Bistro-Style Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms

Although cooking beef short ribs in the Instant Pot cuts down on the time they need to braise, we haven’t shaved any time off any of the other steps in this fairly traditional recipe, even using a classic beurre manié (French, burh mahn-YAY, a butter and flour mixture) to thicken the sauce into silky richness. The meat will be so tender that you’ll barely need knives at the table, so the short ribs are best served in bowls.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

1-2 hours

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Slow Cook

Keywords

1-2 hours, 6 servings, all-purpose flour, bay leaves, beef or chicken broth, boneless beef short ribs, brown cremini mushrooms, butter, contributed, cook 90 min, dried sage, dried thyme, dry red wine, easy, ground black pepper, main course, max pressure cook, modern, prep 20 min, pressure cook, red onion, slow cook, table salt, thin strips of bacon

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

90 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

2 thin strips of bacon
2 1/2 tbsp butter
3 1/2 lbs boneless beef short ribs
1 small red onion
3 1/2 lbs brown cremini mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Instructions

Press Saute, set time for 35 minutes.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the cooker. Add the bacon and fry until crisp, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a nearby large bowl.
Add half the short ribs and brown them well on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer these to that bowl and add the remaining short ribs, browning them in just the same way. Transfer these to the bowl, too.
Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about  3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they give off their internal moisture and that liquid evaporates to a glaze in the pot, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits on the pot’s bottom. Turn off the SAUTÉ function and stir in the broth, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Return the short ribs, bacon, and any juices in that bowl to the pot. Stir well, then lock the lid onto the cooker.
Option 1 MAX Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 1 hour and 10 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 1 hour and 30 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
If you’ve used a pressure setting, when the machine has finished cooking, turn it off and let its pressure return to normal naturally, about 30 minutes.
Option 3 Slow Cook
Press Slow Cook option on High for 4 hours with Keep Warm setting off (or on for no more than 3 hours)
Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Find and discard the bay leaves. Use kitchen tongs and a slotted spoon to transfer the short ribs, bacon, and any vegetables to a serving platter. Tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Use a flatware tablespoon to skim any excess surface fat from the sauce in the pot.
Press Saute, set time for 5 minutes.
As the sauce comes to a simmer, use a fork to make a smooth paste out of the flour and the remaining, room-temperature  1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. As the sauce simmers, whisk this flour mixture into the pot in dribs and drabs, just a little at a time, whisking until it’s all been added and the sauce has thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the SAUTÉ function and pour the sauce in the hot insert over the meat and vegetables on the platter.

Notes

Beyond
• You must halve the recipe for a 3-quart cooker.
• For a sweet finish in the sauce, add up to 2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup), with the onion.
• Or add up to 2 teaspoons minced garlic with the dried herbs.
• Serve this stew alongside (or even over) crunchy roasted potatoes.

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