Asian Style Boneless Beef Short Ribs
By Recipe developed for Fagor, by America’s TEST KITCHEN
Asian Style Boneless Beef Short Ribs
By Recipe developed for Fagor, by America’s TEST KITCHEN
Yield/Serves:
Makes 6 servings
- 6 (8-ounce) boneless beef short ribs, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds, and smashed
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 4 scallions, white parts chopped coarse, green parts sliced thin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
One of the keys to pressure-cooker success is using enough moisture to cook the food through and keep the pan from scorching but also to provide good flavor that isn’t too diluted. We decided an Asian-style sauce made with hoisin, soy sauce and sherry would do a good job accomplishing both goals for boneless beef short ribs.
After 35 minutes under pressure, the meat was cooked through and had released its juices to create an intensely flavored sauce. It was more sauce than we would have gotten using a conventional stovetop or oven method since there was no evaporation from the pot, but we didn’t mind having extra sauce on hand— mixed with scallion greens and cilantro, it made an excellent match for a big bowl of steamed white rice.
Build flavor: Cook oil, garlic and ginger in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, scallion whites and cayenne; add beef. High pressure for 35 minutes: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 35 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
Naturally release pressure: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
Before serving: Transfer short ribs to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Strain sauce into fat separator, let sit for 5 minutes, then pour defatted sauce into small bowl. Stir scallion greens and cilantro leaves into sauce and serve with ribs over rice.
Alternate recipe:
Asian Style Short Ribs with Shiitakes:
Add 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced, to pressure-cooker pot with beef in step 1. After straining sauce through fat separator in step 4, discard ginger pieces, then return strained mushrooms and defatted sauce to pressure-cooker pot and simmer gently as needed to thicken. Stir in 1 tablespoon Asian chile-garlic sauce with scallion greens and cilantro.
Troubleshooting:
What if my short ribs don’t seem tender after removing the lid? If your short ribs don’t look quite done after the 35-minute pressurized cooking time, gently simmer them in the sauce until done. If the sauce thickens too much, add water as needed.
Do I need to alter the recipe for a 6-quart electric pressure cooker? Yes, turn the cooker off immediately after the pressurized cooking time and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes; do not let the cooker switch to warm setting.
Tip: We’ve found using a spoon to be an easy way to peel a knobby piece of ginger because you easily maneuver around bumps. Adding a smashed piece of ginger at the beginning of cooking allows it to release its flavor, and the ginger is then easy to remove before serving.
After 35 minutes under pressure, the meat was cooked through and had released its juices to create an intensely flavored sauce. It was more sauce than we would have gotten using a conventional stovetop or oven method since there was no evaporation from the pot, but we didn’t mind having extra sauce on hand— mixed with scallion greens and cilantro, it made an excellent match for a big bowl of steamed white rice.
- Total Time: About 1 hour, 35 minutes under pressure
- Pressure Level: High
- Release: Natural
Build flavor: Cook oil, garlic and ginger in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, scallion whites and cayenne; add beef. High pressure for 35 minutes: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 35 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
Naturally release pressure: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
Before serving: Transfer short ribs to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Strain sauce into fat separator, let sit for 5 minutes, then pour defatted sauce into small bowl. Stir scallion greens and cilantro leaves into sauce and serve with ribs over rice.
Alternate recipe:
Asian Style Short Ribs with Shiitakes:
Add 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced, to pressure-cooker pot with beef in step 1. After straining sauce through fat separator in step 4, discard ginger pieces, then return strained mushrooms and defatted sauce to pressure-cooker pot and simmer gently as needed to thicken. Stir in 1 tablespoon Asian chile-garlic sauce with scallion greens and cilantro.
Troubleshooting:
What if my short ribs don’t seem tender after removing the lid? If your short ribs don’t look quite done after the 35-minute pressurized cooking time, gently simmer them in the sauce until done. If the sauce thickens too much, add water as needed.
Do I need to alter the recipe for a 6-quart electric pressure cooker? Yes, turn the cooker off immediately after the pressurized cooking time and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes; do not let the cooker switch to warm setting.
Tip: We’ve found using a spoon to be an easy way to peel a knobby piece of ginger because you easily maneuver around bumps. Adding a smashed piece of ginger at the beginning of cooking allows it to release its flavor, and the ginger is then easy to remove before serving.