It’s northern Italian comfort food dressed up in its Sunday best: beef shanks browned to a deep mahogany, braised low and slow (well, “low and slow” by pressure cooker standards, which really means “fast and sneaky”) in a bath of wine, tomatoes, and aromatic vegetables until the meat surrenders completely and practically falls off the bone. The pressure cooker does the heavy lifting here, compressing hours of traditional braising into a shorter time span, though the flavor tastes like it took all afternoon.
The real showstopper, though, is that bone sitting in the center of each shank, holding its treasure of rich, buttery marrow. Don’t skip it. Set out small spoons — espresso spoons are perfect for this — so everyone can scoop out the marrow, sprinkle it with a little salt, and eat it with a dab of the bright, zesty gremolata. That gremolata (a simple mix of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic) is non-negotiable, by the way — it’s the citrusy exclamation point that cuts through all that luxurious richness and keeps the whole dish from feeling like a heart attack on a plate.
NOTES: You can substitute veal, lamb, or pork shanks, but the cooking time may vary.
If you’d rather use a slow cooker, cook on high for 5 to 7 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.
*Our 3 beef shanks weighed in at a whopping 4.4 pounds. We doubled the amount of carrots, celery and tomato paste, and added two large shallots. All of this is noted under ingredients below.
Pressure Cooker Beef Shanks Osso Buco
Ingredients
FOR THE OSSO BUCO
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ to 3 lbs. (4 pieces) osso buco (bone-in beef shanks)*, patted dry with a paper towel
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 4 medium carrots, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 2-3 shallots, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine, or dry vermouth
- ½ cup chicken or beef stock, preferably homemade
- 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
FOR THE GREMOLATA
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch of kosher salt, plus more as needed
Directions
- Spread flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Tie the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.
- Season the beef with the salt and pepper to taste, and then dredge it in the flour to coat all sides. Using the sauté function on high if available, heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Add the osso buco in batches (do not crowd the pot), and brown it well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Altogether this will take 20 to 30 minutes to get the pieces nicely golden all over. Transfer the osso buco pieces to a plate as they brown.
- Turn the sauté function down to medium if available, or unplug the pot for a minute to let it cool down slightly. Add the butter to the pressure cooker and let it melt; then stir in the onion, shallots, carrots, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the wine to the pot to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Nestle the osso buco pieces into the pot, then top with the herb bundle. Cover and cook on high pressure for 45-50 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (anywhere from 20 to 40 min).
- Transfer the osso buco to a plate and, using the sauté function, simmer the sauce, stirring it often, until it is thick and reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the sauce settle for at least 10 minutes, and then spoon any excess fat off the top.
- While the sauce is settling, make the gremolata: In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, and salt.
- To serve, transfer the shanks to a serving platter, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the gremolata, with more on the side.
Adapted from a recipe by Melissa Clark for NYTimes Cooking
