Introduction
Pot roast has always been one of those meals that feels like a memory the moment it hits the table. It was even one of the entrées at my first wedding—comfort food dressed up in chiffon and hope. And now that I’ve reclaimed my kitchen (after years of being told my cooking was “oversalted and underseasoned”—the audacity), I’ve been rediscovering how much I love making meals with my own hands again.
Especially with my Instant Pot, which is, frankly, one of my favorite cauldrons.
Dump, stir, whisper a blessing to the culinary gods…done.
I’ve used the Walmart kits before, but the meat always tasted off, like it had been lightly cursed. So this time, I bought everything separately—real vegetables, real seasonings, and a gorgeous chuck roast. I pulled it from the freezer a full day early, tucked it into the fridge like a responsible adult…and it was still frozen solid 24 hours later. 🙃
So, normally, I slow-cook pot roast for 8–9 hours on low or 4–5 on high, but it’s not recommended to slow cook frozen or partially frozen chuck roast. So I did the next best thing: thawed it in cold water for 30–40 minutes until pliable, flipping it occasionally like I was giving it CPR, and then pressure-cooked it to perfection.
Ingredients
- 2–3 lb beef chuck roast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4–5 garlic cloves, smashed (plus “jarlic”—I don’t measure, I just listen to my ancestors)
- 4–5 carrots, chopped
- 4–5 baby potatoes (or halved large ones)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- Seasoning blend: onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary (all eyeballed like the kitchen witch I am)
Instructions
1. Thaw (ish) your roast.
Submerge the frozen chuck roast in cold water for 30–40 minutes, changing the water once. It doesn’t need to be fully thawed—just soft enough to season, sear, and not fight you.
2. Sear the meat.
Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Add olive oil.
Salt + pepper the roast generously, then sear each side for 2–3 minutes until browned. (This is where the magic begins.)
3. Build the potion base.
Add onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes around the roast.
Pour in beef broth + Worcestershire.
Sprinkle your seasoning blend over the top—onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, and whatever your intuition tells you in the moment.
Do not stir. Let the flavors stack themselves like a spell that knows exactly what it’s doing.
4. Pressure cook.
Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 60–70 minutes depending on roast size. Allow 15–20 minutes natural release before venting the rest.
5. Optional finishing spell
Remove the roast and veggies. Whisk 1–2 tbsp cornstarch into the pot liquid on Sauté mode to thicken into gravy.
Results
This version? Absolutely superior. Buying the ingredients separately made a world of difference—the meat was tender, buttery, and tasted like it had an actual childhood. The broth soaked into the vegetables, the gravy thickened perfectly, and the whole kitchen smelled like something warm and familiar had come home again.
And maybe that’s the point.
Now that I have my space back—my counters, my tools, my freedom to season without commentary—I’m remembering that cooking isn’t just survival. It’s ritual. It’s reclaiming.
And this pot roast?
It was the first real spell of the season.
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