Before we start: I know this is not Real Barbecue™. It’s not better than beef cooked all day (and all night) in a smoker. But it is good, and it is easy.
To make it easy, I keep the prep to an absolute minimum. I want 2-inch cubes, so I look for a 2-inch thick Top Round roast in my grocer’s meat case - then I only need to cut that roast lengthwise and crosswise into roughly 2-inch cubes, trimming any major lines of gristle as I go. (Don’t buy pre-cut stew meat, even if it’s top round - stew meat is cut into ¾-inch to 1-inch chunks, much too small for this recipe.) I always have a batch of barbecue rub in my pantry and barbecue sauce in the fridge, so the rest of the recipe is easy. Sprinkle the beef with the rub, put it in the pot with some water, and spread the barbecue sauce over the top. (Don’t stir it much - sauce that sticks to the bottom of the pot may burn while under pressure.)
The last trick, if it is one, is not adding all of the sauce from the pot. (I’m always amazed at how much liquid is in the pot after pressure cooking.) The sauce is thin, but full of flavor, from beef juices mixing with barbecue sauce. Shred the beef, then only add as much of the sauce as you need to make it wet. (I pour the rest of the pot sauce into a fat separator and pass it at the table for anyone who wants more, or likes sloppy beef.)
Video: Pressure Cooker Barbecued Beef Top Round Sandwiches (2:19)
Video: Pressure Cooker Barbecued Beef Top Round Sandwiches [YouTube.com]
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Pressure Cooker Barbecued Beef Top Round Sandwiches
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 sandwiches 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Barbecued Beef Top Round Sandwiches - a quick weeknight dinner with big beefy flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef top round cut into 2-inch cubes (or chuck, or bottom round)
- ½ cup water
- 8 hamburger buns
Barbecue Rub (2 tablespoons of my Homemade Barbecue Rub), or use your favorite store-bought rub
- ¾ tablespoon paprika
- ¾ tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon fine sea salt
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Barbecue sauce (1 cup of my Easy Barbecue Sauce), or use your favorite store bought sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)
Instructions
- Spice the beef and make the barbecue sauce: In a small bowl, stir the barbecue rub ingredients (paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme), breaking up clumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Sprinkle the beef cubes with ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, then the barbecue rub. In a medium bowl, whisk the barbecue sauce ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce) until smooth.
- Everything in the pot: Pour the water into the pressure cooker pot, then add the spiced beef in an even layer. Put the barbecue sauce on top of the beef and spread it around evenly. Don’t stir too much - we want the water on the bottom, the beef in the middle, and the barbecue sauce on top, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes with natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the cooker. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Shred the beef, add the sauce, and serve: Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon, then shred the beef with a pair of forks. Ladle liquid from the pot onto the shredded beef until it is saucy enough. (I add about a cup of sauce from the pot to the beef.) Spoon onto the buns and enjoy!
Notes
- Traditional beef barbecue toppings are thin-sliced onions and pickles. The tart flavors are a nice counterpoint to the rich, sweet beef.
- Want to use more of the sauce from the pot? Pass it at the table. Like I said in the headnotes, I pour it into a fat separator to pass at the table.
- Smaller cubes? Cook 1½-inch cubes for 22 minutes, or 1-inch cubes for 15 minutes. That said, cook to the size of the largest cubes. If most of your cubes are 2 inches, that’s fine. A few smaller ones won’t hurt.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Fat separator (optional)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Bernadette says
First: I had All the ingredients for spice rub and bbq sauce in my pantry. Second, I used thick-ish top round London Broils. Third, I was cooking for 12! People, needing leftovers to send some home with guests. I bought 6 top rounds, cooking 3 lbs at a time the day before, reheating in a large slow cooker. I Shredded it all while it was still warm, served it next day with lettuce leaves to roll up, and regular small hard rolls, alongside Cole slaw, Pepperoncinis and quick onion pickle.
It was a total hit. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome! I’m glad it worked out for that many people.
Jo says
Thanks for this! I needed some quick top round & this worked perfectly. I skipped the BBQ sauce & tossed the shredded meat in mustard & fresh pressed garlic.
★★★★★
Brenda says
Excellent! Made recipe as written except had 2.5 lbs of beef stew meat. Worked great! The meat did release a lot of liquid so after the pressure released I added 2 tbls of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbls of water. We served over white rice. Thank you for a great and simple receipe.
★★★★★
Linda says
Do I double the time in the stovetop PC if I doulnle the recipe? I’m new to PC and not totally confident in my cooking times yet. I’m thanks for the help and the recipe!
Mike Vrobel says
No, use the same cooking time.
Linda says
Thank you Mike! I doubled the recipe, thankfully I have a large stovetop PC, and used the 25 min cooking time...it turned out wonderfully! Thank you for the great recipe and detailed instructions!
Super dinner!!!
David says
Bought some top round by mistake. Googled, found this recipe and gave it a go. I made the sauce and the rub and used a smaller cut because I started with a thinner cut.
This was delicious. Will be making it again for sure. Thanks for the write up!!
★★★★★
Blue says
Oooo thank you ever do for making the video AND the printed directions ☆☆☆☆☆ thank you. I'll be trying that recipe tonight!!I hope!
Joe says
Hi Mike
Can I make more than 2 pound on a 6 quartz instant pot? Maybe 4 pounds?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, this recipe can be doubled.
★★★★★
Sigrid Trombley says
Looks good. Mike's photo shows sliced pickles (I assume dill) on the sandwich. I think pepperoncini peppers would be a tasty substitute or addition as well.
★★★★★