan for it. So, it helps to have a solid recipe you can easily whip up whenever you want.
Tips to Making a Great Instant Pot Roast
First, note that, unlike a slow cooker, an instant pot, or a pressure cooker would make quick work of cooking the beef, which means less time to prepare. Still, you must bear a few handy tips in mind for an even better result.
Choose the Best Beef Cuts
To make a great pot roast, you’ll need the tougher kinds of meat, like chuck, round, and brisket. These are leaner, and work best for the traditional slow-cooking process of pot roast. Of all three, chuck is the best.
Thaw Properly
It’s best to use thawed beef instead of frozen, as the latter will take a longer time to prepare. Plus, if the beef is prepared straight from the freezer, you won’t be able to brown the sides, even if it was pre-seasoned before freezing.
Sit the Seasoning
Once the meat has been taken out of the fridge, you should season generously with salt and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. This process offers two advantages; the salt slowly seeps into the tissues, and the room-temperature beef cooks tender at a faster time.
Brown, Brown, Brown!
Once the seasoning sitting time is reached, brown the meat on all sides first. You can do this with your instant pot, or on the stove with a heavy pan. In the pressure cooker, use the ‘Saute’ function; it’s the best setting for browning the meat. For an even better flavor, you can also lightly brown the vegetables you’ll be using as well. Also, remember to deglaze the bottom of the instant pot if you used it for this, before cooking.
Timing is Everything
The longer the roast cooks, the more tender the roast will come out. So, you can decide to prepare for 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 75 minutes, or even 1 hour, depending on how large the beef is or how soft you want it to come out. Generally, for a 3-pound beef, 45 minutes is enough to make a great-tasting pot roast. And if you want the extra tenderness and juiciness, cook for 1 hour.
Warning! Don’t open the instant pot for at least 10 minutes after the cooking time is done.
Pressure cookers are just as advertised; they build loads of pressure via steam and if you open the lid immediately, you can cause yourself an injury. After 10 minutes, you can then open the lid.
Now that we have these helpful tips, let’s delve into an easy recipe for making a quick pot roast in an instant pot.
PrintHow to Cook a Roast in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Beef chuck, chilled
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 onion, large
- 1 bouillon cube
- 4 celery stalks
- 4 medium carrots, cleaned
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 ½ tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Season the beef all over with 3 teaspoons of salt. Leave it to sit for an hour at room temperature. Next, squash the garlic cloves, cut the onions into 6 places, and the carrots and celery into thick long slices. Then, mix the garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder separately in a bowl.
- Once the beef is fully seated, pat it all over with paper towels. Then, rub in the spice mix. Add the oil to a heavy pan and set it on the stove.
- Once the oil is simmering, cook the beef on it till all sides are richly browned. Take out the beef, and do the same with the prepared vegetables.
- Pour the broth into the instant pot and add the bouillon cube and apple cider vinegar. Stir until the cubes melt. Add the beef, and then the vegetables and spices.
- Close and start the instant pot at high pressure. Let it cook for about an hour.
- Once done, stop the instant pot and let the pressure release for about 10 minutes (very important!). Check the beef to see if it’s done. The meat should easily peel off with a fork.
- If it’s not as soft as you wish, return it and the broth to the pot and cook for another 30 minutes or until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Once ready, shred and serve the pot roast with whatever you wish. You can also use the broth to make gravy or even serve the vegetables with some of the liquid. Or click here for a video recipe.
