Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil (or use cooking spray) in a large cast iron casserole or skillet and brown the beef, in batches, until nicely coloured on all sides. You can also brown the beef directly in your pressure cooker but don’t crowd the meat as it will stew rather than brown.
Heat the olive oil in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Add the shallots or onion and sugar and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, until softened.