Easy Air Fryer Chuck Roast
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Air Fryer Chuck Roast is a NEW family favorite! And it cooks up so quickly that it might just become a great option for your family too. A delicious roast beef out of the air fryer? YES, YOU CAN!
Wow. I was skeptical of making a roast in the air fryer, let alone a Chuck Roast. But let me just say that my fears have been allayed.
Imagine making a tender perfectly cooked chuck roast in under 90 minutes with just a few pantry basics and the air fryer. Imagine no more, now you can!
Chuck roasts are typically one of those cuts of meat that you braise. Braising is a traditional method for cooking tougher cuts of meat.
Another way to achieve a long slow cook in less time is by using the Instant Pot, like this Instant Pot Rump Roast. It cooks it under pressure so it’s tender like it cooked all day.
Tougher cuts are usually the cut of meat used in pot roasts. Or they’re cut up for stew meat. Or that you use in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. Because they need a long slow cook or a high-pressure cook to get really tender.
In this easy recipe, we’ll use the air fryer, and we’ll have tender beef too! Let me teach you my ways.
Tenderizing Marinade To the rescue
With a 30-minute soak in a tenderizing marinade, this boneless beef chuck roast makes an excellent air fryer beef roast.
Generally, for a marinade, you need oil, and acid in a 3/1 ratio. So 3 parts oil, and 1 part acid. The acid can be anything from lemon juice, or orange juice, to vinegar.
But you can also substitute soy sauce for the acid. The salt content in the soy sauce will tenderize just as well as an acid. And you use it in the same proportion.
It will not make your roast taste like teriyaki or mongolian beef. Soy sauce will replace the salt in a marinade. And it will impart a deep earthy umami flavor that only enhances the flavor of beef.
Because the soy sauce is salty you won’t want to add more salt to the marinade. It will be plenty salty.
For this marinade you will need:
- Light olive oil or another light oil
- Espresso powder or liquid coffee
- Soy sauce
- Garlic powder
- onion powder
- Black pepper
To make the marinade you simply need to mix all the ingredients together. Then pour it over the roast in a baking dish. Once the roast is coated it needs to rest in the marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature. Turning every 10 minutes or so, if possible.
How to make a chuck roast tender
Do not cook beyond medium or you will hit the shoe leather phase of the cut of meat. Combined with a tenderizing marinade, and thin slices of roast across the grain you will have a tender chuck roast.
Medium rare or medium is the most you’ll want to roast this cut of meat.
For medium rare cook until the internal temperature on a digital thermometer reads 125-130° when inserted in the thickest part of the roast. For medium cook until a digital thermometer reads 135-140°. Then follow the following instructions for tenting and resting.
Once you’ve achieved the temperatures for your preferred finish on the beef remove the roast from the air fryer. Place it on a platter, pour the juices from the air fryer on the platter, and tent it with foil for 10 minutes.
Tenting with foil for 10 minutes will allow the roast to continue cooking to a finished temperature of 140° OR 150° depending. And the roast will be tender and juicier after resting as well.
How to cut a Chuck Roast across the grain
The weird part of cutting a chuck roast for it to be tender is that you must cut it across the grain. Locate the grain of the meat (long lengthwise strands)and cut across it. You might need to cut the roast in half to get a cut on the beef, don’t be afraid to do that.
Use a thin-bladed and very sharp knife to cut thin slices across the grain. This is the third part of getting a tender roast from a tough cut of meat.
What else do you need for this air fryer roast beef recipe??
- Air Fryer-I use and love the Cosori Max XL other people like the Ninja Foodi
- baking dish or Ziploc for marinating
- Tongs
- instant read digital meat thermometer or another style of a meat thermometer
- aluminum foil
- cutting board with juice groove
- sharp knife
Remember all air fryers cook differently. What works in my Cosori Basket Style Air Fryer may be different than what works in your basket style by a different brand.
Start with the time and temperature listed in air fryer recipes and watch how yours cooks. Adjust your cooking time and temperature for your air fryer as you go.
- If it’s getting too brown on the outside but the inside is raw dial back the heat
- Did the time allotted come and go and it isn’t done, cook it longer or gently increase the heat by 10 degrees
- If it’s not browned turn up the heat to a higher temperature
- But if it’s on fire turn down the heat a little bit
Whatever you do, keep an eye on your air fryer whenever you make a recipe for the first time.
Remember recipe cook times are suggestions. You still need to watch it for yourself, especially in air fryer recipes, the brand of air fryer will change things.
Serve this roast with all your favorite side dishes
You COULD cut up potatoes and throw them in the last 20 minutes of air frying. Carrots or parsnips would work too. If they’re not done when the roast is they can continue to cook in the air fryer while the meat rests.
But why not make something more special like this Maple Roasted Acorn Squash? Or these delicious Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes. Or try my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. And don’t forget this old-fashioned Marshmallow Salad!
To Store Leftover Roast Beef
Store leftover Air Fryer Chuck Roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy it in sandwiches or make soup with it! Make these Blackstone Philly Cheesesteaks with leftovers, you will not be sorry!
Chuck Roast in the Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 1/3 cup light flavored oil such as light olive oil or canola
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 tsp espresso powder or 2 TBSP cold coffee
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- place the chuck roast in a baking dish and pat it dry
- put the oil in a measuring cup or jar
- in a small bowl mix the soy sauce and the espresso powder together so the powder dissolves, skip and pour all of it directly into the oil if using cold coffee
- add the garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to the marinade
- stir together and pour over the roast
- turn to coat the beef
- let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning over every 10 minutes or so
- after 20 minutes turn on the air fryer and preheat on 400° for 10 minutes
- when the air fryer turns off lift the beef out of the marinade and shake off the extra
- place it in the basket of the air fryer
- set the air fryer to 390° and air fry for 15 minutes
- then reduce the heat to 350° and continue air frying for 20-30 minutes or until a digital instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast reads 125°-130° for medium rare or 145° for medium do not cook to well done you will ruin this cut of meat
- once it reaches your desired finish remove it from the basket and place it on a platter and cover it with foil this will allow it to come up in temperature 10° AND it will be more tender and juicy
- once it has rested place it on cutting board with a juice groove, locate the grain of the roast and cut slices across the grain with a very thin knife, you may need to set the roast up on it's in which case it's easier to cut the roast in half WITH the grain, set it on the cut edge and cut slices across that way
Great recipe…… but you might want to edit the first step of the instructions….
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Why? Because it says place in a baking dish?
Look at how you spelled “chuck”.