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Tender Beef Short Ribs In Less Than One Hour

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Last Modified: September 7, 2020
Published: September 7, 2020

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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.

beef short ribs

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!!

The Quick And Easy Way To Make Beef Short Ribs

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!

beed short ribs

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!)

browing beef ribs

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 On The Pressure It's Time To Cook Those Ribs

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!

beef short ribs in broth

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!!

Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

beef short ribs

Tender, succulent, meaty boneless beef short ribs.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2.5 to 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
  • 2 tsp seasoned salt (We like Lawry's)
  • 1 tsp seasoned pepper (We like Lawry's)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic or fresh garlic, to taste 
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 Tbsp paste type beef bouillon (We like Better Than Bouillon)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce or to taste
  • GRAVY
  • 2 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

  1. Set Instant Pot to Saute.
  2. Put olive oil in Instant Pot.
  3. Cut rib into approximately 4" sections
  4. Press the seasoned salt and pepper into the meat.
  5. Brown ribs a few at a time until there's a nice brown sear on all sides of the meat.
  6. Remove meat from pot and set aside. Leave broth in Instant Pot.
  7. Add garlic to the oil and saute until fragrant and slightly transparent.
  8. Add water, soy sauce, and beef bouillon to water in Instant Pot and bring to a boil.
  9. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to scrape all tasty brown bits from the pot and stir them into liquid.
  10. Pur ribs back in the Instant Pot, put on the lid, and set to high-pressure cook for 40 minutes.
  11. Allow natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release if any pressure remains.
  12. Remove ribs to a platter to keep warm.
  13. To make gravy, put cornstarch and cold water in a jar and shake well until there are no lumps.
  14. Return Instant Pot to saute setting and bring the broth to a boil.
  15. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the broth gradually, stirring constantly until the desired thickness is achieved. You may not need it all. If gravy is too thick, thin it with water.
  16. If not thick enough. Let it boil to reduce liquid or make another batch of cornstarch and water adding only a little at a time while whisking constantly.
  17. Serve gravy with ribs over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes as desired.
  18. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat meat in gravy in the oven or on the stovetop on low heat. Can also reheat in the microwave.

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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2 comments on “Tender Beef Short Ribs In Less Than One Hour”

  1. 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. 😞

    1. 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.

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