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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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This recipe sounds amazing. I have a 6 quart instant pot that would allow me to double this recipe (8lbs of short ribs). In the event that I do, would I still cook within the instant pot for 45 minutes with the same amount of time to allow natural release?
Hello! Yes, correct. Enjoy!
Can I use this recipe for cooking beef brisket instead of short ribs?
Hi Charina! I haven’t tried it, but I doubt it. You could use the same sauce, but I would research cooking times for brisket in an instant pot.
In looking for a (black raspberry) short rib recipe I came across this one. I used my home made black raspberry BBQ sauce (called for in the recipe for the 3/4 cup BBQ needed). It turned out spectacular. So good, I made more and canned it. (Mainly because I have gallons of black raspberries right now. The next time I’m ready for some Short ribs, we will just pop open a jar. Great recipe, can’t wait to make short ribs again soon.
Also, I noted someone mentioned greasy short ribs in an earlier post. We happened to buy ours at two different stores, because we ended up having guests and had to pick up more. You could tell a real difference between the two stores. One was way fattier and less meat on them, the other cooked out the fattiness and were really lean, all in the same pot. I believe there is something to using a good butcher/store.
Lori, you are 100% correct. The quality of meat makes a huge difference! I’m so glad you loved this recipe and your black raspberry BBQ sauce sounds amazing! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment!
I do not like smoke flavor anything. Can I just omit the liquid smoke or do I have to add something else in its place?
Hi Cristy! You can just omit it!
I want to make these tonight but I don’t have the egg trivet. Would the steam basket that fits in the instant pot work?
Oh shoot! I’m sorry I’m so late getting back to you! Yes, that should work. You just want something to keep the ribs up off the bottom.
Excellent! Fall off the bone tender! Literally, when I went to pull the ribs out of the instant pot to put them in the oven, the bones pulled out of the meat. One thing I always forget when using an instant pot is the time it takes to come to pressure. So 45 minutes was really more like an hour and 15. So plan accordingly! Dinner was late but we’ll worth the wait. I paired them with baked Mac and cheese and steamed broccoli. Delish!
Hi Maureen! That sounds like the perfect meal! I’m so glad you enjoyed the ribs. I think I’ll put them in my dinner rotation this week!
My first time with ribs, and my mini-insta-pot was way too small. Our butcher was very helpful. Also, I used Pleasoning “Franks Best” for rub. 5 hours in my crock pot, 4 minutes under the broiler and sweet, sticky goodness!
Awesome! Thank you so much for the feedback Ann!
OMG These were the most delicious short ribs. I almost followed your recipe
To the T, I didn’t have any BBQ rub. So I replaced it with the barbecue sauce
I made from your recipe. My ribs were big so I put them in the Instant pot for
50 minutes left it on natural release, but after waiting a bit, I turned it to quick
release as I was starving. They came out so tender & moist full of flavor.
My husband & I just loved them. Thank you for the recipe will definitely be
Making them again. Today I’m going to make your Sour Cream Banana Bread
Can’t wait to try it.
Yay! Love to hear this Robin! I hope you enjoy the banana bread too!
Can I substitute the apple/pineapple juice for some Red wine? I have a pre-jarred Blueberry BBQ sauce I want to try with Short Ribs and I think the Red-Wine would pair nicely.. Thanks!
Hi Beth! Sure! Let us know how it goes!!
I was looking for a sauce and was pulled in with your title “Sticky”. It was exactly what I wanted to see. So my comment is for your sauce only. Guys this stuff is so damn good I made 2 quarts. My wife she can’t get enough. She told me to plan on handling the recipe to the hens at work, lol. Thank you so much. Peace.