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Instant pot short ribs so tender they fall right off the bone and melt in your mouth. And if you thought that sounded fantastic, what if I tell you these bbq short ribs are done in just 45 minutes?!
Easy Instant Pot Short Ribs
I can’t stop making short ribs!! When I created the recipe for our oven braised short ribs, it quickly became my most favorite recipe of all time! I immediately had a flood of different short ribs recipe ideas fill my mind. Our Korean oven braised short ribs came next and yowza, they are so decadent! Then I knew I needed to try short ribs in the Instant Pot.
These easy sticky BBQ beef short ribs are full of all your favorite BBQ flavors and are so easy to make. We like to serve them with a side of steakhouse smashed potatoes and a garden balsamic avocado salad.
These Instant Pot beef short ribs are sure to be a new family favorite! We can’t wait to hear what you think!
What’s Needed for Instant Pot Short Ribs?
The ingredients for these pressure cooker short ribs are mostly pantry staples, making it an easy recipe to whip up at a moment’s notice. Here’s what we used for these Instant Pot beef ribs:
- Bone-in beef short ribs
- BBQ rub
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Liquid smoke
- Ground mustard
- Ketchup
- Dark brown sugar
- Red onion
- Garlic powder
- BBQ sauce
- Apple juice
Tip: You can make these nachos with either our Classic BBQ Sauce or our Carolina BBQ Sauce.
How Many Bone-In Short Ribs Per Person?
If you’re serving beef short ribs to adults, it’s best to plan on 2 short ribs per person. Kids will eat a little less and if you’re feeding a Cade, it will be a little more. Ha!
How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs
Cooking BBBQ beef short ribs in an Instant Pot is the same as braising them in the oven, but the Instant Pot does all the cooking in lightning speed. I tell my little guy that the Instant Pot has super powers just like all his favorite super heroes. The Instant Pot really does work miracles! Then cooked in the oven, this BBQ beef ribs recipe takes hours. With the Instant Pot, a mere 45 minutes is all you need!
Here are the steps for cooking BBQ Instant Pot short ribs:
1. Prep the smoky BBQ sauce. The smoky BBQ sauce is what makes these beef short ribs so sticky and finger lickin’ good! We are basically going to take normal BBQ sauce and make it extra sticky and smoky. You can start with our homemade BBQ sauce or whatever your favorite BBQ sauce is.
2. Sear the short ribs. Sprinkle all sides of the beef short ribs with your favorite BBQ rub. Heat your Instant Pot to sauté mode, drizzle a little olive oil in the Instant Pot and brown each side of all the short ribs.
3. Cook the short ribs. Put the apple or pineapple juice in the Instant Pot, place your trivet into the pot and then place the short ribs on top of the trivet. Pour 1 cup of the smoky BBQ sauce on the ribs and then put the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve to seal and change the Instant Pot to high pressure for 45 minutes.
Once the cook time is complete, allow for a natural release for 10-15 minutes. Then carefully move each rib to a cookie sheet, brush them with a little more BBQ sauce, and broil them for 2-4 minutes in the oven.
Tip: Don’t miss our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet! It has the information you need to cook all the basics in the Instant Pot.
Can You Cook These BBQ Beef Short Ribs in the Oven?
Yes! Beef short ribs cooked in an oven is done with a cooking technique called braising. For all the details on braising beef short ribs, head to our oven braised short ribs post.
Can You Cook These Beef Short Ribs in a CrockPot?
Yes! To cook these BBQ beef ribs in a slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot, follow the same cooking instructions listed below and then cook on low for 4-5 hours. We still like to crisp them up in the broiler for a couple of minutes just before serving them, though.
What Temperature Should Short Ribs Be Cooked to?
The USDA says that short ribs are done at 145°F, but you want them to be at a much higher temp to get them juicy and tender. Look for an internal temperature between 190-203°F for optimum melt-in-your-mouth-ness!
Tips for Making Instant Pot Short Ribs
Beef short ribs can be boneless, but we prefer bone-in beef short ribs for this recipe. They end up more flavorful and tender. When you’re at the store, look for bone-in short ribs that have already been cut up into individual ribs. If you can only find boneless, then those work great too!
Make sure to not crowd the ribs while browning them. Give them each their own little space while browning them. Note that it will take a few batches to brown them all.
Lastly, we know that beef short ribs can be quite spendy. As such, we tend to save them for special occasions or load up when they are on sale. Then, we Food Saver them and freeze them.
More RIB RECIPES:
- Traeger Smoked Ribs
- Smoky BBQ Instant Pot Ribs
- Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
- Braised Beef Short Ribs in the Oven
- Asian Sticky Slow Cooker Ribs
- Mustard Carolina BBQ Sauce Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
- Korean Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Easy BBQ Ribs
- Blackberry Hoisin BBQ Ribs
More INSTANT POT RECIPES:
- Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes
- Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Chili
- Instant Pot Taco Soup
- Award Winning Instant Pot Turkey
- Instant Pot Southern Macaroni and Cheese
- Better Than Grandma’s Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- BBQ Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- ALL OF OUR INSTANT POT RECIPES!
Sticky BBQ Instant Pot Bone-In Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
For the BBQ sauce:
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
- 2 teaspoons Ground Mustard
- 1 1/4 Cups Ketchup
- 1 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Minced Red Onion
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 3/4 Cup BBQ Sauce
For the short ribs:
- 4 Pounds Bone-in Beef Short Ribs
- 2 Tablespoons BBQ Rub
- 1/2 Cup Apple juice , (or pineapple juice)
Instructions
Make the BBQ sauce:
- In a pot, add the vinegar, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, ground mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red onion, garlic powder and bbq sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, 2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke, 2 teaspoons Ground Mustard, 1 1/4 Cups Ketchup, 1 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 1/2 Cup Minced Red Onion, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 3/4 Cup BBQ Sauce
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Make the short ribs:
- Sprinkle all sides of the ribs with the bbq rub.4 Pounds Bone-in Beef Short Ribs, 2 Tablespoons BBQ Rub
- Heat an Instant Pot with the saute mode on more heat and add a drizzle of oil.
- Brown each side of the ribs and set aside.
- Place the apple juice or pineapple juice in the bottom of the Instant Pot and set in a trivet.1/2 Cup Apple juice
- Add the ribs on top and pour over 1 cup of the smoky bbq sauce that you just made in the pot. Place the lid on and set the valve to seal.
- Turn the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high, setting the time for 45 minutes.
- Allow a natural release for 10-15 minutes, then remove the lid.
- Set the ribs on a baking sheet and brush with a little sauce, then broil for 2-4 minutes in the oven.
- Brush with more sauce and serve over smashed potatoes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Dinner was ruined. My pot sealed but never came to pressure. Try two. Burn notice. Try 3. Never came to pressure. Dry tough beef ribs that cost a fortune and my husband was looking forward to. I am incredibly upset at the time this took me to prepare only to have my husband and 3 boys want to go out to eat 😭
Darn it! I’m so sorry, I hate it when the devices don’t work right!!
IMHO! Always deglaze the pot after your brown your meat. Should have put the juice into the pot and then simmered while scraping the fond off the bottom of the pot. Then you can proceed without the burn notice. Just make sure you put the BBQ sauce on top of the meat and not into the bottom of the pot.
Great advice!!
Sounds awesome, I’d love some pics of more specific instructions…
I usually would use oven & cast iron, or the grill for dishes like this we have an Instant Pot but I’ve not cooked with it a whole lot. More tips on the use of the trivet etc would be great.
If you follow the instructions as stated in the recipe card, it should given you all the information you need to make these successfully! We have a few posts on the blog for short ribs, including one for braising them in the oven. https://ohsweetbasil.com/oven-braised-short-ribs-recipe/
Would the cook time be the same if you cut the recipe in half?
Thanks!
Hi Cassie! Hmmmm…It’s a little tricky. With less meat, you will want a little less time but not much because they are still bone in. I’d check them at 30 and add 10 min if they aren’t quite done yet. Enjoy!
Bone came out, but meat not tender. Kind of stringy. Sauce is awesome tho!
Thank you for the feedback Dixie!
I dont have a trivet. Any substitute suggestions?
You want something to keep the ribs up off the pot and out of the liquid. I’m not sure what could be used instead of a trivet. Anything that is metal and heat resistant.
Hi is the trivet a must?
Yes! You don’t want the ribs sitting down in the liquid while they cook.
I have boneless beef short ribs. Would the time be the same for boneless?
Decreasing the time by about 5 minutes will do the trick…so 40 minutes instead of 45. Enjoy!
Made last night and such a success! The flavors well deep and satisfying. The choice of rub and sauce will let you customize the tone but the recipe nails it! So easy to make and so fall apart delicious. The remaining fat melted in your mouth. No knife required! Will DEFINITELY make again!
Thank you so much for the feedback David! So glad you enjoyed them!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! The BBQ sauce is sooooooo good! Easy too… I’ll be making these again!
Yippee!! Love to hear this Leanne! Thank you!
These were amazing! I served them with cheese grits and honey glazed carrots. Needless to say, dinner was a big hit that day. I did cook the ribs for 7 minutes less than the recommended time and the ribs were perfect.
Thank you for the feedback! That sounds like the perfect meal for sure!
Could you do this in a crockpot? And if so, do you have any tips to adapt for that? Thanks!
Yes! Follow the same cooking instruction and then cook on low for 4-5 hours. We still like to crisp them up in the broiler for a couple of minutes just before serving them.
I did and it was great! The whole family loved it-thank you!
Yay! That’s great news!
I made this now with boneless short ribs. I didn’t reduce cooking times at all and wow… So melt in your mouth tender. No need for a knife. The sauce is amazing. This is definitely a keeper and 10 plus. Thanks
Thank you so much Andrea! I’m so obsessed with short ribs lately! So glad you enjoyed it!