I have the softest of soft spots in my heart for pot roast. It’s one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Every single week while my mom was alive, we had pot roast and baked potatoes on Sunday afternoon. Now that I’m an adult and the default pot roast maker, I love the smell while it cooks. I love pot roast the day I make it. Love leftover pot roast. I love it in tacos. Hot sandwiches. Cold Sandwiches. In a house, with a mouse, in the rain, on a train.
The only problem with my mom’s pot roast is that it was dry and tough, so I’m not quite sure why I love pot roast so much when I spent so much of my childhood trying to chew her pot roast. It’s like…I knew there could be more. Hope of a better pot roast propelled me forward.
I made dry, tough roast after dry tough roast. And then I started using a slow cooker, which definitely upped my game, but I don’t think I realized a) the right cuts of meat and b) how long it takes to cook those cuts of meat. “Done” doesn’t mean “done” when it comes to cooking tough cuts of meat.
Finally, I started figuring it out. These French Dip Sandwiches became a regular part of my life. Then these Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches became my mistress on the side. We got lots of requests for a great pot roast here on the blog, and we published my go-to slow cooker recipe in our 400 Calories or Less Cookbook. Then Sara posted an amaaaazing oven braised pot roast recipe (seriously, if I don’t make it in the pressure cooker, this is my favorite roast recipe.)
Over the years, I’ve gotten to a point where I make my slow cooker pot roast almost exclusively in the Instant Pot. And honestly, it’s to a point where pot roast isn’t really a Sunday affair anymore. In fact, I’m just as likely (maybe more likely!) to make this on a busy weeknight as I am on a Sunday because the Instant Pot is so quick and it comes together so easily.
You’ll need a 2.5-3.5-pound roast (chuck roasts are always a safe bet, but they require a little more work to trim the excess fat; top and bottom roasts are leaner and great choices, especially if you’re concerned about fat; stay away from eye of round, which is cheap and easy to grab at the store and has only led to disappointment and heartache.) You’ll also need some steak seasoning, a pouch of onion soup mix, some red wine vinegar (or red wine if you like cooking with wine), an onion, lots and lots of garlic, and some vegetable or beef stock.
Trim the roast of excess fat (don’t worry about the fat marbled in the roast, but anything around the edges or that starts to come off when you tug at it). Slice it into 1″ slices.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Cut the onion in half and slice. Set aside.
While the oil is heating, sprinkle the roast slices with the steak seasoning
and rub it into the meat. When the oil is very hot, arrange as many of the meat slices as possible in a single layer in the bottom of the pan and sear 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side. If you weren’t able to fit all the roast pieces into the pan, remove the seared pieces and sear the remaining roast. Remove from pan.
Sauté the onion in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the smashed or chopped garlic in the last minute of cooking. Add the vinegar (or wine), broth, and seared roast pieces. Sprinkle the onion soup mix and stir to combine everything. Use the manual setting to cook on high for 40 minutes.
When it’s done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally (don’t turn the valve) for 10 minutes, then use the release valve to release any excess pressure. Shred the roast according to your tastes (some people prefer chunks while others prefer shreds). Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with the liquid from the Instant Pot and serve.
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 6-8
Description
Use your Instant Pot to cook this tender, juicy, flavorful, fork-tender pot roast in about an hour, start to finish!
Ingredients
2.5–3.5-pound beef roast (chuck, top, or bottom round roast; stay away from eye of round)
1 tablespoon steak seasoning (like McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1 large onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
10 cloves garlic, smashed
2 cups vegetable or beef stock
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or 1/2 cup red wine (if using red wine, reduce stock by 1/4 cup)
1 packet onion soup mix
Instructions
Trim the roast of excess fat (don’t worry about the fat marbled in the roast, but anything around the edges or that starts to come off when you tug at it). Slice it into 1″ slices.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Cut the onion in half and slice. Set aside.
While the oil is heating, sprinkle the roast slices with the steak seasoning and rub it into the meat. When the oil is very hot, arrange as many of the meat slices as possible in a single layer in the bottom of the pan and sear 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side. If you weren’t able to fit all the roast pieces into the pan, remove the seared pieces and sear the remaining roast. Remove from pan.
Sauté the onion in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the smashed or chopped garlic in the last minute of cooking. Add the vinegar (or wine), broth, and seared roast pieces. Sprinkle the onion soup mix and stir to combine everything. Use the manual setting to cook on high for 40 minutes.
When the roast is done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally (don’t turn the valve) for 10 minutes, then use the release valve to release any excess pressure. Shred the roast according to your tastes (some people prefer chunks while others prefer shreds). Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with the liquid from the Instant Pot and serve.
Notes
To make this in the slow cooker, trim but don’t slice the roast. Season the entire roast and sear it, then transfer it to the slow cooker. Cook onions and garlic in the same pot according to the directions, then transfer to the slow cooker as well. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
