Instant Pot Pot Roast
This Instant Pot pot roast is built from scratch with seared chuck roast, red wine, fresh herbs, and rich homemade gravy. Fall-apart beef, hearty vegetables, and real comfort food in about 2 hours 45 minutes from prep to serving.
Servings 8
Calories 567kcal
Ingredients
- 4 lb chuck roast
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 yellow onions one chopped and one sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup red wine (or 1 cup beef broth + 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
- 2 cups beef broth as needed
- 1 lb medium carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 lb red or gold potatoes peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for the vegetables
- kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning the roast
Instructions
- Season the roast generously with salt and pepper. Let it rest at room temperature for a bit.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Once hot, add olive oil and brown the roast well on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute more.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Return the roast to the pot. Add enough beef broth to come up the sides of the meat without covering it. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 75 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally until the float valve drops and the cooker is fully depressurized. Allow about 30 minutes, sometimes longer. Check the thickest part of the roast for at least 145°F, then remove it and let it rest while you handle the next steps. Allow at least 3 minutes of rest before serving; chuck should also pull apart easily.
- Pour the cooking liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids and return the strained broth to the pot.
- Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water to make the slurry. Add the sliced onion, carrots, potatoes, kosher salt, and slurry. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes, then quick release.
- While the vegetables cook, shred the roast with two forks.
- Return the beef to the pot with the vegetables and gravy. Stir gently and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use chuck roast. It is well-marbled, affordable, and built for pressure cooking.
- Sear it well. That crust is the foundation of the flavor.
- Keep the natural release specified for the roast; it continues cooking as the pressure comes down.
- The 75-minute cook here is for the 4-pound chuck roast in this recipe. Cut and thickness affect tenderness; do not treat this as a timing rule for every roast.
- For a 2-pound chuck roast, cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes, then allow a full natural release (about 25 minutes). This is separate from the 75-minute setting for the 4-pound roast; do not turn the two recommendations into a universal per-pound rule.
- Deglaze thoroughly. Every browned bit on the bottom belongs in the gravy.
- Thicken to taste. Add a little extra cornstarch slurry at the end if you want a thicker gravy.
- Make it ahead. It is even better the next day.
- Refrigerate beef and gravy in shallow containers within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days, or freeze in portions. Reheat covered with a splash of broth, stirring, until the beef reaches 165°F; bring the gravy to a rolling boil.
Nutrition
Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 1364mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 9626IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 6mg