Sixteen ingredients and an hour and twenty-five minutes, with the potatoes boiling while the pot is still under pressure.
It opens on saute mode rather than under pressure. A deep sear on all sides is what gives the ribs their colour, and pressure alone will not.
Why This Recipe Works
- Searing on saute mode uses the same pot, so nothing is left behind.
- Scraping the pot after the broth goes in lifts the fond and prevents a scorch warning.
- Forty-five minutes at high pressure takes short ribs past tender without shredding them.
- A fifteen-minute natural release lets the meat settle rather than tearing.
- Skimming before thickening is what makes the sauce glossy rather than dull.
Ingredient Notes
- Bone-in beef short ribs
- Three pounds. Bone-in and served that way — the bone is visible on the finished plate and the meat stays on it.
- Gluten-free labelled broth and Worcestershire
- A cup and a tablespoon. These two packaged items are what the dietary claim rests on; both need the label.
- Garlic, in two places
- Three cloves minced into the sauce and four whole cloves boiled with the potatoes. The mash is garlic mash by design.
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Two pounds, peeled and cubed. The mash is part of the dish here rather than an optional accompaniment.
How to Make It
Sear deeply on saute mode
Season short ribs. Using sauté mode, heat oil and sear ribs deeply on all sides; transfer out.
Onion, then garlic and paste, then deglaze
Cook onion 3 minutes, then garlic and tomato paste 30 seconds. Add broth, gluten-free Worcestershire, and thyme; scrape the pot well.
Forty-five minutes, fifteen-minute natural release
Return ribs. Pressure cook on high 45 minutes, then allow a 15-minute natural release. The meat should be fork-tender and remain on the bone.
Skim, then thicken to glossy
Remove ribs. Skim excess fat, return sauce to sauté, and thicken lightly with cornstarch slurry until glossy.
Garlic mash, boiled alongside
Meanwhile boil potatoes and garlic until tender. Drain and mash with butter and warm milk.
Whole ribs over the mash
Serve whole bone-in ribs over garlic mashed potatoes with onion sauce and parsley. Do not add carrots or peas.
The Pot and the Pan, Running Together
The mash is not a side dish here - it is part of the dish, not optional. It cooks in its own pan while the pressure cooker runs, which is what keeps the whole thing inside an hour and twenty-five minutes.
In the pressure cooker
- Saute mode, before any pressure
3 lb of BONE-IN short ribs seasoned with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, seared DEEPLY ON ALL SIDES in 1 tbsp of oil, then taken out. Pressure cooks; it does not brown. You want deeply browned ribs, and this is the only step that can make them.
- Still on saute - 3 minutes, then 30 seconds
1 sliced large onion, then 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Then 1 cup of gluten-free broth, 1 tbsp of gluten-free Worcestershire and 1 tsp thyme, and the pot SCRAPED WELL. Scraping matters twice: it puts the fond into the sauce, and a pressure cooker with fond stuck to its base will throw a scorch warning.
- 45 minutes high, then 15 minutes natural
The ribs back in. Fork-tender and STILL ON THE BONE at the end - a natural release rather than a quick one is part of that, because venting fast tears meat off a bone that has just cooked for three quarters of an hour.
- Back to saute
Ribs out, excess fat SKIMMED, then 1 tbsp of cornstarch in 2 tbsp of water whisked in until GLOSSY. Skimming comes first: fat suspended in the liquid keeps the surface dull however much starch goes in.
On the hob, in a separate pan
- While the pot is under pressure
2 lb of peeled cubed Yukon Golds boiled with 4 WHOLE peeled garlic cloves. The garlic boils with the potatoes rather than being added after - it softens completely and mashes in, which is why this is garlic mash rather than mash with garlic stirred through.
- Once tender
Drained and mashed with 4 tbsp of butter and 1/2 cup of WARM milk. Warm rather than cold, so the mash does not seize and cool while it waits for the ribs.
Ribs over mash, and nothing green
The WHOLE bone-in ribs are set OVER the garlic mash with the onion sauce spooned round and 2 tbsp of parsley over the top. Step 6 leaves out carrots and peas by name, and the mash itself is a visible part of the plate.
Success Tips
- Sear in batches if the pot is crowded — colour is the point of this step.
- Scrape the base properly after the broth goes in.
- Let the pressure come down naturally for the full fifteen minutes.
Serving Ideas
Four servings in white bowls, the dark bone-in short ribs on pale garlic mashed potato in the thin glossy brown sauce with soft onion pieces and chopped parsley over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I shred the meat?
No — the ribs are served whole and bone-in, with the meat still on the bone.
Is the mash optional?
Garlic mashed potatoes are part of the dish here, not optional. They are what the ribs are served on.
What makes this gluten-free?
Broth and Worcestershire that are labelled gluten-free. Those two are the packaged ingredients that would otherwise carry it.
