Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much liquid do you need for Instant Pot beef? ›

Don't Skip the Extra Liquid.

I recommend adding 1/2 cup of liquid (water or low-sodium beef broth) to the Instant Pot for a roast. Typically you need at least 1 cup of liquid in the Instant Pot; the remaining 1/2 cup comes from the juices released by the chuck roast and the tomato sauce.

The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender. Put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes.

It's also nice and thick, so you don't have to add a ton of cornstarch to thicken your sauce in the pan. Add a little sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, beef broth, sugar, cornstarch, and ground black pepper & you've got a lip-smackingly perfect stir fry sauce.

Best Cuts for Your Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot

You can cook any cut in a multi-cooker, but we recommend those from the chuck and round. These beef cuts typically take hours to prepare using braising and roasting methods.

It's necessary for steam to build up, ultimately creating a high-pressure environment used for faster cooking. Without sufficient liquid, pressure won't build — and you'll likely get the dreaded “burn” error.

Pressure cookers cook with steam. No liquid = no steam. You can't and shouldn't use your pressure cooker unless you've added sufficient liquid. Instructions will let you know the minimum amount and some even tell you how much to use for different items.

Pour in at least two cups of water; use 1 to 2 cups more if the beef is a tough cut or to reach the minimum amount recommended by the pressure cooker's manufacturer. Seal the lid and bring the cooker up to full pressure over high heat.

Taste: For overall taste, the pressure cooker was the hands-down winner. Beef, carrots, and potatoes all retained their rich flavors.

When pressure cooked for the right amount of time the meat comes out just as fall-apart tender as if slow cooked, but in a fraction of the time. I usually cut the uncooked roast into equal size pieces no bigger than my hand, do a dry rub, sear each side 2-3 min, and then pressure cook on high.

Mix together the sauce ingredients and put to one side. The sauce is a combination of beef stock, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine (you can swap for sherry if you haven't got rice wine), sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and black pepper.

What is beef and broccoli sauce made of? ›

Each restaurant has its secrets but I make a fair amount of Chinese food and recipes for broccoli beef sauce are basically oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and perhaps a splash of rice wine. Since this is a deep flavored savory dish I think perhaps a bit of mushroom soy sauce is used.

Depending on what you are using the beef broth for you can substitute a well made vegetable broth or chicken broth. Of course, it will change the flavor profile a bit but it is a much better solution to using cubes or powders which are sodium bombs.

While you may cover meat almost completely for a conventional braise, use just enough liquid for the cooker to reach pressure – during pressure cooking the meat will release it's own juice and braise in that flavorful liquid, instead.

To prevent a chewy beef steak, you need to avoid using too much high-pressure heat. Of course, start with pressure cooking your roast (that's why you're using the Instant Pot anyway), but keep that high-pressured phase to a few minutes only.

Follow this tip: While at least 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid is essential to well-cooked food in the pressure cooker, too much liquid will pull the flavor out of foods.

Beef. It takes approximately 1,847 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef — that's enough water to fill 39 bathtubs all the way to the top.

How much liquid do I add? Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

If your slow cooker is 3/4 full, no extra liquid is required. However, if you're cooking a smaller amount of food, add 1-2cm of liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker bowl to ensure there's enough liquid for cooking. Don't add too much liquid, because as the food cooks, it produces its own liquid.