This recipe for Instant Pot brisket is comfort food at its best. No fancy ingredients or complicated instructions—just simple, perfectly cooked meat and potatoes.
Before you ask, potatoes are considered Primal (although they are too high in carbs to fit well into a keto diet). In this recipe, you pressure cook the potatoes and then cool them in the refrigerator while the brisket cooks. Cooling the potatoes increases the resistant starch, a special type of prebiotic fiber that can be beneficial for gut health.
If potatoes aren’t your thing, that’s fine. Brisket is tasty with any type of roasted root vegetables. Think rutabaga, parsnips, or radishes. Greens sautéed in oil and garlic, Warm Coconut and Pancetta Kale, or a nice spinach salad would also pair nicely. And of course, there’s always mashed cauliflower!
Consider making this recipe the day before you intend to eat it. Brisket improves in flavor and texture when it rests for a day. If the brisket isn’t as tender as you’d like, then 24 hours in the fridge and a slow reheat in the oven is often the answer.
Pressure Cooked Brisket with Potatoes Recipe
Servings: 8
Time in the kitchen: 1 hour hands-on, plus 2 hours of pressure cooking
Ingredients
24 ounces (680 g) Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (peeled or unpeeled)
3 to 4 pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kg) brisket, cut into 3 pieces (see Recipe Note)
Rub brisket with salt and smoked paprika, ideally 1 hour ahead of time. Set brisket out on the counter to come up to room temperature.
After the brisket is salted, cook the potatoes: Pour ¾ cup water into the inner pot of the electric pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot. Place a steamer basket in the pot and add the potatoes.
Set the pressure cooker for 5 minutes at high pressure (if using an Instant Pot, you can use the Manual setting with the valve in the sealed position). Once the 5 minutes are up, let the pressure release manually for 12 minutes, then release the valve. Transfer the potatoes to the refrigerator to cool.
Pour the water out of the pressure cooker. Rinse and dry the inner pot and return it to the pressure cooker.
Set the pressure cooker to sauté. Add the avocado oil. When hot, brown the brisket, working one or two pieces at a time, about 3 minutes per side. Add more oil or turn down heat as needed if the bottom of the pot begins to burn. Transfer brisket to a plate.
Add the onion and celery. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Add garlic. Sauté 1 minute more. Add carrots, bone broth, and thyme. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the brisket back to the pot.
Cover and cook on high pressure for 80 minutes (valve in sealed position). Let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes, then release.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board or plate. Let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing against the grain. Even better, let the brisket cool then refrigerate overnight. Before serving, slice the brisket and reheat it in the oven, covered with foil, at 300ºF/150ºC until heated through.
The flavorful liquid left in the pot is delicious spooned over the brisket. For a less fatty sauce, refrigerate the liquid then scrape off the fat on top before reheating and serving.
Recipe Note: Brisket with a nice layer of fat on top and some marbling throughout will be juicier, more flavorful, and less prone to drying out. Unfortunately, most brisket is sold with the fat completely trimmed off. You might have to special order a “second cut” brisket with more fat. Chuck roast can also be substituted for brisket in this recipe.
This recipe for brisket cooked in a pressure cooker is comfort food at its best. No fancy ingredients or complicated instructions—just simple, perfectly cooked meat and potatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
24 ounces (680 g) Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (peeled or unpeeled)
3 to 4 pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kg) brisket, cut into 3 pieces (see Recipe Note)
Rub brisket with salt and smoked paprika, ideally 1 hour ahead of time. Set brisket out on the counter to come up to room temperature.
After the brisket is salted, cook the potatoes: Pour ¾ cup water into the inner pot of the electric pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot. Place a steamer basket in the pot and add the potatoes. Set the pressure cooker for 5 minutes at high pressure (if using an Instant Pot, you can use the Manual setting with the valve in the sealed position). Once the 5 minutes are up, let the pressure release manually for 12 minutes, then release the valve. Transfer the potatoes to the refrigerator to cool.
Pour the water out of the pressure cooker. Rinse and dry the inner pot and return it to the pressure cooker.
Set the pressure cooker to sauté. Add the avocado oil. When hot, brown the brisket, working one or two pieces at a time, about 3 minutes per side. Add more oil or turn down heat as needed if the bottom of the pot begins to burn. Transfer brisket to a plate.
Add the onion and celery. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Add garlic. Sauté 1 minute more. Add carrots, bone broth, and thyme. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the brisket back to the pot.
Cover and cook on high pressure for 80 minutes (valve in sealed position). Let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes, then release.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board or plate. Let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing against the grain. Even better, let the brisket cool then refrigerate overnight. Before serving, slice the brisket and reheat it in the oven, covered with foil, at 300ºF/150ºC until heated through.
The flavorful liquid left in the pot is delicious spooned over the brisket. For a less fatty sauce, refrigerate the liquid then scrape off the fat on top before reheating and serving.
Notes
Brisket with a nice layer of fat on top and some marbling throughout will be juicier, more flavorful, and less prone to drying out. Unfortunately, most brisket is sold with the fat completely trimmed off. You might have to special order a “second cut” brisket with more fat. Chuck roast can also be substituted for brisket in this recipe.
Nutritional information calculated using Cronometer.
This recipe for Instant Pot brisket is comfort food at its best. No fancy ingredients or complicated instructions—just simple, perfectly cooked meat and potatoes.
