Pressure Cooker Red Wine–Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

While not a ready-in-30-minutes weeknight recipe, the pressure cooker still shaves off a significant amount of time on this short rib classic.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated August 13, 2024
Pressure cooker red wine-braised beef short ribs served on a plate with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and a glass of wine.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • A pressure cooker fully tenderizes the beef in a fraction of the time.
  • Adding a reduced port wine syrup to the sauce deepens its wine flavor while adding a sweetness that balances the braising liquid's harsh edges.
  • A gelatin-rich stock also helps give the finished sauce that ideal lip-sticking viscosity.

This pressure-cooker version of the classic red wine–braised beef short ribs delivers absolutely perfect results, just in less time. The traditional version of this recipe normally requires about three hours to fully tenderize the beef; here we get that part done in about 45 minutes. After that it's all the same: reducing the braising liquids (and also the port wine that gives the sauce its final glossy perfection), thickening them slightly, and serving them as desired. We recommend mashed potatoes, polenta, or some good crusty bread. You could even remove the bones and shred the beef into the finished sauce to create an absolutely killer sauce for fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta.

I developed this recipe while working on a classic stovetop version. The pressure cooker saves some time, which is always welcome, though it doesn't turn this recipe into a 30-minute weeknight meal.

The time-savings a pressure cooker does offer are during the beef-braising portion of the recipe, which trims two to three hours of standard braising time down to about 45 minutes. Otherwise, you still have to spend some minutes browning the beef, and all of the reduction of the port wine and braising liquids still has to happen as well—a pressure cooker only works when it's sealed, making evaporation (and thus reduction) impossible.

I learned the hard way that you also need to spend a few extra minutes before sealing the cooker to boil off most of the wine's alcohol. If you don't, your short ribs will come out smelling strongly of alcohol, and no amount of reduction at that point can get rid of it. A strong red wine flavor in the sauce is great, but a strong punch of ethanol is not.

To be clear: The result can not be mistaken for boeuf Bourguignon. These short ribs are their own dish entirely, and they're delicious.

December 2019

Recipe Details

Pressure Cooker Red Wine–Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 3 hrs 30 mins
Active 2 hrs
Total 3 hrs 35 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds (2.3kg) beef short ribs (see note)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable or other neutral oil

  • 2 celery ribs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100g each), cut into 1/2-inch dice

  • 2 large carrots (about 8 ounces; 225g each), cut into 1/2-inch dice

  • 1 large (14-ounce; 400g) yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

  • 5 medium garlic cloves, smashed

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) tomato paste

  • 1 (750ml) bottle dry red wine

  • 2 cups (475ml) good-quality brown beef stock, brown chicken stock, white chicken stock, or store-bought chicken stock (see note)

  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin, such as Knox (2 1/2 teaspoons; 10g), only if using store-bought stock

  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 (750ml) bottle ruby port wine

  • Slurry made from 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water (optional)

Directions

  1. Season short ribs all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat (or using the sauté or sear function on an electric multi-cooker) until shimmering. Working in batches, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer browned short ribs to a platter and repeat with remaining short ribs.

    Short ribs are browned in batches in a countertop pressure cooker appliance.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pressure cooker. Return to the heat and add celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer; lower heat at any point if the contents threaten to burn.

  3. Add red wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom and sides of pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until raw alcohol smell has mostly cooked off, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if using store-bought stock, place it in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with gelatin until bloomed.

    Stirring red wine in the pressure cooker and scraping up browned bits.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  4. Return short ribs to pressure cooker along with any accumulated juices, nestling them into braising liquids. Add stock, making sure the liquid does not go over the pressure cooker's max fill line. Add thyme and bay leaves, then set pressure cooker to high pressure; cook for 45 minutes starting from when the cooker reaches high pressure.

    Browned beef short ribs in a pressure cooker with red wine and aromatics before braising

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  5. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring port to a very gentle simmer, regulating heat to maintain that simmer. Cook, uncovered, until reduced to a syrup-like consistency and about 1/2 cup (120ml) in volume, about 1 hour. Set aside.

  6. Depressurize pressure cooker and remove lid (we recommend allowing it to depressurize naturally as the fat from the beef can sometimes spray through the vent when allowed to depressurize rapidly, though it is possible to do a rapid depressurization if careful). Carefully remove short ribs from pressure cooker and transfer to a clean platter (they will be very tender, so the bones may slip out; try to hold them together as you transfer them). Tent ribs with foil.

  7. Skim accumulated fat from surface of braising liquid and discard. Strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large heatproof bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard vegetables and aromatics.

  8. Rinse out pressure cooker, then return strained braising liquid to it. Return to heat and bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting heat to maintain simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until braising liquid is reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour; skim any foam that accumulates on the surface as needed. Add port wine reduction to braising liquids.

  9. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a trail when you drag your finger through it. If it's still a little thin, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and bring to a simmer until thickened slightly.

  10. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Return short ribs to pressure cooker, spooning the sauce all over and around them to glaze while rewarming over gentle heat. Serve.

Special Equipment

Electric or stovetop pressure cooker

Notes

You can use English-cut or flanken-cut short ribs for this recipe. English-cut short ribs are cut such that one rib bone runs along the length of each portion; flanken-cut ribs slice across the ribs so that each piece has cross-sections of several rib bones in it. If using English-cut short ribs, try to find ones that are about 4 inches each in length. If using flanken-cut, make sure that each slab is about two inches thick (flanken-cut short ribs often come in thinner slabs). You can divide flanken-cut ribs between the bones so that you have more manageable pieces to work with. In all cases, look for well-marbled and short ribs with a nice meaty portion on each (at least 1 1/2 inches of meat above the bones).

A good homemade stock will set like jelly when refrigerated; this natural gelatin helps give the sauce its final consistency; if you don't have good homemade stock, add 1 packet unflavored gelatin per recipe instructions.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The braised beef short ribs can be refrigerated in the finished sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1605Calories
106gFat
22gCarbs
119gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories1605
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 106g136%
Saturated Fat 46g229%
Cholesterol 454mg151%
Sodium 1837mg80%
Total Carbohydrate 22g8%
Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 119g
Vitamin C 10mg52%
Calcium 135mg10%
Iron 14mg78%
Potassium 1693mg36%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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