Pressure Cooker Pot-au-Feu (French Boiled Beef and Vegetables) Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated February 22, 2019
20171219-pot-au-feu-vicky-wasik-11
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Choosing the right cuts of beef ensure meat that's silky and tender, not tough and dry.
  • Adding the vegetables at the end guarantees they cook until soft and buttery but still retain their flavor.
  • A pressure cooker's high temperature greatly speeds up the transformation of tough cuts of beef into succulent ones.

Pot-au-feu (pot on the fire) is one of France's most famous home-cooked dishes. It features an assortment of beef cuts and vegetables, all simmered in a flavorful broth until buttery and tender. The art of it comes down to selecting the right cuts of beef, and ensuring each one, plus all the vegetables, are cooked perfectly. This recipe uses a pressure cooker to greatly speed up the cooking time, making this a realistic weeknight meal.

Recipe Details

Pressure Cooker Pot-au-Feu (French Boiled Beef and Vegetables) Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 60 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (900g) boneless beef chuck roast, tied into a tight cylinder

  • 1 pound (450g) bone-in beef short ribs

  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 whole yellow onion, halved and stuck with 4 cloves in total

  • 1 small head garlic, papery skin left on and head cut in half crosswise

  • 1 rib celery

  • 15 whole black peppercorns

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Kosher or sea salt

  • 5 small Yukon Gold potatoes (1 1/2 pounds; 680g total), pierced all over with a fork

  • 2 medium leeks (1 pound; 450g total), trimmed of root end and darkest green top and washed very well

  • 5 medium carrots (10 ounces; 280g total), peeled or scrubbed

  • 1/4 head green or Savoy cabbage

  • 1 medium (4-ounce; 115g) turnip, peeled and quartered

  • 1 medium (5-ounce; 140g) parsnip, peeled and quartered lengthwise

  • 1 pound (450g) beef marrow bones (about 3), optional

  • Toast for the marrow bones, if using

  • Mustard, grated horseradish, and cornichons, for condiments

Directions

  1. In a pressure cooker, combine beef chuck, short ribs, thyme, onion, garlic, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Top with enough cold water to just cover and season with a very generous pinch of salt.

  2. Top with enough cold water to cover (be sure not to surpass the cooker's max fill line). Close cooker, bring to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Depressurize cooker using rapid release method.

  3. Strain broth, discarding thyme, onion, garlic, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Return beef and broth to pressure cooker. Skim broth of any fat or scum.

  4. Add potatoes, leeks, carrots, cabbage, turnip, parsnip, and marrow bones, if using, to pressure cooker, making sure all are submerged in the broth with the beef (add more water if necessary, again being careful not to surpass the cooker's max fill line).

  5. Return pressure cooker to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Depressurize cooker using rapid release method. At this point both the beef and vegetables should be very tender (if not, return to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes longer).

  6. Transfer meats and vegetables to a platter, bathing with broth to keep moist. Season broth with salt. Serve broth as a soup, and the meats and vegetables as the main course; the marrow bones can be served with toasts (spread the marrow on the toasts and season with salt). Pass more salt at the table for seasoning the meats, along with mustard, grated horseradish, and cornichons.

Special equipment

Electric or stovetop pressure cooker (get our full review)

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
577 Calories
27g Fat
42g Carbs
44g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 577
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 12g 58%
Cholesterol 136mg 45%
Sodium 1175mg 51%
Total Carbohydrate 42g 15%
Dietary Fiber 7g 26%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 44g
Vitamin C 29mg 144%
Calcium 113mg 9%
Iron 6mg 35%
Potassium 1446mg 31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes