You might have noticed I haven’t posted an Instant Pot recipe for a while. I was in Georgia, visiting over the holidays, and no Instant Pot. Honestly, I went through withdrawal! But when I got back, and met a friend at Panera, I knew exactly what I wanted to make next! A 30 Minute Total Time Instant Pot Roast Medium Rare. So I could copycat those famous Panera Steak & White Cheddar Panini.

Copycat Panera White Cheddar & Steak Paninis, made from 30 minute Instant Pot Roast Beef

Or so I could make a few other things! This was the same friend I cooked with when we made the Roasted Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts and the Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Quiche. The best thing we did that day was recreated Panera’s Steak & White Cheddar Panini. And then later in the week, I made French Dips (a childhood fave! Recipe is is included in the Instant Pot Pot Roast, below) and they were pretty awesome, too.

About 30 Minute Total Time Instant Pot Roast:

First, before we could make either sandwich, we needed the beef! Let’s talk about the 30 Minute Total Time Instant Pot Roast. It’s like the “Mother” and the Panini & French Dip the “child” recipes. (There are lots of other ways to refashion your Leftover Beef, too.) Leftover Roast is like the gift that keeps on giving, if you know how to use it and work with it. If you’re interested, make sure you click that link!

Rump Roast was on sale, two for one, so it was an obvious no-brainer. The Rump usually isn’t my first choice in a roast. It’s a little dense, it’s lean, and if it’s not perfectly cooked and on the rare side, it can be dry, tough & chewy. On the plus side: the price was great and cooked just right, it can be fantastic. And as you can see, the Instant Pot cooks up 30 Minute Total Time Instant Pot Roast just right.

I keep emphasizing the 30-minute total time because the Instant Pot needs to heat up and get to pressure and then when it’s finished cooking, it takes more time to cool down. So a lot of Instant Pot recipes use the actual “cook time” as the amount of time a recipe takes tp make, which can be really deceiving. The timing in my recipe takes into account the heat up, cook time and cool down (amount of time to cool so pressure can be released) time all in that 30 minutes. It’s a little miracle!

French Dip Sandwiches from 30 minute Instant Pot Roast Beef

Cooking 30 Minute Total Time Instant Pot Roast:

There is no peeking with the Instant Pot, so it helps to have a little flexibility in your expectations. There’s a range of doneness, but if rare isn’t your thing, slice and immerse those slices in the au jus to gently cook a minute or two longer in the residual heat. That will keep it tender.

When pressure cooking, the timing isn’t just about weight, it’s also about shape. Thicker roasts will be less rare than smaller ones, in the same amount of time. It’s really counter-intuitive. This timing and method for Instant Pot Roast will work for a wide range of roasts, though I haven’t made one that was over about 4 1/2″ inches thick.

Since these roasts were about 6 pounds, I divided the one I used into two. You’ll generally want to count on about 6 ounces per person, and a little less when refashioning into something like sandwiches. Two &  half pounds = 40 ounces. Divided by 6 ounces per person, it’s 6 1/2 servings. That’s enough for a meal and a few leftovers. And leftovers let you “cost average” the price of this beef over two meals. That’s economizing for the win!

30 minute Instant Pot Roast, medium rare

Saving Money:

Let’s talk first about the on sale Rump roast I used. The Rump Roast is a cut from the Bottom Round, found on the rear leg of the cow. That’s a pretty big muscle. You have basically three options for cooking:

• Braise it, like this Slow Cooker Barbacoa, in a slow or pressure cooker or in the oven until it is literally falling apart.
• Slice it and pound the heck out of it, like I do for several recipes for other parts of the Round. (See my Beef menu.)
• Sear it, roast it (or in this case, pressure cook it) until it’s just medium rare. You can go rarer, but going to the point of medium or over is going to give you dry, tasteless beef. Sharpen up those knives and slice thinly against the grain.

As you can see, The Instant Pot came to the rescue, turning out a gorgeous, medium rare roast. In minutes. And along with that beef came a flavorful, onion-y au jus for dipping and caramelized onions to lay on top of the French Dips. I was very happy with the way my Instant Pot turned that cheap cut into something gorgeous: my Instant Pot Roast Beef.

30 minute Instant Pot Roast, medium rare (mostly)

30 Minute (total time) Instant Pot Roast Medium Rare

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: varies
• Category: Main Dish Beef
• Method: Instant Pot

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

I apologize that I call this a 30 minute roast, because I realized after the post was all done and set that you need a few additional minutes to saute & bring up to pressure. So it’s more like a 38 minute roast!

• 1 small rump roast, 2 1/2 pounds
• Montreal Steak Seasoning or another seasoning blend of choice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 1 cup strong beef broth, au jus or Consommé, divided; reserve the rest of the can for serving (see note)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Rub roast with Montreal Steak seasoning, as little or as much as you’d like.

Add oil to Instant Pot and turn to Saute, High. When hot, add roast and brown on all sides. Remove roast, add broth and scrape any bits off the bottom. Add onions in a pile, do not stir. Add the roast on top, centering it in the middle, right on top of the onions.

Cancel out the Saute function, add lid, seal and turn Instant Pot on to High Pressure, using the Manual function, for 4 minutes. Do not choose (or else cancel out) the Keep Warm function.

When the four minutes of pressure cooking time is up, leave the roast in the pot, and set a timer for 20 minutes. (Most IP’s will not “count up” as they usually do because the keep warm function is not selected, so you will need to manually time.) If there is any remaining pressure after the 20 minutes is up, do a quick release. (Remove the roast immediately when that 20 minute time is up; do not let it sit any longer in the IP.)

Rest for several minutes and carve. If the roast is rarer than you’d like, add the slices back into the hot au jus to gently cook to the desired doneness. Turn the instant pot back on to Saute and choose Low if the au jus needs to be heated.

Serve with au jus. If more au jus is desired, add the remainder of the broth from the can.

Note: I love scratch cooking but there’s no shame in adding what’s needed to get an intense flavor for the au jus. I like to add a little Johnny’s French Dip au Jus. Just a touch, by taste. Any remainder can be divided into ice-cube trays and frozen for the next roast.

French Dip Sandwiches:

• 4 small French Baguettes or 1 large baguette cut into four portions, wrapped in foil and warmed in 300-degree F. oven for about 10 minutes if desired
• 10 to 12 ounces thinly sliced roast beef, above (basically as much or as little as you’d like)
• Cheese, if desired, one to two slices per sandwich, Provolone is great
• Au Jus from roast

If more au jus is desired, add extra broth to the onions and sauce in the instant pot.

Dip roast beef into warm au jus in Instant Pot. If you’d like your Roast Beef cooked a little more, leave in the au jus until the desired doneness. Lay on sliced French Baguette. Add cheese on top of hot beef if desired. Add onions from the au jus on top of the beef.

Divide au jus among 4 bowls and serve with sandwiches.

Keywords: au jus, Beef, Beef Stock, Canned Soup, Instant Pot, Johnnys French Dip Au Jus, Montreal Steak Seasoning, roast beef, rump roast

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I’ll be linking up this week at Fiesta Friday 208. Be sure to stop by and see all the posts. 🙂