Recipe perfection for me is any recipe that doesn’t require much hands-on time, uses inexpensive ingredients, and provides a sophisticated and amazing flavor that my whole family loves. With this trifecta in place, you can easily see why this recipe for balsamic pressure cooker roast beef has become part of my normal rotation!
This recipe takes an inexpensive cut of meat and gives it not only fantastic flavor but a tender texture akin to a high-quality roast! I admit that I’m not a big fan of pot roasts and generally seek alternative methods to prepare tough cuts of meat. And of everything I’ve tried for that classic pot roast cut, the chuck, this recipe is the winner! Of course, if you prefer that classic pot roast texture, you can achieve that with this recipe simply by increasing the cooking time to 1.5 hours.
Using an Instant Pot cuts dramatically down the cooking time while minimizing hands-on time and with minimal clean-up (just the stainless steel insert!). If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, put it on your wish list (and check out the amazing coupon below!)! It’s an incredibly useful kitchen tool that is both slow cooker and super safe pressure cooker. I’ve used mine to make a variety of soups, stews, to cook any tougher cut of meat from cheek to chuck, to make broth in a quarter the amount of time that it takes on the stovetop, to braise tough greens like collards, to make rice (ssshhh, don’t call the Paleo Police!), and even to make yogurt! My favorite is the pressure cooker function though since it’s such a hands-off way of making a quick and delicious meal, even when my meat is still frozen! Note that you can use any pressure cooker for this recipe.
If you prefer, you can use a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours in lieu of a pressure cooker or even still in your Instant Pot (add a little extra broth to make sure your roast is completely covered and top up with broth if liquid gets too low). The texture will definitely be pot-roast-esque if you use a slow cooker.
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Time-Saving Tip: Need something even faster to throw together? Go ahead and skip the searing step! I think it locks some moisture in the meat and adds a bit more depth of flavor but I’ve made this several times simply by throwing all the ingredients into my Instant Pot and it’s crazy delicious every time!
Right now, you can get $50 off your order at InstantPot.com by using code ThePaleoMom at checkout!!
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour plus time for the Instant Pot to pressurize (10 minutes hands-on time)
Serves: 5-10
Ingredients:
- 3-4 lbs chuck or shoulder roast (you can also use cheek or brisket or any other tough roast as well)
- 1 Tbsp EVOO
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or truffle salt
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried lavender or rosemary (or a mix), optional
Directions:
- Pat roast dry with paper towels and rub salt on all sides of roast.
- Add olive oil to Instant Pot and turn it to saute function.
- Add roast and sear on all sides (this takes about 2-3 minutes per side).
- Add remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Using pressure cooker function, place lid on the instant pot with Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Remove roast from Instant Pot, and let rest for 5-10 minutes (you can tent with tinfoil to keep it warm).
- Meanwhile, reduce the liquid in the instant pot by about two thirds using the saute function (this takes up to about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it!).
- Slice the roast and pour reduction over to serve. Garnish with coarse finishing salt and chopped parsley if desired.
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