I love osso bucco, the perfect example of peasant cooking. The big round of shank meat, the herb and citrus flavor of the gremolata, the melting marrow from the big central bone. The only thing is - traditionally, it is made with veal shank. And with the cost of veal, this really isn't peasant cooking any more.
*OK, I'm cheap. Well, until it's time to buy a new kitchen gadget, then I won't be stopped. You expect me to be consistent?
Luckily, beef shanks are a lot less expensive than veal shanks, and provide just as good of a meal. Here's my "weeknight" osso bucco, prepared in the pressure cooker.
*Don't have a pressure cooker? No worries. See the Variations section for instructions on cooking with a standard dutch oven.
For another Italian style braised beef recipe in the pressure cooker, check out my Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs.
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
Inspired By: Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect
Equipment
- Pressure cooker, at least 6 quarts (I use my giant Kuhn Rikon 12-quart pressure cooker)
Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Pressure cooker osso bucco. Beef shanks, meltingly tender in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 6 thick beef shank slices (1 ½ to 2 inches thick), about 3 pounds
- 3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 sprigs thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
Gremolata
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season and sear the shanks in two batches: Trim all the fat you can from the outside of the beef shanks, then (optionally) tie with twine to hold them together. Season the shanks with 3 teaspoons salt and 1 ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in the pressure cooker pot until shimmering. Add half the shanks, and sear for 3 minutes per side, or until well browned. Remove the browned shanks to a bowl. Add the second half of the shanks to the pot, and sear for 3 minutes per side. Move the second batch into to the bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil and fat in the cooker.
- Saute the aromatics: Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme to the pot. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Saute for five minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the chicken stock and wine to the pot, increase the heat to high, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits from the bottom.
- Pressure cook the shanks: Add the shanks and any liquid in their bowl back into the pot. Submerge the shanks in the liquid as much as possible. Pour the tomatoes on top, but don't stir. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, bring the pressure cooker up to high pressure, then cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in a stovetop PC, 36 minutes in an electric PC. Remove from the heat, allow the pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any pressure left in the pot.
- Prepare the gremolata: While the shanks are cooking, make the gremolata. Mince the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley leaves together, then toss in a small bowl to combine.
- Prepare the sauce: Remove the shanks to a serving platter. Pour the sauce into a fat separator, let it rest for ten minutes for the fat to surface, then pour into a serving boat. To serve, put a shank on the plate, pour some sauce over the top, then sprinkle a little gremloata on top.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Notes
- Veal Osso Bucco: As I said in the opening, real osso buco uses veal shank, not beef shank. Veal shank tastes great…but is really expensive. If you can afford it (or find it cheap), it cooks exactly like beef shanks - use the same instructions and timing.
- Don't have a pressure cooker? No worries. Use a heavy bottomed dutch oven with a lid, and increase the amount of chicken stock to 2 cups. Follow the instructions right up until "lock the lid". Then, instead of pressure cooking, bring the pot to a boil, and cover with the lid. Move the pot to a preheated 350*F oven and bake for 2 hours, until the beef shanks are tender. Continue with the prepare the gremolata step.
- Serve with polenta or mashed potatoes to soak up the extra sauce. Also, the marrow in the bones may be the best part of the meal - scoop it out and serve on toast. (Or just eat it straight up, like I do.)
- If you have the time, refrigerate the shanks overnight to help remove the fat. After cooking, let the shanks cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days. This will let the fat rise to the surface and solidify. To serve, lift the solid fat from the shanks, then reheat the shanks over medium heat on the stove.
- The marrow is the best part of this dish, especially spread on toast. Mmmm...beef marrow...
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Pressure Cooker Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
Pressure Cooker Short Ribs with Mexican Flavors
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pork with Dried Plum Sauce
Instant Pot Easy Braised Oxtail
Inspired by:
Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect
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JeanneS says
I have made Osso Bucco with big, chunky country style pork ribs when the beef prices are getting ridiculous. It is absolutely delicious. Now that I have an electric pressure cooker, I was looking forward to trying to cook O.B. in it. Thanks for the recipe!
Steve Skelton says
This is unbelievably delicious. I have the same pressure cooker and decided to make this tonight and it was 5 star fabulous. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Joe Innecken says
Love the way you explain the recipe This is the 1st recipe i'm gonna do by you. The Beef Shank. I am using 2 BIG shank cuts I guess ill reduce the ingredient piortions portions by half
Adam says
What wine do you recommend for this?
Mike V says
Fruity red without a lot of oak - I'd go with an Italian red blend, or a Cote du Rhone style blend.
Mike V says
Whoops - sorry about the previous answer - wrong recipe.
Any dry White wine will work with this recipe. (That's why I didn't get any more specific in the recipe itself.)
I use Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, because I like them, so they're what I usually have on hand.
The wine adds an undercurrent of fruit and acid; by the time the pressure cooker is done with it, most other differences in the wine will be cooked away. I have used my mom’s favorite - cheap chardonnay - and really couldn’t tell much of a difference in the end.
Alfred Gorlick says
Excellent recipe. You are correct, beef shank is from the leg. Having said that, why do you keep referring to it as "ribs"?
Mike V says
Crap. Cut and paste will be the death of me. Fixed.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome, and that does sound like a fantastic pairing!
GregDarcy says
I teamed this with Laura's (HipPressureCooking) lemon and pepper risotto today. Both were brilliant in their own right and a perfect match for each other.
Thank you for the inspiration
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Glad you enjoyed it!
DLopez says
Awesome recipe!! Meat was super tender and sauce really flavorful. All the steps were spot on. Definitely making again.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Good luck!
patscomputerservices says
Thank you. I'm going to be cooking this as part of a Whole 30 challenge (or maybe just a Paleo Challenge in general), and in the Whole 30, you're not allowed wine or any alcohol.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Great! You're welcome, I'm glad it worked for you.
Ray Morford says
There is nothing wrong with the marrow. Some of you picky eaters need to get over it. Some in my household say it's a texture thing. GET OVER IT....It's all about the flavor.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome. Isn't it great? Now that the weather has turned cold, I'm going to have to make this again...
Tori says
I just made this last night and it was delicious! I'm new to cooking with a PC and am very impressed so far. Thanks for sharing the recipe.