Quick and pot roast don’t go together. Chuck roast is cut from the beef shoulder, a hard-working muscle, chewy and tough…unless you cook it for a long time, breaking it down and making it tender.
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Pressure cooker pot roast works around that problem…mostly. Chuck roast cooks quicker in the high heat of a pressure cooker, but even then, it takes a while. A chuck roast takes an hour and 15 minutes in my trusty Instant Pot, because it takes a while for the heat to penetrate the thick piece of meat.2
As a kid, pot roast was one of my favorite meals, a thick slab of tender meat that would break into shreds when poked with a fork. And, even better, it came with a thick, beefy sauce to pour over my baked potato. Heaven.
Pot roasted chuck shoulder has a wonderful, beefy flavor, with tender meat that breaks into shreds when poked with a fork, and a thick sauce to pour over a baked potato. But, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to make the roast taste even meatier. The first is to pump up the umami - the “fifth taste” - with tomatoes and mushrooms. I even sneak a teaspoon of soy sauce in there; you won’t taste the soy, but it adds even more umami goodness. The other “trick” isn’t really a trick, but a classic cooking technique; brown the meat well before pressure cooking. Well seared meat (and the resulting browned bits that stick to the pan) add depth to the sauce.
Is this a fifteen minute pressure cooker meal? Hardly. All in, it’s about two hours, between the searing, sautéing, pressure cooking, and natural pressure release. Still, it is every bit as good as a traditional pot roast, and ready in half the time. It’s amazing what a little pressure can do.
Video
Video: Pressure Cooker Pot Roast - Time Lapse [YouTube.com]
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast
Equipment
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I used my Instant Pot Electric PC)
- Fat separator
Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast gives you tender, shreddable pot roast beef in about 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast, cut in two pieces
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 large onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Soak the mushrooms: Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup of hot water to soak.
- Brown the chuck roast: Cut the chuck roast in half lengthwise, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Heat the teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat (“sauté” mode on an electric PC) until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Sear one piece of the roast on its two largest sides, about 4 minutes a side, then move it to a bowl. Sear the other piece of roast until browned, another 4 minutes a side, then add it to the bowl.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion and garlic to the pot, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add everything to the pot: Pour the mushrooms and their soaking liquid into the pot and bring to a simmer, while scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck bits of beef or onion. Stir in the soy sauce, rosemary, and thyme, then add the beef and any juices in the bowl. Pour the tomatoes over the top.
- Pressure cook the pot roast for 75 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 75 minutes in an electric PC or 60 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down with a natural pressure release, about 20 more minutes.
- Serve: Carefully lift the pieces of beef out of the cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard the rosemary and thyme sprigs. If you want to defat the sauce, strain the liquid in the pot into a fat separator and let it settle for 10 minutes, then pour the defatted liquid over the pot roast. (Or serve the pot roast country style, with the sauce straight out of the pot. Just pour it over the roast after you discard the herb sprigs). Cut the roast into serving size pieces - I get 5 to 6 servings - and serve, passing the pot sauce at the table to spoon on top of the roast.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Notes
- No pressure cooker? No worries. In a dutch oven, follow the instructions up to “Pressure cook the pot roast” - then stir in 2 cups of chicken stock or water, and bring to a simmer on the stove top. Cover with a lid, move to a 350°F oven, and bake for 4 hours, or until the roast is easily pierced with a fork. Continue with the “Serve” step.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
Pressure Cooker Beef Shank Osso Bucco
Other Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Ken Lichtsinn says
I have an older cooker that I bought in 1972. It has a "rocker" that sits on top of a vent in the lid. All of the instructions that I see now would result in meat being totally burnt black! What I have to do after browning the meat on an electric burner is add 1/2 cup water, place the meat in the cooker with or without slices of onion, install the lid with the rocker in place, begin heating on Med. and wait for the rocker to start rocking gently. This takes about 1/2 hour more or less. Any attempt to hurry it by using higher heat will absolutely result in burnt meat. Wonce the rocker starts gently rocking, I set a timer for 27 minutes and reduce the burner setting a little at a time to just maintain that gentle rocking. At 27 minutes, I remove the cooker from the burner and set it on an unused burner to cool it more quickly. When the safety valve drops indicating that the pressure has fallen off, I can open it up and find a well done roast. I never use a high setting at any time.
Aaron says
This is such a great meal. It is my new favorite pressure cooker recipe. Thanks for sharing Mike
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Chuck Noble says
Hi Mike,
I've enjoyed your recipes for several years. I make a winter vegetable pot roast with rutabagas and turnips. Following your recipe, how would you adjust time in order to add veggies? I was thinking 55-60 mins for the roast then another 8-10 for the veggies. What do you think?
Thanks,
Chuck
Mike Vrobel says
That sounds about right - i would go with the low end time (8 min) to start. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Chuck Noble says
Mike,
I ended up at 7 mins and the finished product was amazing. This is a dish I've been making for over 20 years. The family likes the sweetness that the rutabaga and turnips bring to the roast. Also add carrots and yellow onion. I normally julienne the rutabaga but having used my Instant Pot my lesson learned was to cut into larger thicker strips, and the retained a nice texture. On my next go around with this dish I am contemplating cooking the roast until done, then removing and doing the veggies separately. Timing would allow the roast to rest. I've got your book, we use the same grill... now pressure cooker. You're my go to.
Thanks,
Chuck
Alex says
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the many great recipes!
Can I make this one with beef eye round roast instead of chuck roast? Would the flavor be much different and would I have to change time under pressure?
Mike Vrobel says
You can, and it should take about the same amount of time...but I prefer chuck roast in the pressure cooker. Eye of round is lean, without much connective tissue, and it tends to come out of the pressure cooker a little dry.
Keith Wright says
Since chunk size is extremely important, a fact not mentioned here, how you cut that piece of roast in two, matters. By slicing the roast into two thinner portions, instead of two larger fist-sized portions. It will cook quicker. 10 minutes sauté on each main side, 25 minutes cooking at high pressure and a 15 min natural release. Thickness matters.
Moddie says
Came across your site while searching for ways to use my 8 quart pressure cooker by GOWISE. I have about 6 recipes from GOWISE and so I am on my own. I've already ruined a beef stew which I pressure cooked way too long. I purchased a "the Great Big Pressure Cooker Book" but the 500 lovely recipes are for stovetop and also separate instructions are given for 6 qt pc's. To accommodate my 8 qt, is there a percentage to decrease the time? The advice in my cookbook says to shave off a few minutes - Do you have any guidance?
Mike V says
I use the same times in 6 and 8 quart pressure cookers.
Marsha says
Can you use beef broth instead of crushed tomatoes?
Mike V says
Sure - the sauce will be kind of thin, though.
Chandra says
This was the best pot roast I have ever had. The flavors were outstanding! Thank you!
Cindy says
Could you give a "minutes per pound" cooking time?
Thanks!
Mike V says
No, sorry. Thickness matters more than weight. Cut your roast into 2 pound pieces - each 3 to 4 inches thick - and use this cooking time.
Keith Wright says
I keep it at 2-3" MAX to keep the cooking time low. But agree 100%.not about the weight.
Keith Wright says
Pressure cooking goes by chunk size not by the pound.
Trish says
This came out awesome! I added eight ounces of sliced mushrooms and I only had dried rosemary and thyme but it went great with pasta. I'll definitely make this again!