Instant Pot Mediterranean Beef

Instant Pot Mediterranean Beef is a tender and flavorful beef recipe made with chuck shoulder roast in a delicious balsamic wine sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Beef, Mediterranean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 320kcal

Author Amee

2 lb boneless beef chuck shoulder roast trimmed of any fat
3 tbsp all purpose flour can use gluten-free AP flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
1 large onion finely chopped
4 shallots sliced (medium-size)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
½ cup beef broth
¼ cup red wine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir works well here *if you don’t have wine, just use more beef broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar *IGP Balsamic (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) recommended, not a thick aged balsamic
½ cup chopped pitted Medjool dates
*optional: parsley or fresh oregano for garnish

Whisk together flour, salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
Chop roast (slicing against the grain) into 2" size cubes.
Place roast cubes inside a plastic bag and add the flour mixture.
Seal the bag and shake to coat the meat.
Turn the Instant Pot on to "Sauté" mode and add olive oil.
When the pot is hot, add beef mixture, onions, shallots and garlic
Sauté for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add a splash of broth to deglaze the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any remaining bits on the bottom.
Then add the broth, wine, and balsamic vinegar, and gently stir well to mix. Make sure that no residue is left on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the dates on top.
Put the lid on top and lock it to seal.
Press "Cancel" to stop sauté, then press "Manual" and set the timer for 40 minutes on high-pressure setting.
When cooking time has finished, use the "Natural Release" and allow the pressure to release on its own (takes about 15 minutes).
Give it a good stir to mix and serve over cauliflower rice, mashed potatoes, couscous, or rice.

To thicken the sauce, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a bit of cold water and stir it into the sauce after cooking. Use the “Sauté” function to simmer until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. I have used aged balsamic in this recipe, and it's delicious here, but it can make the sauce too thick for newer Instant Pot models.
Avoid the dreaded 'Burn' error. The “Burn” warning on your Instant Pot is a safety feature to prevent overheating. After troubleshooting the burn warning notice for a few of my readers (I've never had this problem with my model), I found that newer Instant Pot models seem to be more sensitive to triggering it, as there have been some changes in both the insert material and wattage. This recipe was tested and made MANY times with the Instant Pot Duo 80 (8-quart) model purchased in 2017. This model is 1200 watts, and some of the newer models are 1500 watts. Readers have reported that the newer inserts are more susceptible to a 'burn' error if they aren't completely deglazed and free of residue on the bottom. If you own a newer Instant Pot model, you may want to do the sauté step in a separate skillet, or you may need more liquid for your model, so you can try adding an extra 1/4-1/2 cup of liquid.