So. I’ve been making pot roast in a slow cooker for ages. The recipe is simple, reliable and delicious. I didn’t think anything could ever replace that recipe. And then, this week, I tried making pot roast in my Instant Pot, using the pressure cooker settings. Whoah, boy, pressure cooker pot roast just replaced slow cooker pot roast. Quite frankly I’m stunned by this upset. But I’m happy about it just the same.

I bought an Instant Pot I think three years ago and, until last month, had used it only once. I tried cooking basic chicken using the pressure cooker function and it worked, well, fine. It didn’t blow me out of the water, and so the Instant Pot got pushed to the back of the cabinet. And then my friend Christine mentioned a few weeks ago how she loves making brown rice in the pressure cooker. So I dug it out and started experimenting.

As of today I am so-so on brown rice (I just haven’t perfected that process yet) and in love with making beans in the pressure cooker (I’ll share that recipe another day, it took some tweaking but I finally have it where I like it). And then I decided to try pot roast. HUGE SUCCESS. It tasted the same as my slow cooker pot roast and, top to bottom, took about 2 hours instead of the usual 8-9 hours.

I will say this – I can totally see instances where cooking the pot roast for 8 hours will be more convenient based on my schedule for a particular day. But what is so glorious is now I have two options, 2 hours or 8 hours, with equally delicious results. Hooray for pressure cooker pot roast!

I took my inspiration for this pot roast from my friend Barbara from Pressure Cooking Today. She is my pressure cooker guru. You need to bookmark her site pronto if you have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. You’re welcome. (Click here for Barbara’s pot roast recipe, which has a few more ingredients than my version below.)

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

120 mins

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

 

Simple, easy and delicious! Instructions below are based on using an Instant Pot.

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 chuck, chuck-eye, or round roast (around 4 pounds)
• 1-2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• ½ of an onion, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth or stock

Instructions

1. Sprinkle roast evenly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Select the "Browning" setting on the Instant Pot. Add oil to Instant Pot and let heat up. Once hot, brown the roast on both sides, a few minutes per side until you start to get beautiful browned spots. Set roast aside.
3. Add onions to the Instant Pot and cook until softened and translucent. Stir regularly.
4. Add broth to Instant Pot, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Let onions simmer in the broth about 3 minutes or so.
5. Add roast and change Instant Pot setting to High pressure. Make sure the pressure release handle is on "Sealing." Set the timer for 90 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for the pot to build pressure and for the 90-minute countdown to begin.
6. When the 90 minutes is over, turn off the pressure cooker and let it sit for 15 minutes, letting pressure release naturally. At the 15-minute mark, using a hot pad and being careful not to touch the steam, turn the pressure release handle to "Venting" to release the rest of the pressure. Once it stops steaming, remove the lid.
7. Let roast rest for 10-15 minutes. Use juices for gravy, straining the juice first to remove the "stuff" left behind in the juices. Make gravy using white roux (click here for recipe and instructions). You can also use a slurry made from ½ cup flour whisked with 1 cup cold water to thicken the gravy if you forgot to make the roux.

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• White Roux / How to Make Perfect Gravy
• Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Instant Pot 7-in-1
• OXO Silicone Spatula

Today I have an easy, reliable recipe for simple slow cooker pot roast. This pot roast cooks perfectly every time and provides all kinds of wonderful juices for making gravy.

Growing up my mom and my mom’s mom always made roast beef that was cooked in the oven. I loved their roast beef dinners, complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. Fast forward a few years to when I got married and started really cooking for myself. The first time we had friends over for dinner I chose to make roast beef, after all that was company-worthy food. Welll…despite my best efforts, the roast beef came out tough and dry. Our friends and my husband were incredibly sweet, praising my efforts. But I knew better. I tried cooking roast beef a few more times and eventually gave up. I just couldn’t replicate what my grandmother and mother could do.

Fast forward a few more years to dinner at my friend Katie’s house. She made us pot roast in the slow cooker and it was delectable. She kindly shared the recipe and it has been a standby for me ever since. My family loves this pot roast because it tastes so good. I love it because it’s beyond easy and it makes a ton of wonderful juices that can be made into gravy. While this roast is different than the magic my mother and grandmother conjured, it is just as delicious and has provided new memories for our family. Enjoy!

Pot Roast

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 10 mins

 

From: Katie Tullis

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Beef

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 chuck or round beef roast, 2-3 pounds
• Olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 can beef consumme
• 1 can water

Instructions

1. Generously salt and pepper the roast on all sides.
2. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large frying pan at medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add roast, browning on both sides for a few minutes per side until it browns.
3. Place browned roast in slow cooker. Add beef consumme and water to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (I always try to go at least 8 hours so it gest super tender and "potroasty").
4. Use fluid in crockpot to make gravy. Click here for instructions on how to make gravy with white roux (the best way!).

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• White Roux / How to Make Perfect Gravy
• Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
• Crock Pot 6-Quart Manual Slow Cooker