These boneless beef ribs are so delicious that Ill never make a chuck roast again! Seriously, as long as I can find the country-style beef ribs, it will always be my first choice when I want a nice piece of beef that is tender and melt-in-your-mouth good.
The first time I made this recipe, I was blown away at how beefy, succulent, and tender these boneless ribs came out. Of course, they arent really ribs. Country-style beef ribs are actually cut from the same area as a chuck roast which is the shoulder area on a cow. From what I have read, country-style beef ribs are cut from a chuck eye steak to resemble ribs and they are definitely my new favorite cut of beef for pressure cooking!
You can make this recipe with delicious mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy OR take it to the low carb zone with an amazing recipe for keto gravy and either mashed cauliflower or cauliflower au gratin.
Country-style beef ribs are the beef version of country-style pork ribs. When you see country-style pork ribs in the grocery store, they arent the same as baby back ribs or St. Louis style ribs. They are actually cut from a tougher cut of the pork called the pork shoulder. The same goes for country-style beef ribs. They are cut from the shoulder area of the cow and arent technically ribs at all.
Although they are from the same area on a cow, the chuck roast is very different from country-style beef ribs in several ways. Boneless country style beef ribs are well-marbled, but not as fatty and have less connective tissue, in my experience. The texture is also slightly different. The country-style beef ribs are firmer, but so tender. So, its more like eating a steak than a chuck roast that tends to shred. The country style beef ribs also have a more beefy taste. While the two cuts can be used interchangeably in many recipes, I would always recommend grabbing country-style beef ribs over a chuck roast if you find them.
Beef Country-Style Ribs can be tough if they arent cooked properly. This cut does best if its pressure cooked or slow cooked in a moist cooking environment. You can certainly finish them off on a grill, but there isnt a lot of fat to render. I have found it best to season and sear the ribs, and then pressure cook or slow cook until tender.
Western shoulder ribs aren’t really ribs at all – they’re pieces of pork shoulder, cut across the shoulder blade so it looks like a rib.
How to Make Country-Style Beef Ribs in a Pressure Cooker
By far, this is my favorite and quickest way for making the most delicious and tender ribs. You can use your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker, or any electric pressure cooker for this recipe and the instructions will remain the same.
You can also cook your potatoes at the same time to make an incredible side dish to serve with your boneless ribs.
The good news is there really isnt much prep involved in this recipe. One of the first decisions you want to make is if you want to cook some potatoes (or cauliflower) on top of the ribs. If so, limit the amount of ribs you use to 2-3 pounds in the 6.5qt Ninja Foodi or 3-4 pounds in the 8 quart Ninja Foodi.
If you dont want to do a layered meal, you can absolutely make 5 or more pounds of the boneless ribs. You will want to sear in batches, but the cook time will be the same. You also dont need to increase your liquid amount.
Cut up your onion into large chunks. Cut the mushrooms into slices or into quarters, whichever you prefer.
If you want to cook cauliflower on top of the ribs, then cut the head of cauliflower into quarters. For cauliflower au gratin, leave the florets very large. For mashed cauliflower, cut them into smaller pieces.
If you want to cook potatoes on top for mashed potatoes, then I would peel and cut the potatoes into quarter-size chunks while the meat is searing. You dont want to cut the potatoes too soon or they will turn brown.
You can choose to season your boneless beef ribs with whatever seasoning blend you like. Use something that will compliment the sauce or gravy you plan on using. If you are going to make a nice beef gravy like I did, then simple seasonings of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and even a little thyme or rosemary will work nicely. I would use dry seasonings in your rub instead of fresh herbs because fresh herbs tend to burn when seared.
- 2 teaspoons fine grind sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Evenly coat the boneless ribs with the dry seasoning blend
Alternatively, you can choose to marinate your beef ribs in a wet marinade for a few hours. Lets say you wanted to make Asian-inspired beef ribs. Then mix up some soy sauce, ginger, garlic, water, and maybe even some honey as a wet marinade. Make sure you blot dry the ribs before searing if using a wet marinade or you wont get a sear, you will steam them instead.
Although you might want to skip this process, I really recommend taking the time to sear the beef before pressure cooking. This allows the Maillard Reaction to occur which is a chemical process that develops flavor. Think about white bread versus white toast. They taste different, right? Perfectly toasted bread takes on more flavor than plain bread and that is due to the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is also responsible for that delicious crust on a loaf of French bread. Its worth spending the time to sear the beef, I promise!
You can sear in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot, but if your electric pressure cooker or slow cooker doesnt have that ability, you will want to use a large skillet on the stove.
Turn the sear/sauté on high and let the pot heat up for 3-5 minutes. Add in 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil or olive oil and let the oil heat for another few minutes.
Place each rib on the bottom of the pot and let them sear on the one side for 3-5 minutes. Turn and repeat for all of the sides. If all of your ribs dont fit in the bottom in a single layer, sear in batches until all of the ribs are seared and nicely brown on all sides.
When you are just finishing up the last side of the ribs, add in the mushrooms, onions, whole garlic cloves and rosemary sprig (if using).
Deglaze the inner pot with 1 cup of beef broth or stock or any combination of thin liquid. If you wanted to add some wine, replace ¼ cup of the beef stock/broth with wine. You can also add in a little red wine vinegar if you wanted a little tang. The acid in the wine or vinegar does help break down connective tissues, but I only used beef broth and it worked perfectly.
Make sure you scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or some other utensil that is safe for the pot material to remove anything that may be stuck on. This will help prevent the “burn” or “water” notice.
Add in the Worcestershire sauce, if you are using it.
If you are going to cook potatoes, cauliflower, or something else on top of the ribs, you will want to read this section. If not, skip to Pressure Cooking below.
How you layer your ingredients in the pot will vary based on what you are layering, what size pot you have, and the accessories you have available. I am using the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper for this recipe, so I will go over how I layered my ingredients. This is not the only way and even if you dont have any kind of trivet or basket legs or rack, you can always make a foil packet and put your potatoes or cauliflower in there to cook. I would leave out any extra ingredients (like cream cheese) because it might leak out into your ribs below.
I used the 6.5 qt Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker for this recipe and I removed the basket legs from the air fryer basket. I placed them over the ribs to create a place for my pan to rest without sinking into the ribs below.
I added ½ head of cauliflower cut into 3 large pieces to an 8″ Fat Daddio along with 4 peeled and whole garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and 3 ounces of cream cheese. I covered the pan with aluminum foil and placed it on the basket legs.
I also tested the recipe using potatoes that I wanted to cook for mashed potatoes and you can do that the same way as the cauliflower. I didnt add cream cheese to the potatoes, but I did add about ¼ cup of water to steam to help the potatoes cook.
Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. When the time is up, immediately release the pressure.
You may have heard that you shouldnt do an immediate release of pressure when cooking meat, but the ribs will be submerged in the liquid and they wont dry out, so its fine to release the pressure now. You can also do a timed release of 10 minutes, if you prefer. That wont affect anything, either.
Remove the lid and mash the potatoes as you normally would or make the cauliflower au gratin as described below.
If you are only making the ribs, then its time to make the gravy.
There are several ways to turn the cooking liquid and juices from the beef ribs into a delicious gravy.
Flour
If you see a nice oily sheen on top of the juices, you can simply sift in some flour on top and let it absorb the oil, then stir it in. Then repeat this process until you no longer have any oil left to combine with the flour. This process can be a little tedious and, if you go too fast, it might get lumpy.
Cornstarch Slurry
The quickest and easiest way to thicken the juices is by adding a cornstarch slurry. To do this, combine 1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon cold water and stir. until smooth.
Add the slurry to the juices and turn the sear/sauté on high. Stir and bring to a simmer. The liquid will thicken into a gravy within a few minutes. You can add more cornstarch in slurry form if you want the gravy thicker.
Roux
You can also add a roux to the liquid and bring to a simmer to thicken the gravy. To make a roux, combine equal amounts of flour and oil or butter and sauté in a skillet over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until it is a beige color. 2 Tablespoons of flour to 2 Tablespoons of butter or oil should be fine to thicken the gravy.
Eye of Round Steak or Roast
Although this cut of beef is from the opposite end of the cow, it still can be a delicious cut of beef when properly cooked.
I have found that eye of round steaks that are 1″ in height tenderize perfectly in 30 minutes. In fact, I used this cut for making Swiss Steak and it turned out perfectly!
Swiss steak is in a tomato gravy, but if you want to make the beef gravy in this recipe, you can follow the exact same instructions in this recipe and simply use the round steaks instead of country ribs.
If you have an eye of round roast, I would cut it into “ribs” like the country style beef ribs and increase the PC time to 45 minutes.
Country Style Ribs
FAQ
What are bone in Western ribs?
What cut of meat is country-style ribs?
What is the difference between pork ribs and country-style ribs?
Are beef short ribs the same as beef country-style ribs?
What is a Western style rib?
Western style ribs are a type of pork ribs that are typically larger and meatier compared to other rib cuts. They come from the rib section of the pig and are often characterized by their delicious combination of tender meat and smoky flavor. Can I use different types of ribs for this recipe?
What is the reason for the pain in the ribs?
Pain in ribs can be due to various reasons including trauma (rib fracture), pulled muscle, joint inflammation, referred pain (liver, spleen, and lungs) and due to underlying undiagnosed auto-immune disorder.
Are western shoulder ribs a rib?
Western shoulder ribs aren’t really ribs at all – they’re pieces of pork shoulder, cut across the shoulder blade so it looks like a rib. You can see this in the picture above; the country style loin rib actually has a rib bone, curving down on the left side; the western rib has a piece of the shoulder blade – not really a rib.
What is the difference between country ribs and Western rib?
They cook a little different. Use country ribs for grilling or roasting; western ribs for barbecue or pressure cooking. But you don’t have to be militant about it. They are both tougher cuts of meat, that take well to longer roasting or braising recipes.