{"id":330,"date":"2019-05-04T23:50:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T05:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pressurecookingtoday.com\/?p=330"},"modified":"2021-10-05T06:42:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T12:42:38","slug":"pressure-cooker-pot-roast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pressurecookingtoday.com\/pressure-cooker-pot-roast\/","title":{"rendered":"Old-Fashioned Instant Pot Pot Roast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Get this tender, juicy pressure cooker pot roast \/ Instant Pot pot roast on your table in less than half the time it would take in the oven or on the stove top. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Instant<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pot roast is the<\/em> classic Sunday Supper to me. My mom cooked a delicious pot roast almost every Sunday\u2014regardless of the season, it was our special dinner. I looked forward to it every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I’m the mom cooking Sunday dinners. However, since I make my roasts in the pressure cooker, I don’t have to worry about hurrying home to get dinner on the table on Sundays. And, since it cooks quicker, you can have it any time you want a special dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Making Old-Fashioned Pressure Cooker Pot Roast in the Instant Pot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create this delicious Old-Fashioned Instant Pot Pot Roast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking a roast in the Instant Pot allows you to use the same pot to brown the meat (essential for making flavorful gravy) and cook the roast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Make<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Should a roast be sliced or shredded?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Short answer\u2014which way do you like best? Then that’s how you should cook it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer answer\u2014I prefer my roasts fork-tender, so I generally cook them a little longer. However, the roast in this recipe cooks up fork tender, but it held together well enough to be sliced! (Hey, it’s the best of both worlds!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re firmly in the fall-apart-tender camp, I’d recommend adding a 5 to 10 minutes to the cook time and 5 minutes to the natural pressure release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When cooking marbled meats like pot roast, you ideally want to make sure it reaches an internal temperature of at least 200\u00b0F<\/a> so that the collagen softens and breaks down, resulting in a tender, flavorful meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use an instant-read thermometer<\/a> to verify the pot roast is at least 200\u00b0F in the thickest part after cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do like a sliceable roast, be sure to cut the meat against the grain. Cutting against the grain will give you more tender, less chewy bites. (Not sure how to find the grain? In last week’s post<\/a>, I included a great video that walks you through how to find the grain in meat<\/a> and how to cut beef against the grain.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Easy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why chuck roast?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love chuck roast! It’s an inexpensive cut of meat, and it’s often on sale. (In fact, that is what inspired this post. I was shopping at the grocery store when they had a great buy-one-get-one sale on chuck roasts.) I honestly can’t wait to make it again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s easy to find. It’s marbled for flavor. Plus, it’s flat, so it’s easy to brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you cut the roast in thirds?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cutting a roast into smaller pieces means you can get it on the table more quickly!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the pressure cooker, the main factor that determines how long meat needs to be cooked is the thickness. Cutting in in thirds helps it to be able to cook faster since it reduces the distance from the middle to the edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, when you cut the roast, it’s easier to fit in pot and easier and quicker to brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t want to cut your roast, you can always try my Classic Pot Roast and Potatoes<\/a> recipe. It has a 75 minute cook time and a 15 minute natural pressure release, due to the size of the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Old-Fashioned<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why don’t you cook the potatoes and carrots with the meat?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They’d be mush! Potatoes cook really fast in the pressure cooker, so it doesn’t add much time to cook them afterwards. Plus, the meat benefits from having a little time to rest before you cut it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also chose to make it this way because cooking the potatoes in the beef broth liquids will flavor potatoes. Since the liquid is already hot, it won’t take long for the pot to return to pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also double or even triple the amount of potatoes\u2014as long as they’re about the same size\u2014without changing the high pressure cook time. (Again, it will just take a little longer for the pot to come to pressure.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really want to cook the potatoes with the meat, some PCT readers like to wrap the potatoes and carrots<\/a> tightly in aluminum foil and set the foil packet on top of the meat to cook. The foil slows the cook time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to be sure there’s enough gravy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My family has come to associate roasts with Yorkshire Pudding<\/a>, and they often request mashed potatoes<\/a> along with it. When these sides are on the menu, I know we’ll need enough gravy to fill a small swimming pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, this recipe is written to make a big batch of extra gravy. (Extra gravy is also an awesome way to stretch the meal a bit more.) The notes section of the recipe also contains instructions for reducing the liquids if you don’t want to make as much gravy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doubling the liquids in this doesn’t change the cook time, but it will take a little longer to come to pressure. Just be sure you don’t fill your pressure cooker above the max fill line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Old-Fashioned<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is the best thickener for gravy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of my recipes use corn starch for the thickener. It is a great thickener, especially for clear sauces, and it works quickly. If you prefer corn starch, mix 2 tablespoons corn starch with 2 tablespoons cold water, then add to the cooking pot and bring to a boil to activate the corn starch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when doing a classic pot roast, I prefer the flavor and texture of gravy thickened with flour. Maybe that’s just because that’s how I grew up. When using flour as a thickener, make sure the gravy comes to a boil for at least 2 minutes to eliminate any raw-flour taste from your gravy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do I serve with pot roast?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roast with potatoes and carrots are the classic combination. This recipe cooks up small potatoes along with carrots. So the beauty of this recipe is that you have everything you need to make a complete meal out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I’ve made those steps optional so if you prefer your roasts with mashed potatoes<\/a>, it’s easy to make the switch. When cooking mashed potatoes for roasts, I like my potatoes to take on the roast flavor. Therefore, I generally follow my mashed potatoes recipe but just cook them in a steamer basket above the juices in the cooking pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, in my house, I can’t get away with making a roast and not making Yorkshire. My family prefers the Betty Crocker version<\/a> I’ve been making for years; however, the next time I make roast I’m planning to try this Yorkshire Pudding recipe<\/a>, which is similar but less likely to deflate. We like to use our popover pans for crispy individual servings, you can just use a muffin pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n