Instant Pot Beef and Barley Stew

yield six servings time estimate 3 hours overall, including 2 hours unattended special requirements pressure cooker

This recipe was adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's Short Rib and Barley Stew. This variation takes much longer to initially brown the meat, but results in deep even browning, and it keeps the stovetop clear.

Like the original recipe, everything except the meat is a pantry staple. This greatly simplifies meal planning. The amount of meat/vegetables you use is flexible: You can use more or less depending on what's convenient. However, the barley absorbs quite a bit a moisture so you can't use much more barley than the ratio here.

ingredient amount scaling procedure
Vegetable Oil 60 g (4 Tbsp) 6%
Heat in Instant Pot on highest sauté setting.
Stewing Meat Chunks 1000 g 100%
Kosher Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Coat the meat in salt and pepper. Brown in batches in hot oil. Set aside.
Carrots 180 g (1 cup / 2 carrots) 18%
Celery 80 g (1 cup / 2 ribs) 8%
Onion 300 g (1 ½ cup / 1 onion) 30%
Slice each vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Brown in meat drippings, stirring frequently, and scraping up fond, about 4 minutes.
MSG 5 g (1 tsp) 0.5%
Soy Sauce 5 g (1 tsp) 0.5%
Minced Garlic 10g (2 cloves) 1%
Tomato Paste 18 g (1 Tbsp) 1.8%
Cook in pot until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Chicken Broth 1000 g (1000 mL) 100%
Crushed Tomatoes 400g (1 can) 40%
Barley 200g (1 cup) 20%
Bay Leaves 2 leaves
Stir into pot along with the meat. Cook on "high" slow cooker setting for 2 hours.
Kale Leaves (optional) 100 g (4 cups loosely packed) 10%
Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Season, and serve warm.
  1. Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on highest sauté setting. The oil is ready to use when the Instant Pot no longer shows "pre-heating" on its display.
  2. In a bowl, evenly coat the meat with salt and pepper. The chunks of meat should be 2-3 cm per side. You can use any kind of chuck/round or short rib. If the meat is moist, pat it dry. Moist meat will greatly delay browning, burn fond, and will cause the oil to splash.
  3. Place half the meat in the hot oil. The oil should cover about 1 cm of the meat. Rotate each piece as it browns until the meat is browned on all sides. Replace pieces as they finish browning. Browning a piece takes about 15 minutes.
  4. Set the meat aside.
  5. Slice each vegetable in half, then cut into 1 cm slices. For the onions, this will create large half-rings. These shrink and tenderize while cooking. If you find these too big you may prefer to dice them instead.
  6. Cook the carrots, celery, and onion in the oil until the onion starts to become tender, about 4 minutes. Stir frequently, scraping up browned bits of meat as moisture is released from the vegetables.
  7. Add the MSG, soy sauce, garlic, and tomato paste to the pot, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  8. Stir the meat, chicken broth, tomatoes, barley, and bay leaves into the pot, along with any juices from the meat.
  9. Cook on "high" slow cooker setting for 2 hours.
  10. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. You can use frozen or fresh kale.
  11. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste, and serve it warm.