Equipment
Ingredients
Meat and Aromatics
- 30 ml olive oil
- 800 g beef chuck roast, cut into 4cm cubes
- 200 g yellow onion, chopped
- 15 g garlic, minced
Vegetables
- 400 g yukon gold potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 250 g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
Broth and Seasoning
- 500 ml beef broth
- 30 g tomato paste
- 15 ml worcestershire sauce
- 15 ml soy sauce
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Finish
- 15 g cornstarch
- 15 ml water, cold
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 789 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbohydrates
- 101 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fiber
- 9 g
- Sugar
- 10 g
- Sodium
- 1482 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 134 mg
- Potassium
- 2163 mg
- Calcium
- 160 mg
- Iron
- 7.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 132 mg
- Phosphorus
- 646 mg
- Zinc
- 17.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 542 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 18 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 58 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 5.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.43 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.47 mg
- Niacin
- 14.5 mg
- Folate
- 60 mcg
- Water
- 392 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Set the electric pressure cooker to sauté mode. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the cubed beef chuck roast in a single layer and sear until deeply browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.
Add the chopped yellow onion and minced garlic to the beef. Sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until it darkens in color, coating the meat and onions.
Pour in the beef broth. Use a wooden spoon to firmly scrape the bottom of the pot, releasing all the browned bits (fond) to prevent burn errors. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, potatoes, and carrots.
Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and ensure the valve is set to sealing. Cook on high pressure (which reaches about 116°C to 120°C or 240°F to 250°F) for 35 minutes.
Once the cooking cycle completes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to quick-release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid once the pin drops.
Turn the pressure cooker back to sauté mode. In a small bowl, whisk the cold water and cornstarch together to form a smooth slurry. Slowly stir the slurry into the bubbling stew. Let it simmer for 3 minutes until the liquid visibly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the freshly chopped parsley right before serving to preserve its bright color and fresh flavor. Ensure the internal temperature of the beef has reached at least 74°C/165°F, though it will likely be much higher for maximum tenderness.
Chef's Notes
- Using a combination of tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of soy sauce builds an incredibly complex umami profile that mimics hours of slow cooking.
- Do not skip the searing phase. The Maillard reaction created by browning the beef provides the foundational flavor of the stew's broth.
- If planning to freeze the leftovers, consider undercooking the potatoes slightly or adding them after thawing, as frozen potatoes can take on a grainy texture.
- For maximum tenderness, ensure you slice your chuck roast against the grain before portioning it into cubes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Flavors continue to develop, making this excellent for leftovers.
Freezer: 3 months — Potatoes may change texture slightly upon freezing and thawing.
Reheating: Gently simmer on stovetop until heated through, or microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring in between.
Troubleshooting
Pressure cooker displays a burn warning
Cause: Browned bits (fond) were stuck to the bottom of the insert prior to pressurizing
Fix: Quick release pressure, transfer contents to a bowl, scrub the pot clean, return contents with an additional 60ml of water, and restart
Prevention: Thoroughly deglaze the pot with broth and scrape firmly with a wooden spoon before sealing
Stew broth is too watery
Cause: Moisture from vegetables released without enough evaporation
Fix: Simmer on sauté mode for an additional 5-10 minutes, or mix in an extra 5g of cornstarch mixed with cold water
Prevention: Ensure correct liquid-to-solid ratio before pressure cooking
Potatoes dissolved into the stew
Cause: Potatoes were cut too small for the long cooking time
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the dissolved potatoes will act as a natural thickener
Prevention: Cut delicate vegetables like potatoes into chunks no smaller than 3-4cm
Cultural Context
Beef stew is a quintessential cold-weather comfort food found across countless cultures, traditionally requiring hours of low, slow simmering to tenderize tough cuts of meat. The advent of the modern electric pressure cooker has revolutionized this classic, utilizing high pressure and trapped steam to achieve the same deeply rich flavors and fork-tender textures in a fraction of the historical cooking time.
