Paleo Beef Brisket Pho (Instant Pot Recipe)
The following ingredient measurements and cooking time are for a 6-quart size instant pot (electric pressure cooker). If your instant pot size is smaller than 6-quart, please reduce the beef bone and brisket quantity by a 1/8 to 1/4 lb less. Please make sure not to overfill the soup pot. Leave some space to allow liquid to come to a boiling state without spilling over.
The following ingredient measurements and cooking time are for a 6-quart size instant pot (electric pressure cooker). If your instant pot size is smaller than 6-quart, please reduce the beef bone and brisket quantity by a 1/8 to 1/4 lb less. Please make sure not to overfill the soup pot. Leave some space to allow liquid to come to a boiling state without spilling over.
- water
- lime wedges
- bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp red boat fish sauce
- mint leaves
- 2 sticks
- 1.75 - 2 lbs . beef brisket
- 1-1.25 lbs beef shank soup bones ( beef knuckle bones, or a combination)
- 1 cups dry shiitake mushrooms* ((rehydrate overnight in
- 3 loose carrots ( roughly chopped*)
- 1 medium size yellow onion ( peeled but not sliced (leave it as a whole))
- 1 large size leek ( roughly diced into segments)
- 2 tsp fine sea salt*
- 1 tsp five spice powder ((optional))
- tea bags or cheese cloth
- 2 fat thumb size ginger ((scrub clean no need to peel))
- 4 star anise
- 8 green cardamom
- 3 medium size shallots
- 4-5 cilantro roots ((alt. 1 â½ tsp coriander seed
- baby bok choy
- red or green fresno chili peppers
- asian/thai basil ((optional))
- cilantro ((optional))
- hot chili pepper sauce ((optional))
- Carbohydrate 3.24893965323461 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.252072985281124 g
- Fiber 1.28641971624584 g
- Protein 1.20469659058932 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0302375460190657 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (80g)
- Sodium 38.5602699509899 mg
- Sugar 1.96251993698877 g
- Trans Fat 0.0990798301098896 g
- Calories 15 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak the dry shiitake mushrooms overnight in room temperature water. If rush on time, soak in warm temperature water until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
- Pre-boil the bones and brisket: add the bones and brisket to a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring the water to boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer for 10 more minutes. Rinse the bones and meat over room temperature tap water.* Set aside. Discard the broth.
- Grill the ingredients under “Pho Aroma Combo†in a cast iron over medium heat. No oil added. Rotate and flip the ingredients frequently until you can smell a nice and lovely fragrant. Be careful not to burn the aroma combo. Slightly charred outer surface is okay but not burnt.
- Slice the mushrooms. Save the mushroom water. Roughly dice leek. Add aroma combo and leeks to large tea bags or cheesecloth tied with a string.*
- In a 6-quart size instant pot, add beef bones, brisket (fatty side up)*, diced carrots, aroma combo and leeks (in tea bags). Strain the mushroom water as you add the liquid to the pot. Fill the pot with more tap water until it reaches the 4 liter mark. Close the lid in Sealing position - Press Soup - Adjust to 40 minutes/High pressure/More.
- Allow the instant pot come to natural pressure release (valve dropped), discard the whole onion and aroma combo in tea bags.
- Remove the brisket and soak it in cold water for at least 10 minutes. This will prevent the meat from turning dark color. Discard aroma & leek tea bags, yellow onion, and beef bones. Season the broth with 2 ½ tsp fine sea salt, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and 1 tsp five spice powder (optional).
- Thin slice the brisket in 45 degree angle and against the grain. Ladle the broth over bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, mint leaves, Asian basil, chili peppers, and sliced brisket. Serve hot with lime wedges.
Pre-Boiling and Purging Impurities
Before pressure cooking begins, submerging the beef bones and brisket in a large stockpot of water and bringing them to a rolling boil for ten minutes is essential for extracting impurities that would otherwise muddy a clear broth. Rinsing those bones and the meat under room temperature tap water immediately after this initial boil washes away coagulated proteins, which guarantees a cleaner, translucent soup base. If skipping this step saves time, expect a cloudier broth with a heavier, more muted flavor profile that masks the delicate spices.
Charring Aromatics Without Burning
Dry-roasting the onion, ginger, shallots, and spices in a cast iron skillet over medium heat forces the natural sugars to caramelize and release essential oils into the surrounding air. When rotating these aromatics frequently, look for slightly charred outer surfaces rather than blackened spots, because bitter carbon will ruin the underlying sweetness of the broth. Enclosing these charred components alongside the roughly diced leeks inside large tea bags or cheesecloth prevents solid debris from floating freely through the 4-liter liquid mark inside a 6-quart electric pressure cooker.
Cooling and Slicing the Brisket
Natural pressure release allows the collagen within the beef shank soup bones to break down into gelatin without forcing moisture out of the muscle fibers. Removing the cooked brisket and submerging it in cold water for at least ten minutes halts the residual cooking process while preventing the exterior from oxidizing and turning an unappealing dark color. Thinly slicing that rested meat at a 45-degree angle directly against the grain ensures tender bites when hot broth is ladled over fresh bean sprouts, mint leaves, and lime wedges.
