Beef Short Ribs in the Instant Pot (or Pressure Cooker)

Laura Lynch

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These Beef Short Ribs in the Instant Pot are so tender and flavorful and ready in just over an hour. They’re the perfect dinner solution for a set-it-and-forget it meal or an impressive dinner for friends.

I love making short ribs in the slow cooker, but sometimes I really don’t have time for that. To get it right, it’s a day-long endeavor. That’s why I almost always turn to the Instant for making tender, fall-apart short ribs. If you have the time you will love this beer braised short ribs recipe.

The Instant Pot is a great tool to cut down the cooking time of dishes like this one that typically take all day to make. In the slow cooker or on the stovetop, short ribs need at least 5 hours to cook. But in the Instant Pot, they’re ready in just over an hour. It’s so much faster than braising short ribs.

» You might also like this Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Pappardelle.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Beef short ribs – Beef short ribs is a specific cut that comes from the chuck portion. It is actually beef ribs that are shortened by cutting. This particular cut is known for its rich beefy flavor and marbling.
• Cooking oil – You can use olive oil, canola oil or any cooking oil for this recipe. It is used for searing the meat.
• Onion – Quartered. Onion adds a slightly sweet and savory flavor.
• Carrots – Peeled and cut into sticks. Carrots are loaded with vitamins and also add flavor and heartiness.
• Garlic – Freshly cut or smashed cloves are best, but chopped garlic from the store will also work.
• Beef broth – Beef broth makes this soup rich and gives it a meaty flavor.
• Red wine or bourbon – Red wine adds a richness to the sauce. You can substitute more broth if you don’t want to use alcohol.
• Thyme – Adding fresh thyme sprigs adds aroma.
• Spices for the rub – Paprika, brown sugar, salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme and garlic powder.

How to Make Beef Short Ribs in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Short ribs are often sold in pieces that are about 3-4 inches long. When you’re shopping for beef short ribs, those are the perfect size for cooking in the Instant Pot. Sometimes they come in much longer pieces, which won’t fit in the pot, so be mindful of that.

Step 1: Prepare the meat

Rinse and pat dry the ribs. Then you’re ready for the dry rub.

Mix together the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Use all of the rub to coat the ribs. Once you’ve coated the ribs, you can proceed to cooking them immediately, or you can let them marinate in the rub for 20 minutes, or overnight.

Step 2: Saute the ribs

Turn on the saute mode on the Instant Pot. Add some cooking oil to the pot and let it get hot.

As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the ribs, meat side down and sear for about 3 minutes on each side. You want to get a nice sear on the meat, as this adds flavor and rich color.

As soon as you’ve seared each side, turn off saute mode. Transfer the ribs to a plate.

Step 3: Prepare for cooking

Deglaze the pan by adding the beef stock and red wine. Whisk the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.

Return the meat to the pot. Top with the carrots, onion, garlic and thyme.

Step 4: Pressure Cook

Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Set to pressure cook on high for 50 minutes.

When done, allow for a natural release of the pressure, which takes about 15-30 minutes. Then you can open the pot. The meat should be very tender – nearly or already falling off the bone tender. It can be easily shredded with a fork.

The bones can be removed from the meat. As you’re doing that, you’ll notice there is a spongy membrane between the bone and meat. I like to remove that as well. If you don’t mind that texture, you can leave it on.

I like to serve the meat over mashed potatoes, with the carrots and onions on the side. It’s such a delicious plate of food!

Tips and Notes for Instant Pot Ribs

• You can use either red wine or bourbon in this recipe. Both are very good. If you don’t wish to use either, just add a bit more beef broth to the pot.
• If you wish to serve the gravy with the meat, strain it through a sieve and skim off the fat. It can be thickened in the pot, if desired.
• We use our electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for this recipe, but you can easily convert it to a traditional pressure cooker on the stovetop.

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Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

These melt-in-your-mouth tender beef short ribs are a cinch to make in the Instant Pot.

4.34 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Pressure Release Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 593kcal

Author: Laura Lynch

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds (680 g) beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cooking oil
• 1/2 small onion quartered
• 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into sticks
• 2 cloves garlic smashed
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) beef broth
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) red wine or bourbon
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme optional

For the rub

• 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 g) dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) garlic powder

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Instructions

• Rinse and pat dry the ribs.
• Mix together the dry rub ingredients. Use all of the dry rub to coat the ribs.
• Press the "saute" mode on the Instant Pot. Allow it to heat up for 3 minutes. Add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the ribs, meat-side down, and brown on all sides.
• Cancel saute mode and remove the ribs from the pot. Pour in the beef broth and red wine. Whisk to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 3 minutes.
• Place the beef ribs into the liquid in the Instant Pot. Add the carrots, onions, and garlic on top of the meat. Toss in the thyme sprigs, if using.
• Secure the lid on the pot and set the vent to sealing. Press the "pressure cook" button on the Instant Pot and set the time to 50 minutes. After the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally (about 15-20 minutes).

Equipment Needed

• Instant Pot

Notes

• You can use either red wine or bourbon in this recipe. Both are very good. If you don’t wish to use either, just add a bit more beef broth to the pot.
• If you wish to serve the gravy with the meat, strain it through a sieve and skim off the fat. It can be thickened in the pot, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1013mg | Potassium: 1267mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10739IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 7mg

Laura Lynch

Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes and currently has a cookbook in development.