Short ribs under pressure

[FeChef]

I got these super thick bone-in short ribs that are probably almost 3 inches tall (including bone). All the recipes i found say 30 minutes high pressure. But the pictures show these really thin short ribs that look like they are 1 inch thick  flanken ribs. Not english style like i have. I did a corned beef flat last week that was the same thickness as these short ribs and even after 90 minutes it was just barely fall apart tender. I did a chuck roast a few weeks ago that took 40 minutes ans was right at the shred point. So why are these recipes saying 30 minutes? Can someone clear this up for me please?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

As much as I like my pressure cookers I'd do them sous vide, myself.

[FeChef]

As much as I like my pressure cookers I'd do them sous vide, myself.

I do like them sous vide when im going for medium rare steak like texture. But im looking for that sticky icky fall off the bone fingers sticking to each other quality that you can only get by low and slow, braised, or pressure cooked. The chuck roast i did a few weeks ago that took 40 minutes  blew every chuck roast i did sous vide @ 160F for 24 hours out of the water in terms of texture and flavor.

[ChrisTaylor]

I give short ribs about forty minutes, although that's when I'm angling to make some sort of saucy dish (ragu, chilli, curry) that contains flakes/soft chunks of meat. If yours are extra thick I'd start at forty minutes and go from there. Give them another ten minutes if they look like they need it.

[FeChef]

I went with 60 minutes and shut it off and let it release naturally. I have not tasted them since there for tonights dinner but i could see the bones were starting to seperate from the meat. They did not fall apart when removed from the pot with tongs. I will probably reheat them sous vide and see if i like the texture. I will reduce the time to 40 next time if there too done.

[FeChef]

They turned out perfect. I put them under my gas ovens broiler from frozen (the entire 2lb pack) for 2 minutes on each side (4 sides) then straight into the pressure cooker with 3 smashed garlic cloves, 1 medium diced onion 1 cup of coca-cola and 1 cup of beef stock. 60 minutes high pressure and roughly 30 minutes to depressurize. I used a cup of the liquid and 1 oz of demi glace to make a sauce, slightly thickened with arrowroot and xanthan gum. Mashed potatoes took 5 minutes in the pressure cooker from scratch which is amazing and probably the best mashed ive ever made/had.

 

Anyway, I would not change a thing. Was probably the best short ribs ive ever had. I will never try to sous vide short ribs ever again. Period.

 

 

[BKEats]

That looks really good Fe-chef.. i was wondering if you have recently tried the "traditional" method of cooking short ribs.  My normal method of preparation takes perhaps 3 hours as opposed to your 1.5 hours.. In a perfect world, I will salt the ribs for a day, brown and braise the ribs for 2.5 to 3 hours, let sit in the liquid over night before broiling with a glaze.  

 

Something like this: 

 

 

So, i guess i am asking are you saying this the pressure cooker method is better than the traditional method or are you using this for a time saving method.  was it textural as good, or is the recipe you used what is making the flavor so good.  

 

I looked up pressure cooking short ribs on chow.com which has a similar  recipe and they too only call for 30 minutes of pressure and then 15 minutes of regular cooking.. this puts them at half your cooking time..http://www.chow.com/recipes/30305-pressure-cooker-cola-braised-beef-short-ribs I do have a pressure cooker and use it occasionally.. i think it's wonderful for beans.  but, i can't help with cooking times.. 

[FeChef]

BKeats, your short ribs look good.

 

I never braised short ribs traditionally so i cant speak for the difference. But i have done short ribs many ways with sous vide cooking and for a texture that can be easily pulled apart with a fork and still moist and sticky, pressure cooker beats sous vide hands down.

 

I used thick short ribs and even after 60 minutes with a 30 minute depressurizing rest they were just at that pull apart texture. There is no way 30 minutes would have gave me good results with the short ribs i used. I dont have the package or a pic of it but there was 4 short ribs in the package and it weighed 1.87/lb.

 

Maybe if you were using think flanken style short ribs 30 minutes might work but not for thick english style.

 

What i think i like the most is the cooking liquid left in the post comes out nice and clear. I didnt have to do anything but strain it into a container and chill it and remove the layer of fat off the top. Add my demi glace and reheat and serve.

[radtek]

With the thinner ones 25-30 minutes and they come out better than slow braise IMO. Good to know about the time difference with thickness.

[Paul Bacino]

What recipe did you use.. IronChef?

[btbyrd]

Anyway, I would not change a thing. Was probably the best short ribs ive ever had. I will never try to sous vide short ribs ever again. Period.

 

Glad they turned out well, but I doubt that you'll never cook SV short ribs again (since you said that you like them with a medium-rare, steaky texture). Really, that's the glory of SV short ribs. If you're going for traditional braised results, SV is unnecessary and takes way longer than it needs to. A pressure cooker or an oven braise is a much better choice.

[FeChef]

What recipe did you use.. IronChef?

I got the idea of using coca-cola from a recipe online and instead of using 2 cups of cola i decided i wanted 1 cup cola and 1 cup unsalted beef stock. I knew i was going to add concentrated demi glace to make the sauce so i was not to bothered with adding anything else but i had onions and garlic on hand so i just smashed 3 cloves and threw them in the pot and diced up a medium yellow onion and threw that in the pot aswell. That was it.

[FeChef]

Glad they turned out well, but I doubt that you'll never cook SV short ribs again (since you said that you like them with a medium-rare, steaky texture). Really, that's the glory of SV short ribs. If you're going for traditional braised results, SV is unnecessary and takes way longer than it needs to. A pressure cooker or an oven braise is a much better choice.

I must have made 136F short ribs @ 36-48 hours atleast 6 times and only had them turn out good 3 times. For the amount of time it takes its not worth the stress. If they came out perfect everytime as should SV cooking, then maybe i could justify it, but even my wife told me last time she would have rather had prime rib or filet mignon. That was the last nail in the coffin. And i have narrowed down these inconsistencies to the quality/cut of the meat, and in my area short ribs can cost just as much as prime rib/ribeye.

[Shalmanese]

Have you tried short ribs at 180F for 10 hours? That's the version you should compare to PC cooked short ribs before you declare you're done with SV short ribs for good.

[FeChef]

Have you tried short ribs at 180F for 10 hours? That's the version you should compare to PC cooked short ribs before you declare you're done with SV short ribs for good.

Why bother with 10 hours when im very very happy with 1 hour? Did i mention how clear the liquid (stock ) was? If i did that SV all those juices would be nasty crap floating on the top once i brought to boil.

[Shalmanese]

Why bother with 10 hours when im very very happy with 1 hour? Did i mention how clear the liquid (stock ) was? If i did that SV all those juices would be nasty crap floating on the top once i brought to boil.

At 180F, the proteins would already be coagulated so they won't cloud when you bring the bag juices to a boil. As for why 10 hours vs 1? Mainly the meat will be more juicy and more gelatine will remain between the muscle fibres rather than leach out into the sauce.

[FeChef]

At 180F, the proteins would already be coagulated so they won't cloud when you bring the bag juices to a boil. As for why 10 hours vs 1? Mainly the meat will be more juicy and more gelatine will remain between the muscle fibres rather than leach out into the sauce.

I disagree about the gelatin. I did a chuck roast a few weeks ago in the pressure cooker for 40 minutes and it was way more sticky then all the chuck roasts i have done @ 160F for 24 hours. Was the chuck roast SV juicier, yes alittle, but if you plan to add the juices back into the meat it really doesnt matter much. And the PC definitely has the better end flavor. To each his/her own i guess. Dont get me wrong, i love cooking SV but im finding more and more dishes that turn out better in the PC.

[Ttogull]

I don't have anything to add to PC vs SV, except I've done PC several times and love it. Also, I've been using various types of stout -like you did with the coca cola - and love them. I did short ribs a couple of weeks ago with a coffee stout combined with lots of cumin and ancho chile. It was great in tacos. Chocolate stout is also fantastic. I did lamb shank a couple of days ago with gingerbread stout - lots of Middle Eastern aromatic spices - presented with the reduced sauce, yogurt, raw garlic, Harissa, and roasted eggplant.

Edit: Oops, said SV when meant PC! Fixed...

Edited March 27, 2015 by Ttogull (log)