You probably have heard that the Instant Pot is a huge time-saver in the kitchen, but it’s also extremely versatile and can cook your foods in a number of ways. Not only can it cook your food in an incredibly little amount of time, but there are several preset options on it, where you can cook certain items at the speed or set it to warm until you are ready to eat.
Cooking the beef in the instant pot takes so little time compared to the traditional method of cooking it on the stove or in the oven. Even the toughest cuts of meat can cook pretty easily. But it takes a little bit of getting used to when you’re adding beef to your dishes. Here are several tips while cooking beef in an instant pot.
Cooking Ground Beef
Saute
You’ll have 3 different ways to choose from while cooking ground beef. First off, you can use the saute setting and brown your beef in some oil, just like you would on the stove. This should take around 6 to 7 minutes per pound. This method works great if you plan on adding other ingredients to finish your recipe.
Steaming
The second is the steaming method. Pour one cup of water into the pot and place in your trivet. Next, place 1 to 2 pounds of your ground beef into the trivet and seal the Instant Pot. (Just leave your ground beef in the original patty shape you purchased it in). Have your heat set to high for 6 minutes, and release the seal. Your beef should be reading a temperature of at least 160 degrees. If it’s not, go ahead and cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes. Now you can break it up as you would like.
Making Chili or Spaghetti Sauce
Maybe you’re planning on making chile or spaghetti sauce with it? Go ahead and put all your ingredients in with your ground beef and cook them together. You don’t need to brown the beef ahead of time. It’s better to use ground beef with a lower fat percentage so it doesn’t add so much grease to your recipe.
Cooking Steak With Your Instant Pot
Attention all you steak fans! Believe it or not, an Instant Pot can even cook your favorite cut of steak in it, and it’s just as juicy and delicious as cooking it on the grill. Set your Instant Pot setting to saute.
Go ahead and add oil and whatever seasoning into the pot that you prefer. If a rare piece of steak is your thing, go ahead and sear each side of the steak for 3 minutes and then set it on a plate.
For a steak that’s more well done, add a cup of water to it and put the lid on the pot. Set the timer on the pot for 20 minutes per pound of meat. Next, release the pressure and remove the meat. If you want to use the liquid as a savoring sauce, go ahead and heat the pot back up to the saute setting.
Cooking Frozen Beef and other Meat
Yes, you heard that right! You can cook frozen steak and ground beef in the Instant Pot without thawing and it will come out just right. However, we recommend that you cut up your sirloin, beef tips, breast, roasts, pork tenderloin into smaller pieces before you freeze it, that way it fits easier and can cook quickly when you go to use it. The only thing different is that you’ll need to expect longer preheat and cook time.
Other Beef and Cooking Times
When it comes to beef, we recommend when you’re done that you use a slow-release versus opening the valve for a quick release. This keeps the meat from being tougher and less enjoyable. Check out these other types of beef and how to cook them in an Instant Pot.
- Ribs-25 to 30 minutes to cook (Wow, that’s amazing!)
- Pot Roasts 30 to 40 minutes
- Stew meats 15-20 minutes
What are some of your favorite dishes that call for beef that you’ re ready to try out in your Instant Pot? For those of you that have had your Instant Pot for a while now, what are some other helpful tips when preparing beef or other meats while using it?