Making Instant Pot Short Ribs couldn’t be easier! Try this recipe for tender, succulent, fall off the bone braised short ribs, made even more delicious with a secret ingredient! 🙂
These Instant Pot Ribs are a delicious & easy dinner recipe!
I first owned a pressure cooker in 2011, when I first moved into my own apartment. Instants pots weren’t around at the time, and it was simply called a “multi cooker”. Thanks to my lack of proper meal planning, I quickly learned to appreciate the pressure cooker function on my multi cooker. The fact that you can get a kick ass meal made in less than 30 minutes, starting from frozen meat was a god send to me!
I think I’ve come quite far now in terms of meal planning, but the Instant Pot is still a beast! 🙂
This Best Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is one I’ve used countless times, and I’ve used this same recipe for lamb chops as well. It works beautifully for any kind of red meat, really, but it’s just perfect with beef short ribs. The flavors here are simple but robust, and complement each other well. Plus, I’ve got a secret ingredient that makes these pretty much the BEST instant pot short ribs in the world! 🙂
So what’s my secret ingredient?
BOURBON WHISKEY! You can use Scotch whiskey if you prefer as well, but bourbon is my choice over Scotch. The taste that it leaves behind is subtle, but it really adds to the depth of flavor in these instant pot short ribs.
Can I skip the alcohol?
If you’re worried about the alcohol content, you need not be.
Since the alcohol in this recipe is being used to deglaze, it does evaporate a lot. However, if you prefer the alcohol to be completely gone, cook it a little longer before adding the other liquids. You can also add less burbon.
I have also had readers who substituted the bourbon with wine (which has less alcohol), and even coffee.
These pressure cooker short ribs are braised in my own homemade beef and chicken stock, but you can braise them in a good quality beef stock instead too. These instant pot short ribs are cooked to perfection in a slightly sweet and slightly spicy base. I added cayenne pepper and paprika to give these short ribs a little spicy kick. I usually add up to 2 tsp of cayenne pepper (even then, it’s only slightly spicy for us). But I’ve adjusted it to a milder level in this recipe. But feel free to adjust the level of spice to your liking.
The first step to making these instant pot short ribs is preparing the short ribs. This step is all the labor required for this recipe on your part!
- Soak the beef short ribs in COLD WATER for just a couple of minutes to wash off any excess blood and bone dust.
- Pat dry each rib with paper towels. Wet short ribs take AGES to sear and to form that beautiful golden crust, so make sure they are dry.
- Season GENEROUSLY. You can even cover the short ribs and leave them to marinate for about one hour if you wish. But honestly, you don’t have to. The instant pot (or pressure cooker) will take care of that!
- SEAR each short rib in the instant pot. This step is important!
Searing the meat will caramelize the surface of these short ribs. The caramelization adds another layer of flavor to these braised short ribs. Make sure to do this in batches, so that you don’t overcrowd your instant pot. If the bottom of the pan is too crowded, you’ll end up “boiling” the short ribs instead of searing them. Not good. So this caramelization step requires a bit of patience and time on your part, but I promise the result will be deliciously tender, succulent, fall off the bone, braised short ribs!
After this step, everything else is hands-off. So while these pressure cooker short ribs are cooking, you can prepare the rest of the meal.
How do I serve these braised instant pot short ribs?
I served these with garlicky, creamy, mashed cauliflower. But here are some more ideas!
- Mashed potatoes
- Cheesy polenta
- Roasted root vegetables
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Potato medallions
- Toasted crusty bread
I guarantee you will LOVE these instant pot short ribs! 🙂 What I cannot guarantee however are any leftovers! But just in case, here are some great options for leftover instant pot short ribs,
- AMAZING beef tacos
- Southwestern omelets
- Grilled cheese sandwiches with beef
- Steak and eggs with toast (for breakfast)
- Beef fried rice
If you liked this best instant pot short ribs recipe (braised short ribs), don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing.
Other recipes you may like,
Instant Pot Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
Korean BBQ Short Ribs (LA Galbi)
EQUIPMENT & TOOLS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
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Instant Pot Short ribs
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs short ribs about 8 short ribs
- Salt to season generously
- 1 medium onion sliced thickly
- ½ cup bourbon
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp if you prefer it spicier
- 3 tbsp sugar use less if you prefer the dish to be less sweet
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Thyme 2 - 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 cup beef stock I used homemade chicken and beef broth
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions:
- Fill a large bowl or pot with cold water. Immerse the short ribs, and rinse the ribs in the cold water to wash off excess blood and bone dust.
- Drain and pat dry the short ribs with paper towels. Generously sprinkle salt on all the ribs, on both sides.
- Switch on the Instant Pot to the saute setting on high. When the instant pot is hot, pour about 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, place about 3 - 4 short ribs in the instant pot to caramelize or to sear. It's important not to overcrowd the bottom in order to get nice caramelization on your short ribs. Sear the short ribs on all sides, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Place the caramelized short ribs on a plate.
- Repeat with the rest of the short ribs.
- For the next step, you will only need about 1 tbsp of oil in the instant pot. Discard the excess oil if there's more than 1 tbsp of it in the instant pot at this point.
- Place the thickly sliced onion in the pot, and add the boubon. De-glaze the bottom of the instant pot to make sure that all of the caramelized bits on the bottom are mixed with the bourbon (de-glazing is an important step, so don't skip it). Add the paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Then switch off the saute function on your instant pot.
- Place the short ribs back in the instant pot, and add the garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt (how much salt to add at this point depends on how well you seasoned the short ribs earlier - be careful not to over-salt, since you can always add more salt at the end if needed).
- Pour the stock over the short ribs. Close the instant pot. Choose the manual high pressure function and set it to high. Cook the short ribs for 45 minutes, followed by a 10 - 15 minute natural release.
- Gently remove the short ribs on to a plate, and turn the saute function back on for the liquid/broth in the instant pot.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add it to the liquid/broth in the instant pot. Mix it in and bring it to a simmer until the liquid has thickened. Taste and season the liquid with more salt or balsamic vinegar, if needed. Transfer the short ribs back into the instant pot and switch off the saute function.
- Optional step - once the short ribs have cooled off, place your instant pot cooker pot in the fridge (covered). Leave it overnight, or for at least 4 hours, until the fat has solidified on the surface. Then remove this layer of fat, and reheat the short ribs in the instant pot.
- Serve with creamy cauliflower mash or mashed potatoes.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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Mary Schneider says
I admit I had reservations about some of the ingrediants. But, after reading comments of people who opted to try it as written, I changed very little. My husband doesn’t like any heat so I only used a pinch of cayenne and I didn’t have any thyme so I used Italian seasoning blend. The dish turned out fantastic and is now in my personal recipe book. Thank you!
Dini says
I’m so glad, thank you for letting me know Mary! 🙂
Karen Kelley says
Very tasty Short Ribs. I planned to add diced tomatoes, but thought I would just make the recipe as written the first time. I’m so glad I didn’t add the tomatoes. I will use this for other beef recipes also.
Cathy Mack says
Love this recipe. It is my go to when in the mood for short ribs or when cooking for a 6 – 8 people.
Everyone that has had this dish, just raves about it.
Slay says
This was excellent! Thank you!!
Riki DiAnn Carter says
Made this for dinner tonight. I was hesitant about the whiskey. I would typically use red wine with good results. But then I asked myself: “Why would I Google recipes for a dish I think doesn’t need changes?” I followed the recipe almost exactly. The changes I made were substituting dried thyme leaves for fresh and I halved the recipe. When I halve a recipe, it’s often tough. I think that is because the smaller quantity of ingredients comes to pressure faster and doesn’t have the full cook time under pressure. So I did 50 minutes and just left it alone until the pressure released on it’s own. It was delicious. I served it over pureed turnips.
Angela says
Family loved this!
Kris says
Do I have to use balsamic vinegar? Is there a substitute?
Dini says
Hi Kris
You can use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar (not white vinegar), red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar. The vinegar adds a little acidity to balance the flavors in the dish. So you could even add lemon, but the flavor of lemon might not be the best match for the recipe.
I hope that helps
Mary Williams says
They were delicious. I’ll use this recipe again with less cayenne( I used 2 tbsp) and more time. I really like them fall off the bone tender so I cooked for an additional 45 min. I used red wine, it was what I had . Still came out great.
Melody S says
I loved this recipe and my family loved it as well. The meat was so tender it just fell off the bone. Really great flavor.
Darlene Roberts says
The best ribs ever we put some on the BBQ the nite before and they were tough
Dini says
Hi Darlene
This recipe isn’t for BBQ short ribs, for which the cooking time and method would be vastle different that instant pot ribs. Probably why they came out tough.
Chalmyne says
Flavours are soooo good – very rich but yummy
Shannon says
I have a tiny fridge that won’t fit my instant pot. How much does it change the recipe if I am unable to do the optional 4 hours in the fridge? Thank you
Mary says
I’ve made this recipe several times already and never disappoints
Darla Mick says
Making this for the second time tonight as requested by my sister. It is spectacular and so yummy with mashed potatoes. Will be adding garlic green beans on the side.
Diana says
Can the bourbon be taken out of recipe?
I have some I. Want to cook tomorrow in my instant pot
Dini says
Hi Diana
I’m sorry for the late reply, but byes you can leave out the bourbon. However, I have had readers let me know that the bourbon really helped balance the flavor and add extra flavor to the dish.
I hope that helps
Michelle Neeb says
Yum! Excellent!
Jas says
I was having trouble finding bone in short ribs. Do you think boneless short ribs would make a difference in the final product?
Dini says
Hi Jas
You can absolutely use boneless ribs! But the cook time will be less.
I hope that helps!
Ivana says
I was a little nervous making this but it turned out fantastic! Making this again for sure. I used boneless short ribs and they came out so tender and flavourful.
Juliana Staples says
Delicious, I’m so glad I made this recipe, it’s so easy to make! The meat turns out so juicy and falling off the bones. I’m definitely saving this to make it again and again!!
Dini says
Wonderful, thanks so much for letting me know Juliana! 🙂
Dawn says
My husband begs me to make this recipe at least once a month. He loves it.
Mike says
Nobody, NOBODY wants 172 page’s of shit to get a recipe
Dini says
Hi Mike!
Thank you for taking the time to spread some positive energy on the internet today! Over 180 reviews might disagree with you.
Plus, there is a very clear jump to recipe button for anyone who finds it hard to read through all the helpful tips provided for free to perfect the recipe. But I’m so glad you were able to scroll right past the recipe all the way to the bottom to leave a comment – see, you can do it!
Heather Wieden says
Not all hero’s wear capes, they have a bit of spice in their replies AND excellent recipes!
Teresa says
Awesome reply to a whiny complaint!
Vanessa c says
Just because of this reply I will be trying the recipe! Yas queen!!
Ria says
Can i sub with baking soda instead of cornstarch?
Dini says
Hi Ria
Cornstarch and baking soda are entirely different ingredients and cannot be subbed for each other.
You can use a different thickener like potato starch or tapioca starch instead of cornstarch.
Hope that helps.
Julie says
Why so nasty? Just hit “Jump to Recipe”
Rick says
Hi… preparing to make this, and had 1 question; do you add the peeled garlic cloves whole or mince them first?
Thanks!
Dini says
Hi
I keep them whole because they soften as the ribs cook. But you can also slice them or chop them. In the end the garlic gets mashed into the gravy.
Hope that helps.
Kathleen Forrest says
OMG! This recipe is phenomenal! The only thing I changed was I used arrowroot instead of cornstarch. The meat and sauce is so flavorful. I’ll never use a different recipe! !!!