Tender Instant Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil (27 g)
• 2 lb beef chuck, cubed (907 g)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp pepper (7 g)
• 1 onion, chopped (200 g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (9 g)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (32 g)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire (17 g)
• 3 cups beef broth (720 g)
• 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika (2 g)
• 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (680 g)
• 4 carrots, chunks (300 g)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch (16 g)
• 2 tbsp cold water (30 g)

Instructions

1. Season beef. Pat beef dry with paper towels. Toss it with salt and pepper. Select Sauté on the Instant Pot and heat olive oil until it shimmers. Keep the inner pot centered in the cooker base throughout cooking.
2. Brown beef. Add half the beef in a loose single layer. Brown about three minutes per side, then transfer it to a bowl. Brown the remaining beef the same way. Leave space between pieces; a crowded pot creates liquid rather than browning.
3. Deglaze pot. Turn off Sauté. Add onion, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and paprika. Stir one minute. Pour in broth, scraping all browned bits from the pot bottom with a wooden spoon until the surface feels clean.
4. Add vegetables. Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Add potatoes and carrots, gently pressing them into the broth. Keep ingredients below the maximum fill line. Lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to Sealing.
5. Cook stew. Cook on High Pressure for thirty five minutes. When the cycle ends, let pressure release naturally for fifteen minutes. Release remaining pressure, then carefully remove the lid. Check that the beef yields easily when pressed with a fork.
6. Thicken gravy. Select Sauté. Whisk cornstarch and cold water in the bowl until smooth. Stir slurry into the stew and simmer one to two minutes, stirring gently, until gravy thickens. Turn off the cooker, season to taste, and serve warm.

Notes

• Use chuck labeled stew meat, or cut a chuck roast into even pieces. Lean round can stay firmer under pressure, even with correct timing.
• Include the fifteen-minute natural release: it lets the beef settle and keeps hot broth from bubbling hard when you open the lid.
• Refrigerate leftovers within two hours for 3 to 4 days; reheat with a splash of broth if the gravy tightens.