Instant Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

• 2 ¾ lb (1.2 kg) beef chuck (stewing beef), cut into 4 cm chunks (about 2.5 lb)
• 2 tbsp beef dripping or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 ⅛ cups (500 ml) beef stock (about 2 cups)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ lb (700 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• ¾ lb (350 g) carrots, peeled and cut into thick coins
• 3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 ⅛ cups (150 g) frozen peas (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Brown. Pat the beef dry and season it well with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to Saute and heat 1 tablespoon of the dripping until shimmering. Brown the beef in three batches, 3 to 4 minutes a batch, turning once for a proper dark crust. Do not crowd the pot. Set the browned beef aside on a plate with its juices.
2. Deglaze. Add the last tablespoon of dripping and soften the onion for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Pour in the 500 ml beef stock and scrape the base hard with a wooden spoon until not one browned bit remains stuck. This is not optional — stuck-on bits are what trigger the burn error, and they are flavor besides.
3. Load. Return the beef and every drop of its juices to the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves and give it one stir. Sit the potatoes and carrots on top of the meat and leave them there — do not stir them in. Keeping them off the base keeps them in proper pieces.
4. Pressure cook. Lock the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Pressure Cook on High for 35 minutes; the pot takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure first. When it beeps, leave it alone for a 10 minute natural release — rushing the valve now seizes the beef — then release the remaining steam.
5. Thicken. Fish out the bay leaves and set the pot back to Saute. Give the cornstarch slurry a fresh stir and pour it into the bubbling stew, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the gravy turns glossy and coats a spoon. Stir in the peas, if using, for a final 2 minutes.
6. Serve. Press Cancel, taste, and season with salt and pepper. The beef should fall apart at the nudge of a fork — if a piece resists, it wanted its full time, not less. Let the stew sit 5 minutes so the gravy settles, then ladle into deep bowls with bread for mopping.