Beef Stew is the quintessential comfort food. And while you can use the slow cooker to cook for hours, you only need about an hour from beginning to the end when you use the pressure cooker, without worrying whether it’s undercooked or overcooked. And you know the Instant Pot (Amazon Affl) is my favorite because it has a stainless steel liner pot and it has never failed me. So I wanted to share this recipe for the best paleo beef stew in Instant Pot.
There are no real tricks or secrets involved with cooking beef stew. But you can make mistakes. Believe me, I’ve ruined Beef Stew in the past because I cooked it on too high heat or cooked it too fast. Or cooked the wrong type of meat. But since I’ve been making it in Instant Pot, I. Have. Never. Ruined. Beef. Stew. Even with the wrong cut of beef, using this method in the Instant Pot never failed me.
Obviously, you should use quality meat (See A Complete Meat Buying Guide for Your Health to see which types of meat you should buy) but regardless, it should have some marbled fat in it, like a chuck roast. Bottom round works too as long as the cut is fatty. You can’t go wrong with good meat but if you are conscious of your budget, you can buy just about any inexpensive cut of meat and you’re good to go. Just make sure it’s grassfed beef, at least. Add some veggies, and braise it or slowly simmer for hours to achieve the fork tender meat and soft flavorful veggies.
So let’s put some pressure on!
The Best Paleo Beef Stew in Instant Pot
First, brown the meat. You need this step because not only does it seal the meat to keep the meat from crumbling apart, you want the those browned bits to add to the nice deep meaty flavor to the stew. Dust the meat with gluten free flour or arrowroot flour if you’re avoiding grain. Not all sides have to be perfectly browned. No, I’m not perfect either. Just enough so that meat juice is sealed in while the outside is browned.
Then, take out the meat and sauté onions and garlic in the pot until translucent. Oh, the smell…..don’t you just love how onions and garlic smell when you sauté them? The smell always makes me feel like a great chef.
Now, the veggies. If you don’t want soft veggies, you can add all the ingredients in the pot at once. If you want little firmer veggies, you can add them at the end. Regardless, the marriage of these hearty veggies and the fatty meat is such a wonderful union. This is a “must” dish to make in Instant Pot with all the goodness of the grass-fed beef, vegetables, spices, and herbs all sealed in for that deep hearty flavor.
And voilá! Instant Beef Stew. Well, instant, meaning, it’s made in the Instant Pot. But relatively speaking, it’s much quicker than simmering for hours in the crockpot or on the stove top. Add some chopped parsley on top, you’re ready for a hearty meal.
Here is the detailed recipe.
- 2 lbs chuck roast cut into 1" chunks
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Med onion coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 small tomatoes roughly cubed
- 3/4 cup red wine Cabernet Sauvignon is the best but you can use what you have
- 1 cups beef broth
- 1 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 celery stalks cut into chunks
- 1 cup White Mushrooms quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 small handful parsley chopped, reserve 1 tbsp to garnish
- 1 lbs potatoes or yucca if avoiding potatoes or radish if keto
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour to thicken divided in half to thicken
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Coat the meat with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp arrowroot flour. Toss gently and set aside.
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Set Instant Pot on "Sauté" and insert the liner pot.
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When the screen displays "Hot", add avocado oil.
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Brown the meat in small portions, not crowding the surface of the pot.
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When all sides are browned, take them out, and add a new batch.
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Repeat this until all the meat are browned. This shouldn't take more than 15 minutes.
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Add more avocado oil and sauté onions.
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When they are translucent, add garlic.
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Add tomato paste, wine, broth and herbs and simmer for about 5 minutes while scraping the bottom and sides.
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Then, add the meat and stir well together.
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Set the Instant Pot on "MEAT" (on HIGH Pressure) for 20 minutes.
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When the timer goes off, cover the vent with a towel, and release the pressure manually (QR), watching for sputtering liquid. There shouldn't be any but just be careful.
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When the vent opens, add the vegetables and mix well.
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Press MANUAL (on HIGH Pressure) and set the timer for 10 minutes.
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When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally. (NPR)
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When the pressure is completely released, open the lid carefully.
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Take out about a cup of the liquid/broth/sauce from the pot and add 1 cup of cold water.
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Add arrowroot flour to the liquid and whisk vigorously.
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Add the slurry to the pot stir well, and simmer until it thickens.
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Serve immediately.