Tennessee Beef–easy, dump-and-go, shreddable chuck steak cooked in the Instant Pot or slow cooker with tomatoes and onions.
Tennessee Beef
This beef is fall-apart tender, with a mix of savory, tangy, and a little smoky-sweet. It’s just an easy dump-and-go recipe that cooks itself in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Get creative on how to serve it! You can pile it on mashed potatoes, scoop it into a bowl with rice, or even tuck it into a sandwich bun. (Recipe adapted from Tennessee BBQ beef casserole).
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Water
- Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- Chuck steak–or chuck roast (increase cooking time to 75 minutes for roast)
- Barbecue rub–I bought this in the bulk spices section at Winco. You can also make your own. Mix together 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch of cayenne (if desired) to make about 2 teaspoons of BBQ rub.
- Onion
- Stewed tomatoes–or diced
- Tomato paste
- Brown sugar
- Garlic cloves–or 1 tsp garlic powder
- Bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
Steps
(Watch my YOUTUBE video to see how to make this recipe) You’ll just pour water and bouillon into your Instant Pot, nestle in the chuck steaks, and sprinkle on the BBQ rub. Toss in the onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic, and bay leaf, then pressure cook for 45 minutes and let it rest for about 20. Once it’s done, shred the tender meat and serve it with all those juicy tomatoes and onions spooned over the top. Season to taste and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with mashed or baked potatoes, corn and green beans.
- Chuck steak works perfectly, but you could also use chuck roast. Increase cooking time to 75 minutes.
- If you want even more flavor, set the Instant Pot to sauté (or heat a skillet for the slow cooker version) and sear the chuck steak for 3–4 minutes per side until nicely browned before adding the other ingredients.
- To make a quick gravy, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth, then stir the slurry into the hot juices in the Instant Pot and simmer on sauté until thickened. Season with salt.
- This recipe can be gluten free. Just make sure bouillon and rub are gluten free.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with tomato paste are No Sneak Casserole and Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup.
- How I store leftover tomato paste.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Tennessee Beef
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes (plus natural pressure release)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Easy, dump-and-go, shreddable chuck steak cooked in the Instant Pot or slow cooker with tomatoes and onions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- 2–3 pounds chuck steak
- 2 tsp barbecue rub
- 1 medium onion, cut into thick slices
- 1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour water and bouillon into Instant Pot. Add in the chuck steaks. Sprinkle them with the bbq rub. Add in the onion, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic and bay leaf.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 45 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 20 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Move meat to a cutting board and shred up. Serve meat drizzled with juices, tomatoes and onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add all ingredients except salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Move meat to a cutting board and shred up. Serve meat drizzled with juices, tomatoes and onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
More Instant Pot recipes with beef…
Instant Pot Cupbop Korean Beef
Rice, cabbage and marinated Korean beef drizzled with sriracha mayo and Korean barbecue sauce. An Instant Pot take on Cupbop’s Korean beef bowl.
Marry Me Beef
Instant Pot recipe with ground beef, rice, fire roasted tomatoes, parmesan cheese and basil. An easy and fast meal.
Braveheart Beef
A hearty beef dinner with potatoes, carrots and herbs in a savory gravy with warm, fluffy biscuits. Made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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