Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

A pressure cooker is ideally suited for cooking meat, particularly cuts of meat that require slow cooking. Indeed, the cooking time for tougher meat cuts can be cut down substantially using a pressure cooker and the higher pressure employed also means that the fibres of the meat break down more, so that you end up with much more tender meat.

This is excellent for anyone who likes flavour. The truth is that the more that a muscle works, the more flavour it has, but the tougher it is as a cut. But in these frugal times, when everyone is watching the pennies and meat is expensive, buying a tougher but cheaper cut of meat, but then cooking it in a way that makes it tender whilst keeping the flavour really makes sense.

That's why I can really recommend this pressure cooker based recipe to everyone. This recipe uses topside, but I have made it very successfully with far more inexpensive cuts of meat (two boned shins rolled together as a joint is my favourite)

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1.25kg (2 1/2 lbs) boned and rolled topside of beef
300ml (1 1/4 cups) beef stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp mixed, dried, herbs
150ml dry red wine
2 onions, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, sliced thickly
125g (4 oz) button mushrooms
12 black olives, pitted
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in the base of a pressure cooker, add the beef and fry until nicely browned on all sides (remember to brown on the two ends as well). Add the stock (but reserve 4 tbsp) along with the tomato purée, herbs, wine, salt and black pepper.

Secure and seal the lid on the pressure cooker then bring to full pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to stabilize the pressure and cook for 25 minutes. Take off the hat and set the pressure cooker under cold, running, water to reduce the pressure quickly.

Open the lid, add the vegetables and olives then secure the lid back off, place back over high heat and bring to full pressure. Reduce the heat to stabilize the pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to allow the pressure to reduce naturally.

Lift out the mat and set on a warmed dish then set aside to keep warm.

Blend the cornflour (cornstarch) to a smooth slurry with the reserved sock. Beat this into the cooking stock in the pressure cooker then bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Arrange the meat on a serving dish and spoon over the sauce. Surround with the vegetables and serve immediately.

If you want even more ideas for pressure cooker based recipes, please visit the Celtnet Pressure Cooker information and recipes page.