Instant Pot Chuck Steak with Beer and Onions. Beer-braised steak and onions from the pressure cooker.
Chuck steak and onions braised in beer…sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, it is, and it’s easy if you have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. The pressure cooking tenderizes the tougher Chuck steaks, making them fall apart on the fork, and the beer, beef juices, and onions make a great sauce to top the steaks, or to pour over some mashed potatoes.
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🥫Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Beef Chuck Steaks
- Fine sea salt
- Paprika
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Onions
- Dried Thyme
- Beer
- Chicken broth
See recipe card for quantities
🥘 Substitutions
- There are a bunch of different chuck steaks: chuck eye steak, blade steak or top blade steak, flat iron steak, mock tender steak…the list goes on. If it’s cut from the chuck, and about 1-inch thick, it will work in this recipe.
- You can also use round steaks, though I don’t like the flavor of Round as much as I do chuck, so I tend to save Round for beef stews.
- Finally, please don’t use an actual, good steak, like ribeye, New York strip, sirloin, or (shudder) tenderloin in this recipe. This recipe is to braise a cheap steak, and will ruin a good one. Good steak cuts are too lean to stand up to pressure cooking, and are best cooked to (at most) medium. (I love a great grilled steak.)
- For the beer, I prefer a darker beer, to add more flavor to the braise. Think amber ale, porter, or stout. That said, any beer will work, and if you want to skip the beer, just replace it with chicken broth.
🛠 Equipment
📏Scaling
This recipe can be scaled up or down, but don’t change the amount of cooking liquid. You need 2 cups of liquid in the pot, no matter how many steaks you want to cook. To scale the recipe down, halve all the ingredients except for the beer and chicken broth, and it will fit into a 3-quart pressure cooker. You can double the recipe in a 6-quart pressure cooker, but it’s a tight fit, and I prefer to get out my 8-quart pressure cooker.
💡Tips and Tricks
- Why do I brown the meat on only one side? Browning adds a lot of flavor to the recipe. Browning the meat itself adds flavor to the steaks, and the layer of caramelized brown bits left in the pot (“fond” in French) dissolve into the liquid, adding depth and body. That said, I only brown the beef on one side, unlike traditional recipes; it takes too long to brown the meat on all sides - I do not have the patience. Browning one side gives me the best balance of flavor and speed.
- Can I skip the browning step? Well, yes, you can, but as I said above, you’re going to lose some of the flavor. I consider it an essential step, but if it’s the difference between making the recipe and not having time to make the recipe, go ahead and skip it.
Storage
This braise can be made a day ahead, refrigerated, and reheated - if anything, it tastes better this way, thanks to a day of letting the flavors mingle. It also lets the fat float to the top and solidify, so you can scrape it off with a spoon (and skip the defatting step).
To store for later, portion into 2-cup containers, add the sauce, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. (This recipe freezes beautifully.)
Related Posts
Instant Pot Oxtail
Instant Pot BBQ Braised Short Ribs
Instant Pot Pork Shoulder Chops with Apples and Onions
Instant Pot Beef Tips
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
Instant Pot Chuck Steak with Beer and Onions
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Chuck Steak with Beer and Onions. Beer-braised steak and onions from the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck steaks, cut 1-inch thick
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked Spanish paprika)
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 medium onions, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup beer (preferably a brown ale, or substitute apple cider)
- 1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade broth, or use store-bought low sodium chicken broth, or water)
Instructions
- Brown the chuck steaks on one side: Set an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker to Saute mode adjusted to high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC.) Add the teaspoon of oil and heat until shimmering. While the oil is heating, sprinkle the chuck steaks evenly with 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon paprika, and ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Once the oil is heated, working in batches, brown the chuck steaks on one side, about 3 minutes per batch. (My chuck steaks were large enough that I had to do them two at a time). Move the browned steaks to a rimmed platter, and repeat until all the chops are browned on one side. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining fat in the pot.
- Sauté the onions, simmer the beer: Add the onions to the pot and sprinkle with the dried thyme and ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt. Sauté the onions, occasionally stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in the beer, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol. While the beer is simmering, scrape the bottom of the pot one last time with a flat edged spoon to make sure nothing is sticking. Pour in the chicken broth, and add the browned steaks and any beef juices in the platter.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 24 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you get impatient you can quick release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
- Transfer to a platter, defat the sauce, serve: Unlock the pressure cooker lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently scoop out the steaks and onions - they will be fall apart tender - and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the sauce into a fat separator and let it settle, then pour a little of the defatted sauce over the platter of steaks. Serve, passing the rest of the defatted sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Instant Pot Chuck Steak with Beer and Onions, Pressure Cooker Chuck Steak with Beer and Onions
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Mike Brady says
I've been watching YouTube videos and experimenting with chuck roast on my Big Green Egg. It has been good, but not great given the time and effort it takes.
I tried this recipe today in my PC with chuck roast from Sam's. There is no comparison! It tastes too good to be so simple. I'm never putting another chuck on my BGE. Thanks!
Suli says
"if it’s the difference between making the recipe and not having time to make the recipe, go ahead and skip it." This is such wonderful advice from a chef!! I'm making this one today, can't wait to try it!!! Thank you
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!