How Long to Cook a Beef Roast in a Pressure Cooker for Perfectly Tender Meat

Cooking a beef roast in a pressure cooker is a great way to get incredibly tender fall-apart meat in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional oven or slow cooker methods. With the high heat and pressure environment inside an instant pot or other electric pressure cooker collagen breaks down faster, resulting in meat that is super moist and easy to shred.

So how long should you cook a beef roast in the pressure cooker to achieve these amazing results? Here are the timing guidelines, along with tips for choosing the right cut of meat and adapting recipes based on the size of your roast.

Choosing the Right Cut of Beef

For tender, flavorful results, choose a well-marbled chuck, rump or bottom round roast when pressure cooking. Cuts like these have excellent fat marbling, which keeps the meat moist and infuses it with beefy flavor.

Cuts to avoid are leaner roasts like eye of round or top round They will likely end up dry and chewy in the pressure cooker Also steer clear of roasts with a bone, which can make it difficult to achieve an even cook.

Cook Time Per Pound

The most reliable method for determining cook time is calculating based on the weight of your roast. The general rule of thumb is to cook a beef roast for 20-25 minutes per pound on high pressure in an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot.

So for example, a 3 pound chuck roast would cook for 60-75 minutes. A 4 pound rump roast would need 80-100 minutes.

Always use natural pressure release, rather than quick release, when cooking meat to prevent it from becoming tough. After cooking, check for doneness by piercing the thickest part of the roast with a fork or knife tip It should slide in easily with little resistance.

Adjusting Recipe Times Based on Size

Many pressure cooker beef roast recipes provide just a single cook time, such as 75 minutes. But you’ll need to adjust this time up or down based on the size of your particular roast.

As a general guideline, if your roast weighs 1 pound more or less than the recipe, add or subtract 15-20 minutes from the cook time. For a 2 pound difference in size, adjust by 30-40 minutes.

So if a recipe calls for a 4 pound roast to cook for 75 minutes, and yours is only 3 pounds, reduce the time to 60 minutes. For a 5 pound roast, increase it to 90 minutes.

Doneness Temperature Guidelines

For an additional test of doneness, especially for larger roasts, you can check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer.

• Rare: 120-125°F
• Medium Rare: 130-135°F
• Medium: 140-145°F
• Medium Well: 150-155°F
• Well Done: 160°F and above

Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the roast, avoiding any bones. The temperature will rise around 5-10 degrees during the natural pressure release time.

Sample Cook Times

To give you an idea of realistic cook times, here are guidelines for common roast sizes:

• 2 pound roast: 40-50 minutes
• 3 pound roast: 60-75 minutes
• 4 pound roast: 80-100 minutes
• 5 pound roast: 100-125 minutes
• 6 pound roast: 120-150 minutes

Always allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes after cooking, and up to 30 minutes for very large roasts.

Tips for the Best Results

Follow these tips for fork-tender, fall-apart roast beef cooked to perfection in the pressure cooker:

• Choose a well-marbled chuck, rump or bottom round roast for the best texture.
• Calculate 20-25 minutes per pound cook time based on the weight.
• Allow the pressure to release naturally after cooking.
• Use a meat thermometer to confirm doneness if unsure.
• Adjust recipe cook times up or down based on size differences.
• Let the cooked roast rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing or shredding.

With the simple guidelines provided above for calculating times based on size, you can adapt any pressure cooker beef roast recipe to your particular cut of meat. In around an hour or less, you’ll have incredibly tender, delicious results the whole family will love.