There’s very few things in this world that are quite as savory and satisfying as the warm, hearty, and tenderness of a beef pot roast. This is an excellent crowd-pleaser that’s extremely juicy. The best part? I used an Instant Pot to slow cook it, which means it pretty much cooks itself for the most part (“Set it and forget it!”–I always love saying that). It’s time to BEEF up your dinner with this amazingly easy-to-make meal that’s sure to be more comforting than your favorite childhood teddy bear.
Ingredients (can serve approx 4-6 people)
-4-4.5 lb beef chuck
-8-10 Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)
-4-5 carrots (peeled, and cut into large 2” pieces)
-3-4 bay leaves
-3 cloves minced garlic
-2 cups beef broth
-1/2 white onion
-Kosher salt (to season, brine)
-Garlic salt (to season)
-Black pepper (to season)
-Dried thyme (to season)
-Parsley (garnish)
-Neutral oil to sear (eg. canola oil)
Procedure
Dry Brine (Optional)
i) Clean your beef chuck meat and season liberally on all sides with kosher salt
ii) Let sit at least 2 hours in the fridge, or overnight
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1) Season the beef chuck liberally with garlic salt. If you dry brined your meat, you can season it about half the amount that you would usually do to cover the meat. Season generously with black pepper and thyme as well.
2) Heat a pan on high and add your neutral oil. When the pan is smoking, add your beef chuck to the pan.
3) Sear each side for approx. 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
4) In your slow cooker (I used the slow cooker mode on my InstantPot), add a layer of onions at the bottom.
5) Add your seared beef, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and potatoes to the pot. You can also add fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary for a more fragrant smell
6) Add beef broth to the pot and cover lid
7) Set your slow cooker to low cook and cook for 8-10 hours (if you are using an Instant Pot, this setting would be Slow Cook on “Normal”. The “Less” setting is equivalent to “Keep Warm”). If you need a quicker turn-around, set your slow cooker to high for about 5-6 hours.
Gravy (Optional)
i) When the slow cooker is finished cooking, transfer as much beef juice as you want from the pot to a sauce pan.
ii) Cook the juice on a stovetop in high heat to reduce. Constantly stir while boiling until the liquid thickens (about half volume), or until desired gravy viscosity is reached. If it’s too thick, simply add some more juice from the pot roast and stir/boil until the desired consistency is achieved.
Observations
-Cook Time: 8-10 hours on low, 5-6 hours on normal, approx 1 hour with pressure cooking
-I have yet to prepare this dish using the pressure settings on the Instant Pot. I can imagine it being much faster (1 hour), but cannot verify meat and veggie textures. I will update if I ever explore that setting.
-Setting it to low for 8-10 makes this a perfect dish to get started in the morning, and it’ll be ready by the time you get home from work!
-Pot roasts are really customizable. You can add other things such as celery and mushrooms to your liking
-Although optional, brining meat is a great way to keep flavors and juices locked into the meat. A quick sear prior to throwing it in the pot also helps with this.
Frankly Awesome Food 