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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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I don’t have any apple or pineapple juice. What can I use instead?
Hi Bree! There are a few possible options, but it’s going to change the flavor. You could try lemon juice, white grape juice or orange juice. If you like vinegar, you could try apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Am I use apple sauce instead of the juices?
Hello! No, I don’t think that will work. You will need more liquid. You could use pineapple juice or even beef broth.
This bbq recipe is so good. Husband is not a big bbq person but said put this on the menu again. So good. Did just as the recipe said. I was glad I read the reviews as one gentleman said he did the sauce ahead. I did that also and saved some time.
I only had 2# but for my 6qt they fit just fine. Cooked for 41 minutes
I am 76 yrs young and have never made a better bbq rib meal. Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😂
Thank you for the great recipe
Linda!! You’ve made my day! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the feedback and for taking time to leave us a comment!
I am trying your recipe for my first time with ribs in insta pot
How long can you keep the bbq sauce. Smells great
Thank you Linda! BBQ sauce lasts a long time in the refrigerator. It should be fine for up to 6-9 months. We would love to hear what you think of the ribs!
I have tried this 3 times and it came out perfect each time. Granted I seared mine on the stovetop the second and third time. I like a good sear which the instant pot doesn’t give. Husband was impressed and gets excited when he sees short ribs being thawed. This is just so good. Its great without liquid smoke too
LOVE to hear this! Thank you Shawna!
These were way over cooked and too tough to eat
They should be falling off the bone and perfectly juicy delicious if cooked as stated in the instructions. They were probably under not over cooked. The longer they cook the more the meat falls off. It’s possible that that you had thicker ribs or it was older or fattier meat.
I just made these tonight and Wow! They turned out great! I had boneless shortribs and did them 42 minutes and they were falling apart yumminess! I made sure and basically deglazed the pot with the pineapple juice before putting them back in to pressure cook.
Thank you so much Sally! Love to hear this!
Absolutely amazing!!! I was not expecting instant pot ribs to be this good. My husband told me to make sure to save this recipe and my kiddos ate it up!
Best thing I’ve heard all day!! Thank you Jami!
I was wondering, how do you keep your short ribs from being greasy? We tried some in the crock pot a few years ago and they were awful. We pulled off all the extra fat.
Hi Jamie! If the short ribs are cooked properly, they fat should render and become party of the sauciness around the ribs. Occasionally, there will be some fatty areas left behind. That’s just the nature of short ribs.
Made these about a month ago and they were great!!!! I put the BBQ sauce together the day before to let all the flavors meld together plus I added an two tablespoons of Tiger Sauce. Thought I wouldn’t have to make the BBQ sauce again for the next time I made them but I was wrong. L0L My wife and I have been using that sauce on everything we make that calls for a sauce!!! Just got through making a new batch. I’m making the short ribs again tonight. The first time I made them I put them bone side down and when I went to get them out after cooking the bones stayed on the trivet!! They were so so tinder and tasted so good. Great recipe and have been passing it on to friends.
Awesome!!! I love it!!!