she’s a beaut. [instant pot beef brisket w. cheesy grits]
I’ve been using my Instant Pot a lot more lately, but never thought to use it for beef brisket until now – and holy moly, am I glad I did. The beef was insanely flavorful, juicy, fall apart tender, and only took about an hour and a half to cook. I did have a bit of an advantage with this recipe though, since I used United Harvest‘s beef brisket. As I’ve mentioned before, United Harvest’s meat is out-of-this-world delicious, free of hormones, feed additives, and unnecessary antibiotics. If you want to give their brisket a try, you can purchase it here, using discount code SWEET for 5% off your order. The meat is packed at the source, flash frozen to lock in freshness, then delivered straight to your door within 72 hours. It’s such an easy process and SO worth it for the quality!
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (3 - 3½ lb.) United Harvest beef brisket
- 2½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup beef broth
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ¾ tsp. garlic powder
- Fresh parsley, for garnish, if desired
- Cheesy grits or mashed potatoes, for serving
- Thinly slice 1 large onion.
- Trim off the surface fat from the beef brisket if the fat is more than ¼-inch thick. Cut the brisket in half if needed to fit in a 6-quart Instant Pot. Season the brisket all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pressure cooker with the highest sauté function until shimmering. Add the brisket (sear in 2 batches if needed) and sear undisturbed until browned on the bottom, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the brisket and brown on the other side, 5 to 6 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate.
- Add the onion and remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the pressure cooker and sauté until the onions are tender, scraping brown bits from the bottom of the pot, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in ⅓ cup beef broth, ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, ⅓ cup ketchup, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, and ¾ teaspoon garlic powder. Return the brisket to the pot, overlapping the pieces if needed.
- Lock the lid on and check that the valve is set to seal. Set to cook for 70 minutes under high pressure.
- When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release, 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully open the pressure cooker and transfer the brisket to a cutting board.
- Slice the brisket across the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Serve the brisket with the onions and gravy over cheesy grits or mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
