Instant Pot, Pot Roast

Lately I’ve been bringing up the recipes that I grew up on and one that sticks out in my head is a pot roast! I think my mom made a pot roast about once per week and it’s such a warm and cozy winter dish so I decided to give it a whirl. We made it this week and my whole family LOVED it! The one thing that I learned about making the pot roast in a dutch oven, is next time, I’ll definitely be making it in my instant pot! It will save A LOT on time and I think will turn out even better. The key to any pot roast is to cook the meat slow and steady, it’ll be more tender the longer you cook it and will be a lot more flavorful. It’s not an expensive cut of beef so it needs the time to get good.

This instant pot, pot roast is definitely not an easy weeknight dinner just to get that out there. You need time so I say it’s a good one for weekends! We’ve been loving cooking together lately, it’s a fun thing to do with your hubby on these cold winter nights! Sometimes the kids get involved but if we need some time alone, I’ll pop on a movie for them while we cook. Also always nice to have a glass of your favorite red while you’re cooking 🍷

K so let’s get to it.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 6 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste
• 4 cups of beef broth
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon of dried if you don’t have the fresh)
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into slices
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Here’s what you do:

1. Whip out your instant pot, we have this one and LOVE it. Sprinkle your meat with 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.
2. Set your instant pot to sauté and add your olive oil. When it’s hot, add your beef and brown each side, about 4 minutes per side. This step is super important. It adds lots of flavor to the dish overall. If you don’t sear, you’ll find that your juices will be more “beefy” and you will taste less of the other flavors. Just do it. Transfer the beef to a plate.
3. Keeping the browning bits in the pot, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add in your shallots. Once those are translucent, add your tomato paste and continue cooking for about one minute.
4. Now you’re going to add the rest of your ingredients EXCEPT your carrots; minced garlic, beef broth, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, honey, and lemon juice.
5. Put the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 65 minutes.
6. When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before turning the valve to venting and opening the lid.
7. Add the carrots, put the lid back on, turn the valve to sealing and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
8. When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before moving the valve to venting, releasing remaining pressure and opening the lid.
9. Remove beef from the Instant Pot and slice or pull as desired.