Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Beef Stew with Maple Syrup and Stout
Tender beef stew with a thick rich gravy in less than 2 hours - impossible? Not with an Instant Pot, a safe pressure cooker/slow cooker. The intensity of the pressure tenderizes the beef and produces a gravy as rich as if the stew had bubbled in the oven for hours.
No need for fancy side dishes. Serve with a hearty bread such as Irish Brown Bread, Pumpernickel or Italian Bread to sop up the gravy. Add a salad or other vegetables if desired, but it's also a meal all by itself.
This recipe is slightly adapted from the New York Times recipe app. If you don't have onion powder or garlic powder, I suggest browning a chopped onion and an extra clove of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil in the Instant Pot before adding all the ingredients. If you want to make it on the stovetop or in the oven, cook the meat in a cast iron or other stewing pot at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours, then add the vegetables for the last half hour.
Time: 90 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck roast, excess fat trimmed, meat cut into 2 inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 cup beef broth (or 1 1/4 cups if using an 8 quart pot)
3/4 cup stout beer (or 1 cup if using an 8 quart pot)
1/4 cup real maple syrup (medium or dark)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 large potatoes of your choice, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
Method
Step 1
Add the beef to a 6-8 quart pressure cooker, season generously with the Kosher salt and pepper and toss the beef in the flour until it is evenly coated.
Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs, the broth, beef, syrup, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), the onion and garlic powders and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.
Cover and set the steam valve to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. If hot liquid spurts out with the steam, close the knob and wait for a few more minutes, then release again. Stir in the carrots, parsnips and potatoes, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and set the steam valve to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.
Step 3
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. (Again, if hot liquid spurts out, close the knob and wait, then release again). Remove and discard the rosemary and thyme sprigs.
Step 4
Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as needed. Add the lemon juice and stir. If the vegetables are not tender or if the broth is not as thick as you would like, use the saute setting to simmer for a few minutes. Alternately, stir the mixture to get the potatoes to fall apart, which will help thicken the gravy.
Tender beef stew with a thick rich gravy in less than 2 hours - impossible? Not with an Instant Pot, a safe pressure cooker/slow cooker. The intensity of the pressure tenderizes the beef and produces a gravy as rich as if the stew had bubbled in the oven for hours.
No need for fancy side dishes. Serve with a hearty bread such as Irish Brown Bread, Pumpernickel or Italian Bread to sop up the gravy. Add a salad or other vegetables if desired, but it's also a meal all by itself.
This recipe is slightly adapted from the New York Times recipe app. If you don't have onion powder or garlic powder, I suggest browning a chopped onion and an extra clove of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil in the Instant Pot before adding all the ingredients. If you want to make it on the stovetop or in the oven, cook the meat in a cast iron or other stewing pot at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours, then add the vegetables for the last half hour.
Time: 90 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck roast, excess fat trimmed, meat cut into 2 inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 cup beef broth (or 1 1/4 cups if using an 8 quart pot)
3/4 cup stout beer (or 1 cup if using an 8 quart pot)
1/4 cup real maple syrup (medium or dark)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 large potatoes of your choice, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
Method
Step 1
Add the beef to a 6-8 quart pressure cooker, season generously with the Kosher salt and pepper and toss the beef in the flour until it is evenly coated.
Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs, the broth, beef, syrup, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), the onion and garlic powders and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.
Cover and set the steam valve to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. If hot liquid spurts out with the steam, close the knob and wait for a few more minutes, then release again. Stir in the carrots, parsnips and potatoes, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and set the steam valve to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.
Step 3
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. (Again, if hot liquid spurts out, close the knob and wait, then release again). Remove and discard the rosemary and thyme sprigs.
Step 4
Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as needed. Add the lemon juice and stir. If the vegetables are not tender or if the broth is not as thick as you would like, use the saute setting to simmer for a few minutes. Alternately, stir the mixture to get the potatoes to fall apart, which will help thicken the gravy.