Country-Style Boneless Beef Ribs

These boneless beef ribs are so delicious that I'll 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 aren't 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Cut of Meat are Country-Style Beef Ribs?

If you have never seen or cooked country-style chuck ribs before, you might see ribs and automatically think Beef Short Ribs. However, they not the same cut of meat. Beef short ribs are usually cut from the plate area on a cow and have bones in them. There are two different styles of short ribs: English cut and Flanken style. The English cut are thicker pieces of meat attached to a bone on one side. Flanken ribs are cross cut and have 3-4 small round bones in them.

Country Style Beef ribs are cut from the chuck section and are always boneless. They are cut from the chuck eye roll which is also used for chuck eye steaks, otherwise known as "poor man's ribeye."

It's the chuck eye steak that is cut into sections resembling thick portions of ribs that are called country-style beef ribs. It's easy to miss them in the grocery store if you aren't specifically looking for them. In fact, I can't recall seeing them before and I know I had never cooked them until I started testing this recipe.

They are mostly found in US grocery stores and, if you don't see them, I would ask the meat department if they carry them and, if not, ask them if they can get them in for you. You can also call a local butcher and ask them if they can get the country-style ribs or even a chuck eye steak. If you see a chuck eye steak, you can cut that into sections and it will be the same as the boneless beef ribs.

In other countries, this cut might be called something different, so be sure to ask your butcher. Here is a terrific diagram of all the different cuts of beef.

Substitutions for Country-Style Beef Ribs

If you can't find the boneless country-style beef ribs, there are some cuts of meat that you can substitute. Here are some of my suggestions along with cooking recommendations.

Beef Short Ribs

You can absolutely use short ribs in this recipe and I recommend the English cut, not the Flanken style.

The pressure cook time really depends on the size of the ribs, but I recommend starting with 40 minutes of PC time on high, unless the ribs are very small. There is a higher fat content in beef short ribs, so expect your juices to be extra fatty.

If the fat needs to be rendered more on the short ribs after the PC time, remove the ribs from the liquid and either broil them in the oven for 5-10 minutes while you make the gravy or use your air fryer to crisp them up. I would AC on 400℉/200℃ for 10 minutes or so.

Chuck Roast or Chuck Steak

A chuck roast or chuck steak can also be substituted, but might require a little trimming. In order for the beef to cook in 30 minutes, you will also want to cut it into chunks about 4" long by 2-3" wide.

I would keep the pressure cook time the same for this cut, so 30 minutes on high.

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 Recipe Link

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.

Slow Cooker Beef Country-Style Ribs

Although I love to use my pressure cooker to make this recipe, you may prefer to use your crock pot or slow cooker and that will work just fine. It's just going to take quite a bit longer.

You could make the gravy at the same time as you cook the ribs, but I prefer to do it at the end after the ribs are nice and tender. This way I know exactly how much flour, cornstarch, or xanthan gum I need to thicken the liquid to make the gravy.

In my experience, tougher cuts of meat also break down better when they are in thin liquid versus a thicker gravy. However, you can certainly do it any way you like.

My recommendations for slow cooking the boneless beef ribs is to season with the dry rub in the recipe and sear the ribs on all sides.

Place the ribs, along with the onion, mushrooms, and rosemary sprig into the slow cooker with 2 cups of beef stock or broth. I increase the liquid because you will have evaporation over the slow cooking process and although the beef will release its own juices, the 2 cups of liquid will heat up and help to get the meat cooking quicker.

The total slow cook time will depend on your slow cooker or crock pot, but I would definitely plan on at least 4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low. The ribs are done when they are melt-in-your-mouth tender.

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.

Prep

The good news is there really isn't 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 don't 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 don't 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 don't want to cut the potatoes too soon or they will turn brown.

Season

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.

I used:

• 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. Let's 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 won't get a sear, you will steam them instead.

Sear

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. It's 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 doesn't 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 don't 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

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.

Layer

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 don't 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.

What I did

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 didn't add cream cheese to the potatoes, but I did add about ¼ cup of water to steam to help the potatoes cook.

Pressure 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 shouldn't do an immediate release of pressure when cooking meat, but the ribs will be submerged in the liquid and they won't dry out, so it's fine to release the pressure now. You can also do a timed release of 10 minutes, if you prefer. That won't 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 it's time to make the gravy.

Traditional 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.

How to Make Keto Gravy

One of my favorite ways to thicken this gravy to keep it lower carb is to use xanthan gum. Xanthan gum does not need to be heated to thicken and it clumps very easily, so it has to be mixed with something first. You can either skim off the fat from the top of the juices or use some oil or melted butter.

Combine 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to 2 teaspoons of oil and mix well to get a smooth, slightly thick liquid. Pour this into the juices and stir. Within a few minutes, the liquid will thicken into a luxurious gravy.

*note: if you are following a strict keto diet, you may want to skip the onion, onion powder, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce, since they do increase the carb count in recipes.

How to Make Cauliflower Au Gratin

I had, what I like to call, a happy accident when I was filming the video. I left my cauliflower pieces so large, they shredded instead of mashed smooth like I wanted for cauliflower mash.

So, I improvised and immediately fell in love with the cauliflower au gratin I made.

To make it, leave your cauliflower in very large pieces and add in the 4 whole garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and 3 ounces of cream cheese. Cover and pressure cook above the ribs (see above for pictures).

Remove the foil and add in 1 Tablespoon of butter. Go through the cauliflower with a fork to shred it into pieces (kind of like hashbrown potatoes) or use a Mix 'N Mash like I did.

Cover with about ¼-½ cup of shredded cheese (any kind is fine) and put the pan uncovered back on the basket legs and broil for 6-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I do this after I make the gravy. Then serve immediately.

Side Dish Recipes for Country Beef Ribs

These side dishes go perfectly with the juicy and tender beef ribs and gravy.