Frozen Chuck Roast Instant Pot

Frozen chuck roast Instant Pot style comes out very tender and flavorful when done. Only 5 minutes to prepare this shredded beef. Instant Pot frozen roast is our most popular pressure cooker beef recipe ever, you’ll be surprised at how tender this turns out. Great inside tacos or over rice.

Instant Pot Frozen Chuck Roast

We buy half a cow at the beginning of each year. When we first started this I noticed we received several of this cut in the mix and had to figure out how to make them yummy. It isn’t the most desirable choice but we have found it to have TONS of flavor if made just right.

We already have a bunch of frozen meat in Instant Pot recipes which are great to have on hand when you need them. Everyone has busy lives and sometimes we just need help.

What kind of meat is a chuck roast?

This is from the shoulder and neck of the cow. This makes sense because it is fattier than most with some stringy tendon like material that will need to be discarded. Once it is fork tender at the end you’ll easily be able to cut out the bone pieces and tough sections before dicing and enjoying.

It doesn’t matter what brand of multi cooker you have. This was made in an IP but your Crockpot Express or make it as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe at home. They all work basically the same and have the pressure, high buttons that is all you’ll need to make this.

Ninja Foodi Frozen Chuck Roast

This is how ours look, wrapped in paper. Like I said, we buy from a local farmer so we know it is grass fed organic beef. If you buy yours at the store you may have stored it in a freezer bag. I would NOT freeze right in the package with plastic wrap over the top because it will get freezer burn and you won’t be able to remove the saran.

Here we will explain how to cook frozen meat just as you would if it had been defrosted first. It isn’t much more difficult.

Another question is “what if it doesn’t fit?” Not to worry. I have made this time and time again and sometimes my pieces are a bit too long. With a sharp knife it isn’t a big deal to slice the end off and put both pieces right inside.

Once you have it inside your pot you just sprinkle in all the seasonings you love and pour in the sauce. I will tell you that chuck roast has a strong beef flavor but beyond that is very bland. You will definitely want to salt and season it well in the pot and once it is served again to taste.

Ingredients Needed to Cook a Roast Frozen

1. About a 3 pound frozen roast that isn’t defrosted
2. Jar of salsa verde is best but beef broth could be an alternative, it just won’t add as much flavor. You can make your own homemade Qdoba salsa verde here beforehand too
3. Chili powder we like just for a bit of heat, red pepper flakes would be spicier
4. Minced garlic is a nice add in but optional of course
5. Salt and black pepper are basic seasonings
6. Garlic powder and onion powder can be a good add in too

Variations

You are going to need liquid to get this tender. For this there are several possibilities. When making pressure cooker shredded beef I like a lot of flavor. SO a bottle of salsa verde is my go to when making this, it’s great when using frozen chicken as well.

If you want to make tacos with these you will want small tortillas and I like some cheese and/or avocado slices on top.

Since this is starting out as rock solid meat it does take longer than if it were fresh. I found 90 minutes with a natural release works well for a 3 lb. piece.

Once all the pieces you don’t want to consume are removed and discarded it is easiest to use a sharp knife to chop it up into pieces. Then submerge back into that yummy sauce to soak up.

How to Cook Frozen Chuck Roast in a Pressure Cooker

• Place frozen chuck roast into pot.
  • If it won’t fit slice an end off with a sharp knife and put both pieces in. Sprinkle with all seasonings.
• Pour jar of salsa verde over the top. Seal lid closed and seal steam valve.
• Set to high pressure cook for 1 hour 30 minutes cooking time with a 20 minute natural release. At that time all steam should be released. Do NOT quick release at the end or it won’t be as tender.
• Lift lid, remove bones and chunks of fat. Shred meat in pot or take out and chop up with sharp knife. Put back into pot and stir into sauce.

Serve over rice or in small tortillas. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on top when served as desired. This saves really well too if you do have leftovers.

Don’t get rid of that sauce in your pot because you’ll want to use that when you put it into a container. The more moist you can keep it the better. Transfer to a sealed container and reheat for lunch.

How to Cook a Chuck Roast Frozen

I will do this often the next day. Just transfer to a microwave safe dish and reheat in 30 second increments stirring in between. It will take about 1.5 minutes depending on how much you’re heating. You can make some quick Minute rice with it or throw it on to small rolls to make sliders.

We have a bunch of other Instant Pot roast recipes here on our site too, not just beef roast. You can cook a roast that is defrosted this way in less than 60 minutes too if you’re in more of a hurry. I generally dice it up into smaller pieces so it gets super tender. Obviously if it is rock hard you can’t do that.

If you want it kept whole that is possible too, we did this to make Instant Pot frozen pork roast. When done you’re able to slice it or pull it depending on how you want it served. Another option if you don’t want it pulled is to use your “other machine” to make air fryer rump roast. This way gets it tender with some crisp on the outside.

Now you know how to be the dinner hero even if you’ve had a forgetful morning or day before. Even though I cook for a living I have had those days where I’m just falling flat on my face in exhaustion and have to refer back to posts like this one. It is okay, we are all a hot mess some just hide it better than others y’all. 😉

How do you make chuck roast tender?

I hope we have answered this question for you here. Low and slow in a slow cooker works great but if it is rock hard like this your best bet is to use high pressure. In about two hours total you’d never know that it went from the freezer to your plate with an MMmmmmmm as the result.

• It takes MUCH longer to cook slow cooker chuck roast frozen but can be done.
• If it’s defrosted, air fryer chuck roast is totally amazing.

If your piece is much larger than mine I would add an additional 30 minutes per pound more than mine. I would say that this was made in an 8 quart pot and I don’t know that I would buy more than a 4 lb. piece. It would be hard to fit and the thickness may be an issue when getting it tender.

With your leftover beef you can make a bunch of different things. Diced it works out great in a stir fry with vegetables and some Asian sauce over rice. You can toss with teriyaki and serve over quinoa too. Reheating in a pan works but if you want a bit of crisp throw it into an air fryer, we love that.