Taking advantage of the way pressure can (sort of) marinate meat as it cooks, here’s a way to prepare a tasty replica of more traditional sauerbraten just about any weekend evening. Beef bottom round gives the dish some richness (top round would be too dry) without becoming too oily (as, say, chuck would). Use good-quality, very flavorful red wine, the sort you’re apt to finish the evening you make this meal.
Categories: FAST/SLOW / NATURAL RELEASE / GLUTEN-FREE
Note: You must halve the recipe for a 3-quart cooker.
— Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Excerpted from The Instant Pot Bible by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, © 2018 Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Published by Little, Brown and Company | Hachette Book Group.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable, corn, or canola oil
- 2-1/2 pounds beef bottom round roast
- 1/2 teaspoon tables salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion chopped (1-1/2 cups)
- 2 medium carrots chopped (1 cup)
- 2 medium garlic cloves peeled and minced (2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 cup dry but fruit-forward red wine, such as Zinfandel
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Press the button for SAUTÉ. Set it for MEDIUM, NORMAL, or CUSTOM 300°F. Set the time for 20 minutes. If necessary, press START.
- Melt the butter in the oil in a 6- or 8-quart cooker. Season the beef with the salt and pepper, get it in the pot, and brown it well, turning a couple of times, about 10 minutes. Transfer the beef to a nearby cutting board.
- Add the onion and carrot; cook, stirring often, until the onion just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic, just a few seconds. Pour in the wine and scrape up any browned bits on the pot’s bottom.
- Turn off the SAUTÉ function. Stir in the broth, vinegar, sugar, caraway seeds, allspice, and bay leaves. Return the meat and any juices to the pot, nestling the meat into the sauce. Lock the lid onto the pot.
- If you’ve used a pressure setting, when the machine has finished cooking, turn it off and let its pressure return to normal naturally, about 40 minutes.
- Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Using a large, metal spatula and a big cooking spoon (mostly for balance), transfer the meat to a clean cutting board. Find and discard the bay leaves.
- Press the button for SAUTÉ. Set it for MEDIUM, NORMAL, or CUSTOM 300°F. Set the time for 5 minutes. If necessary, press START.
- When the sauce comes to a simmer, stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the SAUTÉ function, then remove the hot insert from the machine to stop the cooking. Slice the meat against the grain into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices. Serve in bowls with lots of the sauce.
Suggestions:
• This version is not very sweet. Increase the sugar to 1 tablespoon, if desired.
• Serve the meat and sauce over buttery noodles.
