Instant Pot Beef and Barley Stew
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Last Updated on January 29, 2022 by Lisa Johnson
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Stew is the perfect meal for when you need an easy, hearty dinner that the whole family will love. It is full of tender meat, vegetables and perfectly cooked barley!
Check out the Instant Pot Recipes page for even more delicious pressure cooker recipes.
This is the ultimate comfort food – it tastes like it has been cooking on the stove all day!!
📋 What you need to make Beef and Barley Stew
- beef chuck cut into 1.25-inch cubes
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup of diced yellow onion
- olive oil
- chicken stock adds an extra layer of flavor
- beef stock adds the warm, deep flavor
- Worcestershire sauce to add another layer of flavor
- brown sugar to round out the flavors
- 2 large russet potatoes diced into 1-inch cubes – similar to the size of the beef
- 1 cup of diced carrots
- pearl barley
- 11.2 ounce bottle of Guinness Extra-Stout – it has a deeper, richer flavor than Draught
- fresh thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
Be sure to check out the detailed printable recipe card below
🧑🏻🍳 How to make Beef and Barley Stew in an Instant Pot
Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper.
Press the Sauté button on your pressure cooker. When display reads HOT, add the oil. Swirl around the bottom.
Add the beef chunks to the hot oil in batches and cook just until all sides are browned.
Remove the browned meat with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl while continuing with the additional batches.
Add the diced onions to the remaining oil in the pressure cooker and cook until tender and browned, about 7 minutes stirring often to keep them from sticking.
Pour the chicken stock into the pressure cooker and use a flat wooden turner to scrape ALL of the cooked on bits off the bottom of the liner. Seriously get in there and scrape it as much as possible…as in 1 to 2 minutes of scraping of you will get a burn notice.
Add the browned beef, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, potatoes, carrots, barley, thyme leaves, bay leaves and beer to the pressure cooker.
Press the “Cancel” button. Secure the lid and make sure the pressure knob is in the “Sealing” position.
Press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and use the – and + buttons to adjust the time to 15 minutes on High Pressure.
When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Carefully turn the knob to release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed and serve.
The perfect cozy meal to warm you up on a cold winter day.
📌 Recipe Notes & Tips
- Substitute your favorite stout beer if desired.
- The broth is thin, more like a soup. With all of the carbs in the potatoes and barley I chose not to add any thickener. Feel free to remove 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and place it in a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to create a slurry. Press the Sauté button and stir the mixture until it thickens.
- If you do not want to use Guinness, you can substitute red wine or additional beef stock.
🥣 Tools used to create this recipe
You can see the rest of my favorite kitchen tools and gadgets here in my Amazon Affiliate Page. I earn a small commission when you purchase through my links, at no cost to you, so I can keep bringing you more delicious recipes!
- Instant Pot – it looks like they discontinued the DUO PLUS that I used.
- Wooden Turner
- Strainer/Scoop
- Mini Grinders of Sea Salt and Black Pepper
🍲 More delicious stew recipes
- Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Beef Stew with Guinness Biscuits
- Guinness Beef with Herb Dumplings
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Enjoy!!
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Stew
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef chuck cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 large onion
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 cup diced carrots 1 large carrot
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into large dice similar to beef
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 11.2 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout Beer
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or .75 teaspoon of dried
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Press the Sauté button on your pressure cooker. When display reads HOT, add the oil. Swirl around the bottom.
- Add the beef chunks to the hot oil in batches and cook just until all sides are browned. Remove the browned meat with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl while continuing with the additional batches.
- Add the diced onions to the remaining oil in the pressure cooker and cook until tender and browned, about 7 minutes stirring often to keep them from sticking.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pressure cooker and use a flat wooden turner to scrape ALL of the cooked on bits off the bottom of the liner. Seriously get in there and scrape it as much as possible…as in 1 to 2 minutes of scraping or you risk getting a burn notice.
- Add the browned beef, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, potatoes, carrots, barley, thyme leaves, bay leaves and beer to the pressure cooker.
- Press the “Cancel” button. Secure the lid and make sure the pressure knob is in the “Sealing” position. Press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and use the – and + buttons to adjust the time to 15 minutes on High Pressure.
- When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Carefully turn the knob to release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed and serve.
Notes
- Substitute your favorite stout beer if desired.
- The broth is thin, more like a soup. With all of the carbs in the potatoes and barley I chose not to add any thickener. Feel free to remove 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and place it in a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to create a slurry. Press the Sauté button and stir the mixture until it thickens.
- If you do not want to use Guinness, you can substitute red wine or additional beef stock.
- Four large or six smaller servings depending on appetite.
