Is there anything more comforting than Braised Pot Roast? Lean pieces of beef are first seared in hot oil, then stewed in beef stock with root vegetables added. The result is a fork tender, slightly sweetened beef Pot Roast. The only thing left is to make mashed potatoes!
Braising is a simple process were a food, usually a meat, is first seared in hot fat, at a high temperature on both sides. This creates a Maillard reaction. This reaction, named after the French scientist Louis-Camille Maillard, creates brown pigments in cooked meat. It is also responsible for the new flavor and aroma in the meat. Once the meat is brown on both sides, liquid – usually stock is added, the temperature is lowered and a slower cooking of the meat continues until the meat is fork tender.
Scroll down for stove top instructions to cook this Braised Pot Roast instead of using an Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- Beef: top sirloin, chuck roast, or point cut brisket.
- Parsnips: fresh, preferably organic.
- Carrots: fresh, preferably organic.
- Onion: yellow, preferably organic.
- Beef stock.
- Olive oil.
- Tomato paste: optional (not pictured.)
Instructions
1) Push the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Add olive oil and allow it to get hot. Add the beef to sear. Turn beef pieces so that each side turns brown. Cook in batches. I did 3 batches to cook all the beef.
2) Peel and chop the onion while the beef is searing.
3) Remove the beef pieces from the Instant Pot. Place on a plate to catch the juices.
4) Add the chopped onion to the Instant Pot and stir well. The juice in the onion should unstick any stuck on beef bits.
5) While the onion is cooking, peel the carrots and parsnips.
6) Chop them into large chunks.
7) Add the beef stock to the sautéed onions and stir. If adding tomato paste, then add it now.
8) Return the beef pieces and juices back to the Instant Pot. Press the slow cook button on the Instant Pot to start the simmering part of the recipe.
9) Add the carrots and parsnips to the Instant Pot and arrange over the beef, ensuring that the beef pieces are submerged in stock. Cook for 3 hours or until the meat feels tender.
Flexibility with Ingredients
As beef is the meat of choice here, there are many different cuts to choose from besides top sirloin, chuck roast, or point cut brisket. Other cuts include boneless rump roast, eye round roast, blade roast, stew meat and beef cubes.
Cooking the beef whole, will increase the cooking time. Cutting beef into cubes will decrease the cooking time. I used top sirloin sliced into pieces for easier service and a slightly shorter cooking time than braising it whole.
Parsnips and carrots compliment each other in this dish and add sweetness. Omit them or use alternative root vegetables such as celery root, potatoes, sweet potatoes, shallots and turnips.
Use beef stock for its heartiness. I would not recommend chicken stock. Use French onion soup instead.
Add tomato paste / puree or a little tomato sauce to improve the richness of the stock.
Red wine can be added too.
Flexibility with Equipment
This recipe uses an Instant Pot. If you prefer to use a slow cooker, then the meat must be seared on the stove top in a pan and transferred to the slow cooker, so steps 1-4 would be completed in a pan first. When transferring the food to the slow cooker, don’t forget to include any meat juices.
Braised Pot Roast can also be made entirely on the stove top in a large pot with a lid.
Uses for Braised Pot Roast
Braised Pot Roast can be served as a Sunday roast, a family gathering, whenever the weather is rainy or comfort is needed! Serve it with Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish to complete the quintessential meat and potato dish we long for.
Similar Recipes
Similar hearty, comfort food recipes include:
Wine Recommendation
I recommend a red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon. I paired a Horse Heaven Hills wine from the Columbia Valley in Washington State with the Braised Pot Roast. The wine was bold and structured holding up well against the heartiness of the beef.
Storage
Braised Pot Roast needs an airtight container to be stored in. Consume within 3 days. Reheat in a pot, ensuring the meat is covered in sauce. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes. This should adequately heat the meat and vegetables through.
Freeze in an airtight container or in a freezer ziploc bag with the air removed. Braised Pot Roast will last for up to 6 months in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat fully.
Equipment
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A Tip From Me
When braising meat, don’t be afraid to let it brown for a while even if it sticks. The stuck pieces of meat will dislodge once the stock is added. This tip of allowing the meat to really sear produces more flavor and color. Cover the Instant Pot or stove-top pot with a lid during the simmering process and then remove the lid for the final hour. This will reduce the amount of liquid and eliminate the need for thickening the sauce.
Got Questions
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
- Can I put the meat, vegetables and stock into a crock pot at the same time and cook them? Yes, but as the meat has not been seared first, it will not technically be braised but rather stewed. The taste will be a bit different as some of the flavor components from searing the meat will be absent.
- Can I braise the beef on one day and finish simmering the next day? I have done this and it worked just fine. Sometimes life happens and you have to stop what you’re doing – like cooking! Breaking up this recipe into two steps, searing the meat one day and then simmering the meat, and vegetables in stock the following day, can be done without any damaging effects to the texture or flavor of the final dish.
- Can I add potatoes when the Braised Pot Roast is cooking. Add potatoes, either peeled and cut or small, whole potatoes, the final hour of cooking.
- What if I want my root vegetables to have more bite? Add the carrots and parsnips the final hour of cooking. The flavor of the braising liquid will be less sweet as a result.
Braised Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs beef, suitable for stewing such as top sirloin, chuck roast, or point cut brisket.
- 16 oz beef stock
- 1 onion
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 lb parsnips
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
Instructions
- Push the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Add olive oil and allow it to get hot. Add the beef to sear. Turn beef pieces so that each side turns brown. Cook in batches.
- Peel and chop the onion while the beef is searing.
- Remove the beef pieces from the Instant Pot. Place on a plate to catch the juices.
- Add the chopped onion to the Instant Pot and stir well. The juice in the onion should unstick any stuck on beef bits.
- While the onion is cooking, peel the carrots and parsnips.
- Chop them into large chunks.
- Add the beef stock to the sautéed onions and stir. If adding tomato paste, then add it now.
- Return the beef pieces and juices back to the Instant Pot. Press the slow cook button on the Instant Pot to start the simmering part of the recipe.
- Add the carrots and parsnips to the Instant Pot and arrange over the beef, ensuring that the beef pieces are submerged in stock. Cook for 3 hours or until the meat feels tender.
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