Why We Love This Instant Pot Italian Beef Recipe
Slow cooked beef, so tender it pulls into shred and melts in your mouth, is one of life’s true pleasures. Although there are all sorts of ways to season and prepare beef like this, Classic Italian Beef is a personal favorite. It offers a deep meaty flavor, laced with herbs and tangy pepperoncini peppers. The best, most shreddable beef needs to either be cooked in a pressure cooker or cooked low and slow for many hours. I chose to use the Instant Pot here so that I can get dinner on the table in no time! The tangy sauce with pepperoncinis perfectly balances the savory beef. You can enjoy this Instant Pot Italian beef on its own as a low carb option, or pile it high on sub rolls and cover it with provolone cheese!
What Kind of Meat Do You Use for Italian Beef?
Although any sort of beef roast could be used, I find you get the most flavor and the best texture from a chuck roast. Cooked under high pressure, the chuck roast turns out super tender and shreds easily! However, if you happen to have another type of beef roast in the freezer, go for it! In the original Italian Beef recipe, the beef was shaved into thin slivers. Yet most home cooks do not own a commercial meat slicer. Therefore we’ve changed the recipe to a shredded beef variation. It offers the same flavors and appeal, with less equipment or time involved.
Ingredients for Italian Beef
Beef Chuck Roast – Perfectly marbled with fat for the best shredded beef. Butter – Start the onions and garlic off in butter to release their flavors. Red Onion – Sliced, not chopped. Garlic – The more the merrier! Pepperoncini – Use mild or hot peppers, making sure to reserve some juices from the jar for the recipe. Worcestershire Sauce – To accentuate the deep beefy flavor. Beef Broth – Used instead of wine for a low carb paleo version. Sugar – Just a small amount of brown sugar (or palm sugar) balances the tangy ingredients. Italian Seasoning – This dried Italian herb blend puts the I in Italian, featuring oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. Crushed Red Pepper – For a flavor kick!
How to Make Instant Pot Italian Beef
Set the Instant Pot on Sauté. Add the butter, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften the onions.
Meanwhile, cut the beef chuck into 4 large chunks. Once the onions are soft, place the beef down in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the pepperoncinis, pepper juice, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, sugar, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Lock the lid into place. Then set the Instant Pot on the Meat setting, or Pressure Cook High for 50 minutes. Once the timer goes off, turn off the pressure cooker. Perform a Quick Release. Once the steam valve drops, it’s safe to open the lid. Use tongs or forks to shred the beef into the juices. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve as is for a low carb meal, or serve on sub rolls with provolone cheese and enjoy!
Can I Cook Italian Beef in the Slow Cooker?
If you prefer using a slow cooker, so you can set-and-forget your beef roast all day, go for it! Simply add all the ingredients to the crock pot and cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 5-6 hours on high! But for those who don’t usually think about dinner until they are driving home in the evening, the Instant Pot method is the answer to perfectly tender beef and peppers. In my original slow cooker beef recipe, I add wine to the cooking broth to deepen the flavor. You can make Chicago-style Italian Beef in the oven as well. However, if you want to make it in the least amount of time, a pressure cooker is the best option. However, here we are trying to keep the recipe low carb, so feel free to skip the wine… And for very low carb (keto) skip the sugar as well.
See Our (Printable) Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Serve Italian Beef With…
For quick Instant Pot Italian beef sandwiches, pile the beef on sub rolls. Lay a slice of provolone cheese (or mozzarella cheese) over the top. Set it under the broiler for 1-3 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with a side of the “au jus” cooking liquid for dipping. Be sure to serve your Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches with all the best sides, too! For traditional Italian sides, go with:
Giardiniera Pickled Vegetables Best Italian Pasta Salad Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers Minestrone Soup
For low carb options try:
Keto Cloud Bread Low Carb Magic Mug Bread Cauliflower Rice Lemon Butter Roasted Asparagus The Best Sautéed Mushrooms
Other Great Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto Recipe Homemade Instant Pot Applesauce Recipe Instant Pot Perfect Carnitas Recipe Instant Pot Green Chicken Curry Recipe Instant Pot Italian Chicken Orzo Recipe Best Instant Pot Baked Beans Recipe Instant Pot Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Instant Pot Butter Chicken Curry Recipe Instant Pot Chinese Sesame Chicken Recipe Easy Swedish Meatballs Recipe (Crockpot & Instant Pot)
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