Growing up, I remember eating dry pot roast that my mom threw a bunch of salt & smothered gravy on to get us to eat it. This pot roast is NOT like your mama’s (or at least my mama’s haha!). My secret? Instapot. This is such a simple & versatile way to make your best beef pot roast!
What kind of roast?
This would work for any kind of roast, but I used a chuck roast. Bonus points if you use local beef from your local farmers!
Ingredients Needed
Roast: This is an obvious one. Use any kind of beef roast you would like, 2.5-3 lbs is a good fit for your standard instapot. My favorite part is that it can be frozen or thawed. If you are like me, you don’t have time to wait for a roast to thaw before making supper!
Water or broth/bouillon: Pretty self explanatory. For more flavor, use the broth. PS- want to make your own broth someday? Start saving beef bones, like, from this roast, so that you can make your own batch! Just throw them in a freezer bag & store in your freezer until you have enough to make a crockpot size of broth. An easy-to-follow recipe from the Prairie Homestead is linked.
Seasonings: garlic,onion, taco, paprika,rosemary, thyme..roasts are so versatile so just pick what flavor you are wanting. OR don’t season at all, and freeze the shredded beef fora ‘blank canvas’ for future recipes.
Secret to the best pot roast
The natural release is the secret to the most tender pot roast. I don’t care if you are in a hurry, do NOT skip the natural release step. Let it release naturally for 30 minutes.
My Instapot
I am no instapot guru, but linked is the instapot that I have which does the trick. It will fit a 3lb roast. It also will saute & slow cook, plus sets to ‘keep warm’ automatically after done cooking. Get my instapot here- Instapot 6 quart.
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How to make the best beef pot roast!
Equipment
- 1 instapot
- measuring utensils
Materials
- 1 2-3 lb beef roast ex. chuck roast, thawed or frozen
- 3 cups water can use all or part beef broth or bouillon
- seasonings of choice salt, pepper, taco, onions, garlic etc.
Instructions
- Rub the roast down with any seasonings you decide to add. Then place the thawed or frozen roast into the instapot on the metal trivet.
- Add 3 cups of water.
- Per your instapot instructions, place lid on the pot and lock. Set to sealing (not venting). Before putting lid on make sure the seal ring is on correctly, venting area is working right, etc
- Program your pressure cooker on the 'manual' setting to cook for 90 minutes for a THAWED 2.5 lb roast. Add 10 minutes of pressure cooking time for a frozen roast. *for every half pound difference in roast, add 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Once finished pressure cooking, let it naturally release for 30 minutes (this is the most important step!!) before turning the pressure release valve to the venting position. *this is what gives you the fall-off-the-bone, tender roast!
- Once the float valve has dropped, you can safely remove the lid to allow further cooling. Remove the roast and place in a bowl, use 2 forks to easily shred. Enjoy!
- If you want gravy, simply remove all fat/bones from the drippings. Put the instapot on 'saute' mode & add 1-2 tbsp flour or cornstarch. Stir until thickened.