Hearty Instant Pot Beef Stew

Hearty Instant Pot Beef Stew tastes like it’s been cooking all day but is ready in under one hour when you use an Instant Pot. The tender beef melts in your mouth while the fresh herbs, root vegetables, and splash of bourbon infuse this classic dish with outstanding flavours.

Under pressure to get dinner on the table in record time? An Instant Pot dinner is the solution and I have a few great recipes for you to try. Choose from a classic and comforting Pork Medallions with Mushrooms or this spin on a Hungarian traditional Chicken Paprikash.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Beef Stew in the Instant Pot is the quickest way to achieve the most tender, melt in your mouth stew beef. Add in some hearty root vegetables and this traditional stew is a wonderful one pot meal.

While many beef stews contain dark ales such as Guinness, this beef stew recipe contains bourbon. The bourbon really highlights the sweetness of the rutabaga and other root vegetables.

Great Vegetables to Use in Stew

During the long cold winters, root vegetables are king. They are readily available because they store well and contain starches that provide us with energy.

Beef stew often contains starchy root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. However, there are many other root vegetables options to consider. Rutabagas, celeriac, parsnip, sweet potato, and turnips would also be lovely in this stew.

Regular chopped yellow or white onions add a depth of flavour to the stew, while pearl onions are also a wonderful addition.

What Cut is Beef Stew Meat?

Did you know that the best cut of meat for stew meat is also usually the least expensive? Beef Chuck comes from the shoulder area and contains plenty of collagen rich connective tissue. During cooking, the collagen breaks down into the sauce, giving it a rich mouthfeel.

You can also buy stew meat cut from the round (or rear of the animal) however, it has much less connective tissue and therefore is not as desirable for stewing.

There’s more than one way to turn cheaper cuts of beef into tender, melt in your mouth morsels. The time old tradition of slow cooking is not always an option these days. Enter the Instant Pot.

As many like to point out, pressure cooking has been around for at least a century. Many home chefs (myself included) have heard horror stories of exploding pressure cookers and just avoid pressure cooking altogether.

However, the invention of this counter top electric gadget has made pressure cooking accessible to the masses. It’s easy to use and takes the ‘guess work’ and resulting uncertainty out of pressure cooking.

Usually the only way to cook chuck stew meat is low and slow. However, pressure cooking forces the connective tissues within the stew meat to break down through heat and steam pressure.

The result is tender melt in your mouth beef in a fraction of the time it would take via the slow cooking method.

How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew

The first step in making Instant Pot Beef Stew is dredging and browning the beef. This step enhances the stew’s beefy flavour and provides a base for a thick rich gravy.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel then season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a large plastic bag, then add the seasoned raw beef and seal well. Shake the bag and move it around so that all of the beef becomes coated in flour.

Alternatively, place the beef in a medium bowl and add the flour. Stir well using your hands until the beef is fully coated in flour. There should be a uniform light coating of flour over all of the beef.

Next, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into the Instant Pot insert and turn it to sauté mode. Place 1/3 of the dredged stewing beef in the Instant Pot insert. Cook the beef on one side until it releases, then flip it over to brown the other side.

Repeat in two batches, removing browned beef before starting the next batch. You can also use a separate stove top frying pan for this step.

Remove all browned beef and set aside. Add a bit of water and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Scrape with a spatula to grab all the tasty bits and pour them over the beef.

Next, add more olive oil, then sauté the diced onions until they become softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic then cook for another 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Add beef stock, bourbon, tomato paste, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, to the onions and garlic. Leave to simmer for a few minutes. (Transfer to Instant Pot now if using stove method).

Replace the beef to the Instant Pot insert then wipe oil spattered rim. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the valve is set to ‘sealing’. Select ‘manual mode’, then choose ‘high pressure’ and add 10 minutes to the timer.

After ten minutes, release the pressure and check the beef. If it isn’t tender, give it another ten under high pressure. Once the beef is tender, add the vegetables, bacon, bay leaves, and some extra herbs and cook on low pressure for 12 minutes.

Allow the pressure to naturally release , then check to make sure the vegetables are cooked through. Add more time if needed. Stir the peas in to the hot stew at the end so they do not overcook.

Next add the tomato paste, garlic, fresh herbs, and onions. Allow them to simmer for a bit then add the beef back in. Wipe the Instant Pot rim clean, then cover with the lid and set the valve to ‘closed’.

On manual mode, set the Instant Pot to ‘high pressure’ and add 10 minutes to the timer. After ten minutes, release the pressure and check the beef. If it isn’t tender, give it another ten under high pressure.

Once the beef is tender, add the vegetables, bay leaves, and some extra herbs and cook on low pressure for another 12 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release (NPR), then check to make sure the vegetables are cooked through. Add more time if needed.

Storing and Reheating Beef Stew

Good news!! Like many slow cooked gravy rich meals, beef stew is always better the next day. This means that those leftovers are going to be even more delicious a day or even 4 days after it’s made.

This stew freezes well too. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to six months.

To reheat, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and slowly warm it in a covered saucepan over low heat. You may need to add a splash of water to loosen up the gravy. Stir once in a while to prevent scorching while reheating.

If you make this Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.