A richer, more flavorful tomato and red wine braised beef brisket recipe (pressure cooker version).

A collection of ingredients~

The piece I chose is a really good cut of brisket, with a good balance of fat and lean meat and some connective tissue, giving it a rich texture. Cut it into big chunks, don't worry about cutting it too big, because beef shrinks a lot after heating, so it has to be big to look decent!

Place the beef brisket in a pot of cold water, add Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off the foam and remove the brisket to remove all the blood. Rinse the beef brisket thoroughly with hot water and set aside.

While the beef brisket is blanching, you can chop the tomatoes. I prepared a lot of beef this time, so I used four tomatoes. First, peel and chop three of them into small pieces.

Cleaned beef brisket.

Heat some oil in a wok, add scallions and ginger slices to sauté, then add beef brisket chunks and stir-fry until the surface is browned.

Now add the tomato chunks and stir-fry over high heat until the tomatoes soften and release their juices.

Three tomatoes alone are far from enough to get the tomato flavor we need; it's still a bit lacking in the rich, tangy taste we crave. Try Heinz tomato sauce – one bottle is equivalent to 10 tomatoes! It will give you even more tomato flavor. Squeeze it in according to your taste; if you love tomatoes, add more! I added quite a bit. As someone with OCD, I always glance at the ingredient list no matter what seasoning I use. Great, zero additives, zero fat – perfect for me.

And another large glass of red wine. It will remove the gamey smell from the beef and add a touch of wine aroma.

Add boiling water until it just covers the beef brisket. We're using a pressure cooker today, which saves time and doesn't require adding much water.

Transfer to a pressure cooker, add star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and nutmeg. Sound familiar? Those who enjoy mulled wine will know that these spices pair perfectly with red wine. They enhance the flavor of the wine and complement the sweetness of the beef brisket—a win-win situation.

Once the pressure cooker reaches pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 6 minutes, then allow it to release pressure naturally. Because it still needs to simmer for 10-15 minutes after pressure release, the pressure cooking time for the beef brisket needs to be slightly shorter than usual. The biggest problem with pressure cookers is that it's difficult for the flavors to penetrate. I always use the method of pressure cooking first and then simmering. Since the pressure has fully opened up the beef brisket's tissues, only a few minutes of simmering time is needed to allow the meat to quickly absorb the broth's flavor, while also allowing the alcohol from the red wine to evaporate, leaving only the aromatic compounds intertwined with the beef.

Release the pressure and open the lid. Season with light soy sauce and salt, adjusting the amount of sugar according to the acidity of the broth, and add a generous amount of pepper. Taste the broth at this point; if the tomato flavor isn't strong enough, add more Heinz tomato sauce – the stronger the better! Then turn up the heat to reduce the sauce. Finally, add a peeled and large-chunked tomato; cook until the edges soften, then remove from heat.

This dish is best served with plenty of sauce, don't reduce it too much! Thanks to Heinz tomato sauce, the sauce is thick and creamy, coating the beef perfectly. It's also amazing with rice or noodles! Garnish with a little cilantro and it's ready to eat!