Autumn’s here! Now that it’s sweater weather and my Ready or Not! book tour travels (and weeks of eating on-the-go) are slowly winding down, I’m craving hearty, home-cooked comfort foods. These days, I can’t imagine anything more satisfying than sharing a steaming bowl of meaty stew and veggies with friends and family. But if you’re like me, you don’t have the patience to babysit the stew while it simmers for hours on the stove or in the oven.
That’s why I recently converted my classic recipe for Yankee Pot Roast (on page 218 of our first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans) for the Instant Pot, a.k.a. the crazy-cool kitchen gadget everyone (me included) has been telling you about. They’re right, you know: This electric pressure cooker is amazing because you just set it and forget it! Now that summer is officially over, isn’t it time you took your Instant Pot out of the box already?
Cooking Tips and Tricks
- Definitely use collagen-rich chuck roast and not a lean roast like bottom or top round. These lean roasts will dry out in the Instant Pot, and no one likes powdery meat. (Ick.)
- Don’t go bigger than a 3½ -pounder ’cause it’ll take too long to cook through. If you’re looking for an even speedier recipe, cube the meat and make this beef stew instead.
- If your pot roast isn’t tender enough when the timer goes off and after the pressure drops naturally, cook it for 10-15 more minutes under high pressure or until a fork pierces the meat easily. Chuck roast is a forgiving cut, and it actually gets more tender with additional cooking time.
- The sauce won’t be super thick, but you can puree the veggies with a stick blender to bulk it up.
- Leftover pot roast freezes well, which makes it a great make-ahead-and-reheat dish. If you’re taking a pre-cooked unsliced roast out of the freezer, thaw it before you reheat it to ensure even cooking. There’s nothing more disappointing than slicing into a pot roast only to hit an icy center.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 (3½ -pound) boneless beef chuck roast
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee, divided
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar (but not the super expensive stuff)
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Equipment:
- Measuring spoons
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Instant Pot (these are the models I recommend folks buy)
- Tongs
- Silicone spatula
- Measuring cup
Method:
Pat the roast dry with paper towels, and season it with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the cooking insert. Once the fat’s melted, sear the roast until evenly browned, about 3 minutes per side. (Yes, you can skip the searing if you’re too busy—it will still taste good.)
Transfer the beef to a platter.
Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the now-empty insert, and toss in the finely chopped leeks, celery, and carrots along with a pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Pour in the vinegar, and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom.
Nestle the roast back into the Instant Pot, and throw in the porcini mushrooms and thyme.
Add the broth.
Lock the lid. Make sure the valve on the lid is in the sealed position. Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the cooking time to 75 minutes under high pressure.
When it’s finished cooking, allow the pressure to drop naturally (about 20 minutes). Take off the lid and stab the roast to make sure it’s fork-tender. If the meat is still tough, cook under high pressure for another 10-15 minutes and let the pressure drop naturally.
Fish the roast out of the pot and lightly tent with foil. Skim the fat off the top, if desired. Taste the sauce, discard the thyme, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, add the carrot slices to the Instant Pot. Cover and cook the carrots under high pressure for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the chuck roast against the grain into ½-inch slices. When the carrots are done cooking, vent the pressure manually. Ladle the sauce and carrots over the pot roast. Top with Italian parsley.
If you’re serving the pot roast later, you can stop before adding the carrot chunks in the step above. Refrigerate the roast for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, take the hardened fat shell off the top of the sauce…
…and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Add the carrot chunks and cook for 3 minutes under high pressure. Release the pressure manually (again). Finish by slicing the roast and topping with the sauce and carrots. Garnish with Italian parsley.
Serve with roasted veggies and Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”!
Wanna watch me make this dish on my Facebook Live broadcast (recorded on September 27, 2017)?
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot Yankee Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 3½ -pound boneless beef chuck roast
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee divided
- 2 medium leeks white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar but not the super expensive stuff
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms rinsed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels, and season it with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the cooking insert. Once the fat’s melted, sear the roast until evenly browned, about 3 minutes per side. (Yes, you can skip the searing if you’re too busy—it will still taste good.) Transfer the beef to a platter.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the now-empty insert, and toss in the finely chopped leeks, celery, and carrots along with a pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour in the vinegar, and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom.
- Nestle the roast back into the Instant Pot, and throw in the porcini mushrooms and thyme. Add the broth.
- Lock the lid. Make sure the valve on the lid is in the sealed position. Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the cooking time to 75 minutes under high pressure.
- When it’s finished cooking, allow the pressure to drop naturally (about 20 minutes). Take off the lid and stab the roast to make sure it’s fork-tender. If the meat is still tough, cook under high pressure for another 10-15 minutes and let the pressure drop naturally.
- Fish the roast out of the pot and lightly tent with foil. Skim the fat off the top, if desired. Taste the sauce, discard the thyme, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, add the carrot slices to the Instant Pot. Cover and cook the carrots under high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the chuck roast against the grain into ½-inch slices. When the carrots are done cooking, vent the pressure manually. Ladle the sauce and carrots over the pot roast. Top with Italian parsley.
- If you’re serving the pot roast later, you can stop before adding the carrot chunks in the step above. Refrigerate the roast for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, take the hardened fat shell off the top of the sauce, and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Add the carrot chunks and cook for 3 minutes under high pressure. Release the pressure manually (again). Finish by slicing the roast and topping with the sauce and carrots. Garnish with Italian parsley.
- Serve with roasted veggies and Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”!
Notes
- Definitely use collagen-rich chuck roast and not a lean roast like bottom or top round. These lean roasts will dry out in the Instant Pot, and no one likes powdery meat. (Ick.)
- Don’t go bigger than a 3½ -pounder ’cause it’ll take too long to cook through. If you’re looking for an even speedier recipe, cube the meat and make this beef stew instead.
- If your pot roast isn’t tender enough when the timer goes off and after the pressure drops naturally, cook it for 10-15 more minutes under high pressure or until a fork pierces the meat easily. Chuck roast is a forgiving cut, and it actually gets more tender with additional cooking time.
- The sauce won't be super thick, but you can puree the veggies with a stick blender to bulk it up.
- Leftover pot roast freezes well, which makes it a great make-ahead-and-reheat dish. If you’re taking a pre-cooked unsliced roast out of the freezer, thaw it before you reheat it to ensure even cooking. There’s nothing more disappointing than slicing into a pot roast only to hit an icy center.
