• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
DadCooksDinner
  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (Beef en Daube)

    Published: Mar 6, 2018 · Modified: Jul 2, 2020 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe
    Stew in a bowl with a napkin, thyme, and a glass of wine over text saying Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal
    Stew in a bowl with a napkin, thyme, and a glass of wine over text saying Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal
    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (Beef en Daube)

    Coming home with the dogs as dusk fell, I always stopped to look from the top of the valley at the long zigzag of smoke ribbons drifting up from the farms that are scattered along the Bonnieux road. It was a sight that made me think of warm kitchens and well-seasoned stews, and it never failed to make me ravenous.

    Peter Mayle, A Year In Provence

    This recipe is in memory of Peter Mayle, who passed away earlier this year at age 78. I’ve read every book he wrote1, and a few of them are my comfort reads, books I go back to again and again while I daydream about traveling the world.

    DadCooksDinner would not exist without Mr. Mayle. Ten years ago, for my 40th birthday, I spent a week in a cooking class in Roussillon, inspired by his A Year in Provence. Six months after that, I started writing this blog. Thank you, Mr. Mayle. Thank you.

    What should I make in his memory? A well-seasoned stew from Provence, of course. Olive oil, lots of garlic, red wine, dried herbes de Provence, and a garnish of fresh thyme give it the flavors of Southern France. I cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, which cook under pressure in 15 minutes. That lets me add carrots without cooking them to mush. I use a natural pressure release to gently finish the cooking, and keep the aroma trapped in the cooker with the stew.

    Finally, let’s talk about the essential step in making a stew: browning the meat. I get asked: “Can I skip the browning?” You can skip it, but the stew will suffer. The layer of caramelized brown bits left in the pot (“fond” in French) dissolve into the liquid of the stew, adding depth and body. That said, I only brown the beef on one side, not on all sides as many recipes recommend. It takes too long, and I do not have the patience.2 Browning one side gives me the best balance of flavor and speed.

    Video: Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (3:12)

    Video: Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal [YouTube.com]

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal

    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (Beef en Daube)


    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    • Yield: 4 quarts of stew 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (Beef en Daube). Beef stew with the flavors of Southern France, in about an hour from the pressure cooker.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 pounds beef bottom round roast (or chuck roast), cut into 1- to 1¼-inch cubes
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
    • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (or dried thyme)
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • ½ cup red wine
    • 1 cup beef broth (or water)
    • 1 pound baby carrots (or 3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths)
    • 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (optional)
    • More fine sea salt to taste

    Cornstarch slurry (optional)

    • ¼ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

    Instructions

    1. Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium heat (sauté mode in my Instant Pot) until the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke. While the pot heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add ⅓ of the beef and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don’t crowd the pot or the beef will steam, not brown). Remove the browned beef to a bowl, add the second batch of the beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining beef - in the pot, sear until browned on one side, then into the bowl with the rest of the beef.
    2. Saute the aromatics: Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot, and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften and the tomato paste darkens, about 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Pour the red wine into the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the beef and any juices in the bowl, then pour in the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time, to make sure nothing is sticking. Stir in the carrots, then spread the diced tomatoes on top.
    3. Pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an electric PC, 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. When the cooking time finishes, let the pressure come down naturally. Leave the pot alone - keep warm mode is fine - until the pressure valve drops, about 20 more minutes. (After 20 minutes you can quick release any remaining pressure if you are in a hurry.)
    4. Season, thicken, and serve: Unlock the pressure cooker lid. Whisk the water and cornstarch into a slurry, and then stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Add ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, then taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if the stew needs it. (I add another ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt when I used canned beef broth.) Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Thin sauce is the downside to pressure cooking. The sealed cooker traps steam to build up pressure - but that steam would evaporate in a regular pot, thickening the sauce. The optional cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce, giving it the mouthfeel of a regular stew. If you are OK with a thinner sauce, skip it.
    • What does “ a well-seasoned stew” mean? Don’t ignore the seasoning step at the end, and taste as you go when adding the salt. Salt brings out the other flavors in the stew. Not enough salt and the flavor is flat. Enough salt and it suddenly tastes sweeter and rounder. If it tastes "salty" then there is too much salt. With canned beef broth, I add a half-teaspoon to a teaspoon of fine sea salt. With homemade beef broth (or water), I add more - at least two teaspoons. (Canned broth has a lot of sodium.)

    Tools

    • 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
    • Flat edged wooden spoon
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour
    • Category: Sunday Dinner
    • Method: Pressure Cooker
    • Cuisine: French

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @DadCooksDinner on Instagram and hashtag it #DadCooksDinner

    What do you think?

    Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts

    Pressure Cooker Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic
    Pressure Cooker Pork and Cider Stew
    Pressure Cooker French Lentils (Lentils du Puy)
    My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
    My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

    Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

    1. Except for his picture book explaining the facts of life for kids. I found his books in my 30’s - a little too old for its target audience. ↩
    2. That's why I prefer pressure cooking - I have no patience. ↩

    More Pressure cooker

    • Instant pot pulled pork sandwich with barbecue sauce
      Instant Pot Pulled Pork
    • A plate of cooked chicken thighs, with an Instant Pot and a jar of paprika
      Instant Pot Quick Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
    • A plate of sauerkraut and pork ribs with mustard
      Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut
    • A plate of fettuccine alfredo, sprinkled with red pepper flakes
      Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo

    Sharing is caring!

    Reader Interactions

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice

    Recent

    • A bowl of chili mac topped with green onions and pickled jalapenos
      Instant Pot Chili Mac
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
      Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta (Creamy Alfredo style)
    • A piece of boneless leg of lamb, in sauce, with a sprig of rosemary on top
      Instant Pot Boneless Leg of Lamb
    • A two-bone slab of beef ribs on a red plate
      Instant Pot Beef Ribs (Texas BBQ Style)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Dad Cooks Dinner

    166 shares
    • 3