Instant Pot Short Ribs

Layers of Flavors Explosion.
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Heaven.
Every bite is rewarding.

These Red Wine Braised Instant Pot Short Ribs are the perfect choice to impress your guests and convert them to Instant Pot-ism. 😉

No need to turn on your oven or slow cook the short ribs for hours to achieve this rich beefy melt-in-your-mouth heaven-on-earth.

Plus, you can save time by cooking potatoes at the same time right in the same pot. How awesome is that?!

Last year, we were stoked to have a bite of the delicious Big Apple! 😀

Eataly, Chelsea Market, Brooklyn Pizza, legendary chocolate chip cookie…Oh man~ We loved every minute of our New York Foodie Trip!

Right before visiting the Empire State Building, we were tucked at the back corner of this dimmed-light, jam-packed Southern Comfort Eatery. The mouth-watering menu definitely gave me a decidophobia moment. hehe~

The moment we tasted the Fall-Off-the-Bone Tender, Sweet-Savory 6-Hour Short Ribs, we both looked at each other and said “Yes! This would be perfect for the Instant Pot.”

What better way to share our beautiful New York memories with you than to recreate this with our own twists in the Instant Pot? 🙂

Enjoy our Red Wine Braised Instant Pot Short Ribs~

Instant Pot Short Ribs Experiment

We conducted multiple tests with Short Ribs using different amounts of cooking time in our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.

What We Look For in Perfectly Cooked Short Ribs:

• Texture: fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth tender; juicy & moist – not tough, dry, and brittle
• Taste: buttery from the melted beef fat; strong & rich beefy flavors & aroma

Here’s the Instant Pot Short Ribs Experiment Summary:

Conclusion: Test #3 yields the most satisfying combination of fall-off-the-bone tender, yet juicy & moist, plus rich & buttery beefy flavors.

Instant Pot Short Ribs Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Prepare Ingredients for Instant Pot Short Ribs.

We chose this Perez Cruz Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile for our recipe.

Brown Short Ribs in Instant Pot

Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function.

*Tip: For older versions, press “Saute” button, then “Adjust” button. For newer version, press “Saute” button twice.

Wait until it says HOT (takes roughly 8 minutes). This prevents the short ribs from sticking to the pot.

Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot.

Season one side generously with salt and black pepper.

Add in 5 pieces of short ribs and brown each side for 4 minutes.

While one side is browning, season the other side with more salt and black pepper.

*Pro Tip: Do this in two separate batches to avoid overcrowding.

Take a sniff! Oh~ It smells amazingly buttery rich!! 😀

Saute Onion & Garlic

Set aside the browned short ribs.

Add in sliced onions, and saute until soften (~ 3 minutes).

Add in the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant (~30 seconds).

Saute Veggies & Spices

Add in the chopped carrots, celery, a pinch of dried thyme, and 2 bay leaves. Saute for another 2 minutes.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour ½ cup (125ml) red wine in Instant Pot and deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Give it a quick mix. Let the wine simmer for a minute to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate.

Pressure Cook Short Ribs

Add 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, 1 – 1.5 tbsp (14 – 21g) brown sugar, 2 tbsp (30ml) balsamic vinegar, and ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot.

*Pro Tip: adjust your sweetness level accordingly. If you like a less sweet sauce, use 1 tbsp (14g) brown sugar; if you enjoy a sweeter sauce, use 1.5 tbsp (21g) brown sugar.

Carefully add browned short ribs in Instant Pot. Make sure to add in all the juice!

If you want to make mashed potatoes with the short ribs: Cut 3 – 4 potatoes in half and place them in a stainless steel bowl.

Then, layer the bowl on top of the short ribs (as shown in below photo).

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid and turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Pressure Cooking Methods:

• With Potatoes: High Pressure 42 minutes + Natural Release 15 minutes
• No Potatoes: High Pressure 45 minutes + Natural Release 15 minutes

After 15 minutes, release remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Optional – Make Mashed Potatoes

*Pro Tip: It may be a good idea to drain & transfer the potatoes to a larger mixing bowl.

Mash the pressure cooked potatoes with a potato masher.

Mix in 100ml whole milk and 1 – 2 tbsp (14g -28g) unsalted butter.

Season to taste with salt & pepper. Yum! 🙂

Thicken & Seasonings

The Instant Pot Short Ribs will be fall-off-the-bone tender, so carefully set aside the short ribs.

Mix 2.5 tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch and 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water together in a small mixing bowl.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the cornstarch mixture one third at a time to thicken the red wine sauce until desired thickness.

Taste and season with more salt, black pepper, and brown sugar if necessary. For reference, we added 3 large pinches of salt.

Turn off the heat.

Serve Instant Pot Short Ribs

Carefully place the short ribs back in the sauce to keep them hot.

*Pro Tip: The short ribs will taste even better after sitting in the sauce for 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve immediately and be prepared for your guests to beg for more of this delicious heaven-on-earth. 😉

Enjoy your Juicy Melt-in-your-Mouth Instant Pot Short Ribs!~ 🙂

Tools for Instant Pot Short Ribs

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Kitchen tongs
• Bamboo Wooden Spoons
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
• Potato Masher
• Stainless Steel Bowl