To be honest, I had never made beef short ribs in my fifty years of cooking. In fact, I'd never even thought about beef short ribs. Not once. My loss.
My brother (and fellow foodie) Stan recently retired from a long career in the airlines. Looking back, he wistfully recalled beef short ribs as one of his favorite crew meals.
Now that he has extra time on his hands, he searched for a recipe that he could make at home. Success!! Even better, he found one that uses an Instant Pot to make juicy, tender short ribs quickly and easily.
This Instant Pot recipe made it so fast he made them for dinner the same night! I modified it just a smidge here but they are ridiculously good and require only a few common pantry ingredients! I call that a win!!
First of all, a little bit of information about beef short ribs. Short ribs are the beef equivalent of pork spareribs but they're quite a bit meatier. They are cut from the same part of the beef as brisket and like brisket, usually require long, slow cooking times to make a tender, tasty product.
That's what so magic about using an Instant Pot to make them because well, as the name implies, it really speeds up the cooking process! And, you can brown and cook them right in the same pot!
For this recipe, I bought ribs that had been deboned. This package was about 2.5 pounds. There's not an ounce of waste in a cut like this which makes it a great value! I cut each piece in two making chunks about 4" long.
First, I poured some olive oil in the Instant Pot and set it to saute. I sprinkled them generously with our favorite seasoned salt and seasoned pepper, pressing it into the meat.
It's important to brown a few pieces at a time and avoid crowding. You want a good sear and a brown crust on all sides of the meat. If you put too many in at once, they will steam, not brown.
Be a little patient here. This is a hugely important step that really maximizes flavor! (Not to mention it makes gorgeous gravy!)
Once all the meat has been browned, take it out and set it aside. Saute garlic in the oil until it's fragrant. Then, add water, soy sauce, and beef bouillon paste to the pot.
Use a wooden paddle to coax every tasty browned bit off the bottom. Stir and blend it into the liquid.
Put the ribs back in the pot and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.
While the ribs are cooking, you have plenty of time to make some mashed potatoes or noodles to keep the ribs company. And the gravy? The angels sing while you eat it! Total comfort food, I'm telling you!
Here's how they look when they are done cooking. And, if you want to make gravy, here's how!
Remove the ribs and put on a platter to keep warm. Mix cornstarch with cold water in a small jar and shake until there are no lumps.
Set the Instant Pot back to saute and when it boils, gradually whisk the cornstarch mixture into the broth and cook until it's thickened.
You may not need all the cornstarch mixture to get the right consistency. And, you will not need any additional seasoning or any browning agent. The gravy is unbeliveable!
I will make beef short ribs like this again and again. I love the simplicity of the recipe as much as we love the final product.
If you don't want to serve them this way, they would shred beautifully and make great sandwiches or hash. Now that you know how quick and easy they are to make, I bet you'll come up with lots of ways to make this your own and when you do, I want to hear about it!!
Tender, succulent, meaty boneless beef short ribs.
Have you ever made beef short ribs? If you have, how do you make yours? Would you try this Instant Pot version? I would love to know what you think!
If you enjoyed this recipe today, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. I’d sure be tickled and ever so grateful, thank you!
Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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This is my first time attempting your recipe, but it would be really helpful if you specified that the seasoned salt & pepper are what you use to press & rub into the meat. Without this specification, I used regular salt & pepper to rub into the meat before searing. Hopefully, this mishap didn’t ruin the entire dish being overly salty. 😞
I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding! Seasoned salt and pepper are the only items I mentioned. I will review the recipes and see if I can clarify the instructions. In the narrative, I did specify the use of seasoned salt and pepper which is rubbed on the meat. There is also a picture.
But, I did go back to the recipe card and clarified the instructions on #4. Thank you for bringing it to my attention and giving me the opportunity to amend it. Again, I apologize.