How To Cook a Delicious Pressure Cooker Roast

One of the best things about a pressure cooker is that you can cook foods that normally take 8-12 hours in half the time without sacrificing the richness and intensity of flavor. A pressure cooker roast is a great meal that shows off the power and finesse of the pressure cooker. This post will walk you through what to consider when choosing and preparing the meat, all of the necessary ingredients, and the cooking process. You’ll be able to make a flavorful, juicy, restaurant-quality roast in a fraction of the time!

Gathering Your Ingredients

Generally speaking, the basic ingredients you’ll need to cook a delicious, hearty pressure cooker roast are: 

• Meat: A cut of beef or pork (beef brisket, bottom round roast, chuck roast, pork shoulder, or pork butt)
• Seasonings/Oils: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and olive oil
• ** Vegetables: Carrots, potatoes, and onions (vegetables are optional)

The good thing about the seasonings used is that they work by themselves or can serve as a building block for more complex flavor profiles. It’s entirely up to you what other seasonings and herbs you choose to add!

Preparing the Roast

After gathering all the necessary ingredients, you must prepare the roast for cooking. Start by trimming off any excess fat from the roast using a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Remember that the more fat you remove before adding the seasoning, the faster your roast will cook. After removing the fat, apply a generous amount of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to both sides of the roast. Finally, drizzle olive oil on top of your roast and in the bottom of your pressure cooker. Be careful not to use too much olive oil, as it can affect the performance of your pressure cooker.

Measuring the Seasonings

All of the seasonings used should be adjusted according to taste, so if you want to reduce your sodium intake, reduce the amount of salt you use. Or, if you really love the smokiness and depth of flavor paprika adds, add an extra tablespoon or two! Cooking a roast is a lot less technical than baking a cake, for example, so you have a lot of freedom when it comes to the measurements of the seasonings you want to use.

Preparing the Vegetables

If you plan to include vegetables in your roast, cut them all to be roughly the same size/volume (and remember to peel your carrots). Ensuring your cuts are uniform guarantees better cooking results amongst the different types of vegetables. Otherwise, you might have extremely mushy carrots and undercooked potatoes in the same dish. After chopping your vegetables, set them aside until they are ready to be added to the pressure cooker (they won’t be going in at the same time as the roast).

Adding the Roast to the Pressure Cooker

Once all of your ingredients are prepared and ready to go, it is time to start cooking. Set your pressure cooker on high heat, then add your prepared roast. The cooking times for the meat are roughly 20 minutes per pound. The time needed for pressure-cooking roasts can be anywhere between 45 minutes and a few hours, depending on the size and thickness of the chosen cut. Top everything off with a few cups of water or chicken, then close the lid.

Releasing the Steam & Adding the Vegetables

After around ¾ of the meat cooking time has passed, release the steam that’s been building within the pressure cooker. When all of the steam has been released, add your vegetables on top of the roast (and make sure they are submerged in the cooking liquid). Continue cooking at high heat until the meat is cooked all the way through.

Let The Pressure Cooker Work

Let your pressure cooker do its work by allowing it to cook undisturbed until the timer has finished counting down. Always double-check the manufacturer’s instructions when setting the pressure cooker timer.