Chuck Roast is my favorite meat to prepare. It’s relatively inexpensive. Especially if you catch it on sale like I always do. And it is absolutely divine when slow cooked into fork tender slithers of beef. Smother with some savory gravy and man! It’s a meal! I typically cook it stovetop or in the oven for hours. But, thanks to the beautiful ingenuity of my pressure cooker, I can now serve a delectable roast in one hour.
Of course we’ll need a roast. This one was a little over 3 pounds. It’ll fill at least four hearty servings. I start my seasoning off by patting on the W sauce. And my special blend of spices works every time. Pack it on every inch of the roast. Don’t forget the sides!
The most important step in preparation is the searing. I’m grateful for the browning preset on pressure cookers. It saves us time! If we were using a slow cooker, we’d have to sear the roast on the stove. The pressure cooker is a one stop shop! Sear the roast in hot oil on ALL sides! Again, don’t forget those edges!
It’s a cardinal sin to wipe of the “brown stuff” or “fond” found at the bottom of the pot after searing. That’s where the foundation of flavor begins! Instead, we leave it and sauté our veggies in it. See, we’re building flavors.
I roughly chop the veggies because we’re pressure cooking for a whole hour. If we finely chopped them, they would disintegrate completely during the duration of pressure cooking.
Look at this tender beef! I don’t ever want to use a knife to cut my roast. I like it fork tender all of the way! If you enjoy the carving, remove the roast before simmering the gravy. Speaking of the gravy, browned flour is a MUST! All it is a flour baked until golden brown. That’s it! I prefer the texture browned flour gives the gravy over cornstarch. I believe cornstarch is more suited for sauces, not gravies. Browned flour is an alternative to roux. It can even be used in making gumbo! Definitely beginner friendly, but still a go to for pros!
Fork tender deliciousness every single time! That’s the result of this recipe. Try it for yourself! I serve it over garlic mashed potatoes! What do you prefer?
Why is My Roast Tough? If your roast is tough in the Instant Pot, it likely needs to be cooked longer. Chuck roast will become more tender the longer it cooks, so extra time may be needed. However, you can overcook beef in the Instant Pot, so keep an eye on it if you add extra time.
Steam penetrates food easily under pressure. So connective tissues in cubes of beef for soups or stews soften in 15 minutes or less, and a pot roast will be medium-rare in 30 minutes. Be sure to follow instructions carefully; at this speed, it's easy to overcook things in mere minutes.
Some people prefer a roast that has more substance, so if you do, the Instant Pot is the winner. I have tried cooking a roast for up to 120 minutes in the Instant Pot and the texture still didn't match a slow cooker, but every 10 minutes of added pressure cooking will definitely make the meat more tender.
If you find that it's still tough after cooking, you'll need to cook it for another 10 to 20 minutes at high pressure – it just needs a bit longer to continue to brine and break down the connective tissue.
If it's still tough, you will need to cook it longer. The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender. Put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes.
While you may cover meat almost completely for a conventional braise, use just enough liquid for the cooker to reach pressure – during pressure cooking the meat will release it's own juice and braise in that flavorful liquid, instead.
Pressure cooked food doesn't brown so it's worth doing this at the start of cooking before adding liquid and putting the lid on. Meat looks and tastes more appetising with a little browning. Onions, garlic and spices also benefit in the flavour stakes from pre-cooking.
“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.
Pour in at least two cups of water; use 1 to 2 cups more if the beef is a tough cut or to reach the minimum amount recommended by the pressure cooker's manufacturer. Seal the lid and bring the cooker up to full pressure over high heat.
You can still pressure cook leaner pieces – like eye of round and top sirloin – but these work best if they've been stuffed, shredded or rolled (with other ingredients). Best cuts of beef to use: Chuck steak, Round Roast, Shoulder, Pot roast, Ribs, Brisket, Oxtail.
Heat the pressure cooker until the pressure regulator begins to rock slowly. Adjust heat to maintain a slow, steady rocking motion. Cooking time begins at this point.
Pressure cooking wins by a landslide. It's not even close. First of all, all food contains water and water boils at a much higher temperature in a pressure cooker then at normal atmospheric pressure.
Slow cookers utilize long cooking times to develop these richer flavors, while pressure cookers use high heat and pressure to impart as much flavor as possible in a shorter time.
Bring up to full pressure over medium-high heat, and cook for 20 minutes. Carefully release pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions. Check to make sure meat is fork tender. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
Add the meat, juices and all to your pressure cooker . Pressure on high for 25 minutes and let the pressure come down naturally. When that's done remove the lid and simmer to preferred thickness. Serve over rice, polenta, mashed potatoes or grits.
The moist heat in a pressure cooker tends to turn connective tissue into gelatin. You need to let the meat cool down for a few minutes after cooking, to give time for moisture to be reabsorbed, before releasing the pressure. Otherwise, the meat will likely be tough.
Simmering helps break down the connective tissue. Connective tissue breaks down to collagen. Collagen tenderizes, and adds flavor and juiciness to the roast.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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