Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs (Whole30, Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Here by popular demand: Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs! It’s made in a jiffy and Whole30 and gluten-free, too!

Ever since the scales fell from my eyes and I became a raving Instant Pot evangelist a few years ago, readers have been asking me to convert their favorite recipes so they can be cooked in this magical device. Requests run the gamut from the simple (kalua pig!) to the impossible (fish ’n chips!). Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, folks, but not every dish can or should be cooked under high pressure. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you can make the dish faster and/or tastier using a different method, don’t cook it in your pressure cooker. For example, if you insist on cooking delicate fish fillets in your Instant Pot, the statistical likelihood of overcooking those pricey pieces of protein is 99.99%. For the love of cod, people: reach for parchment paper (and the technique shown in this recipe) or a frying pan (and the method demonstrated in this recipe) instead. And to the reader who asked me for an Instant Pot kabob recipe: I hate to break it to you, but a pressure cooker is crap at grilling and/or broiling meat.

That said, some recipes—particularly stews, braises, and soups—are forehead-smackingly perfect for converting into Instant Pot versions. Take this recipe, which is a super-straightforward adaptation of my classic Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs recipe. This deeply flavorful, Asian-inspired dish has long been a fan favorite, but it turns out that my Korean Short Ribs are even simpler to prepare in the Instant Pot—and just as deliciously satisfying to eat. For the sake of speed and ease, you don’t even need to broil the ribs like in the slow cooker recipe: Just season the ribs, blitz the sauce, and cook everything for 45 minutes under high pressure. BOOM! (Note: That was an exclamation of triumph—not the sound of a pressure cooker exploding, because the Instant Pot is super-safe.)

Time to make Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds bone-in English-style short ribs (don’t go above 5 pounds or it won’t fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker)
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half the amount if you’re using a fine grain salt)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon rice, white balsamic, or coconut vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
• 1 medium pear, Asian pear, or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 hunk of fresh ginger, about 2 inches, peeled and roughly chopped
• Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Equipment:

• Large bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• High-speed blender (I own a Vitamix and a KitchenAid, but used the latter for this recipe)
• Silicone spatula
• 6-quart Instant Pot or stove-top pressure cooker

Method:

Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Use your hands to rub the salt and pepper all over the ribs.

Transfer the seasoned ribs to a 6-quart (or larger) pressure cooker.

You may have to play some short rib Tetris to make sure all the meat fits in the pot. Sometimes, I have to cut off the bone from the meat so I can fit the meaty pieces properly (but I still throw the bones on top for added flavor). Ideally, though, everything fits like a puzzle.

Toss the coconut aminos, vinegar, fish sauce…

…pear/apple, garlic, scallions, and ginger in a high-speed blender or food processor…

…and blitz until smooth.

Pour the sauce over the short ribs in the pressure cooker, and stir everything around so the sauce reaches the bottom of the pot.

If the sauce doesn’t reach the bottom of the pot, the ribs might burn and you’ll get an “ovHT” or “BURN” error message on the Instant Pot display. (Got the error message even though the sauce hit the bottom of the pot? Turn off your Instant Pot, and add ¼ cup broth or water. Scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and then, restart the Instant Pot. That should clear the error.)

Shut and lock the lid, turn the valve at the top to “sealing,” and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.

Let the pressure release naturally. If the pressure hasn’t dropped after 25 minutes, release it manually by turning the top valve to the “venting” position. Pop open the lid and check that the ribs are fork-tender. If they’re not, cook ’em for another 5 to 10 minutes under high pressure.

Transfer the ribs to a plate or platter, and taste the liquid for seasoning. Adjust if necessary with additional salt and pepper. Yes, there will be plenty of fat at the top of the liquid, which is totally normal and expected with this cut of meat. If you want, you can skim the fat off the top and then spoon the sauce on top of the ribs.

Garnish with cilantro before serving!

This dish tastes even better the next day, so I recommend making it ahead of time. You can refrigerate it for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. It’s like a yummy, meaty gift to your future self!

After the stew has been refrigerated or frozen, the fat on top will solidify, making it easy to remove if desired. (I’m not fat-phobic, but I prefer to take it off ’cause I don’t like an overly greasy sauce.)

Plus, you can totally reheat the stew in an Instant Pot—simply dump the ribs and sauce back into the Instant Pot and cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Keep the short ribs warm until you’re ready to serve!

Dig in!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Korean Short Ribs

4.78 from 31 votes

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

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Behold: Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs! It turns out that my classic recipe for this deeply flavorful, Asian-inspired dish is even easier in an Instant Pot!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 5 pounds beef short ribs don’t go above 5 pounds or it won’t fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt use half the amount if you’re using a fine grain salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup coconut aminos
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar white balsamic, or coconut vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
• ▢ 1 medium pear Asian pear, or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
• ▢ 3 scallions roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 hunk of fresh ginger about 2 inches, cut into 2 pieces
• ▢ Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions 

• Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands to rub the salt and pepper all over the ribs.
• Transfer the seasoned ribs to a 6-quart (or larger) pressure cooker, making sure all the ribs fit in the pot. 
• Add the coconut aminos, vinegar, fish sauce, pear or apple, garlic, scallions, and ginger in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blitz until smooth.
• Pour the sauce over the short ribs in the pressure cooker, and stir everything around so the sauce reaches the bottom of the pot. If the sauce doesn't reach the bottom of the pot, the ribs might burn and you'll get an "ovHT" or "BURN"error message on the Instant Pot display. (Got the error message even though the sauce hit the bottom of the pot? Turn off your Instant Pot, and add ¼ cup broth or water. Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom and then, restart the Instant Pot. That should clear the error.)
• Shut and lock the lid, turn the valve at the top to “sealing,” and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.
• Let the pressure release naturally. If the pressure hasn’t dropped after 25 minutes, release it manually by turning the top valve to the “venting” position. Pop open the lid and check that the ribs are fork-tender. If they’re not, cook ’em for another 5 to 10 minutes under high pressure.
• Transfer the ribs to a plate or platter, and taste the liquid for seasoning. Adjust if necessary with additional salt and pepper. If desired, skim the fat off the top.
• Spoon the sauce on top of the ribs, and garnish with cilantro before serving.

Video

Notes

This is a great make-ahead dish. You can refrigerate the cooked short ribs for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. After the stew has been refrigerated or frozen, the fat on top will solidify, making it easy to remove if desired. You can reheat the stew in an Instant Pot—simply dump the ribs and sauce back into the Instant Pot and cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Keep the short ribs warm until you’re ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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