Instant Pot Pot Roast with Vegetables

Know what I’m saying? The point is, the kitchen is no place for shortcuts; especially, when making food for those you love.

In spite of all that, I have to remind myself that not everyone feels the same way as me. That’s why we started working with the Instant Pot.

Fast forward to today and Kim and I are making meals in this thing that I honestly didn’t think were possible. This Instant Pot pot roast turned out tender, juicy, and flavorful.

Combine that with a red wine infused sauce and you have a pretty sweet meal on your hands.

Ordinarily, this is the point in our posts when I would give more detailed instructions about the recipe. Since Kim already gave detailed ones in the recipe card, I won’t bore you with duplicate content.

Instead, I will pick out a few steps to review and add a little useful information. In other words, elaborate on her instructions.

You’ll notice Kim created her own blend of spices and made a, “dry rub,” for the pot roast. You don’t have to do this, you can use a seasoning mix or packet from the store.

Additionally, she allowed it to rest before starting the cooking process. Doing so ensures the meat gets properly seasoned.

The longer it sets, the richer the flavor. Furthermore, that flavor cooks into the vegetables and potatoes in the dish.

In addition to properly season the meat, she also seared it. Let’s talk about why she seared the meat.

What you may not know is that when searing something, it creates a crust and seals in the  juices.

That, in turn, keeps them from leaking out while it finishes cooking. Anytime you work with red meat, it’s a good idea to crank up the heat and give it a good sear before roasting.

Once that step is done, using the drippings from the beef to saute the onions is always a good idea. All that beef flavor is mixing with the vegetables and you can’t go wrong with that.

Also, using red wine or beef broth to de-glaze a pan is another way to impart flavor.

Ideally, the little bits of meat that stuck to the bottom of the pan will come loose, then adhere to your vegetables as the liquid evaporates.

If the term deglazing throws you off, don’t let it. Something as simple as making sausage gravy uses a deglazing step.

In other words, if you’ve made gravy, then you’ve deglazed a pan.

A quick word on cooking with spirits and wines, don’t let the alcohol bother you. I know some people don’t drink due to health or religious reasons and I totally understand.

Due my health issues, drinking is a rarity. However, when a wine cooks for this long, I promise you, the alcohol has cooked out via evaporation.

All that’s left is the flavor, which adds a rich, fruitiness to the dish.

All I’m saying is, try it before you judge. Besides, you’d be surprised how many restaurants use wine in their dishes, but don’t list it as a main ingredient on the menu.

The last thing I will talk about is the sauce for our dish. A lot of people are going to say, “That’s not a sauce, that’s gravy.”

Well, that depends on your definition of a gravy.

For me, gravy requires a liquid (water, wine, milk, broth), a fat (butter, grease), and a four (all-purpose, wheat, blend).

Since we used cornstarch as the thickening agent, I don’t consider it a gravy.

If you do, that’s fine, you can call it that. In closing, I would like to recommend pairing this heavy meal with a light salad of your choice.

Well, other than a few tips below, that’s all I’m going to add to the post. Kim and I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot pot roast recipe.

Pot Roast Tips:

For those of you who like your pot roast medium to medium-well, I would recommend cutting down the cook time, not the release time.

Remember, the natural release is how the Instant Pot keeps meat tender and succulent. Or you could cut it into chunks, then sear and cook it (think beef bourguignon).

You could make gravy, instead of sauce, by removing the meat and veggies, turning the pressure cooker back on to saute, melting 4-tablespoons of butter in the broth, and whisking in about 1/4-cup flour. As the broth heats and cooks the flour, it will thicken into a gravy.

The vegetables can be added directly to the pot, without foil; however, they will be extremely soft when done (almost mushy).

Want an extra dose of flavor? Consider adding an aus jux packet to the broth. Be warned, we have NOT done this, so it could get way too salty.