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
Ingredients
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I bought a smaller pack of short ribs before finding this… can I basically follow the recipe but with less meat (maybe cut the sauce in half)? No idea how cook times vary with amounts with this thing….
Next up on my Whole30 Nom Nom voyage of discovery. I’ll be making this tonight but not sure what the difference will be if I use regular balsamic in place of white. Please advise and/or I will report back with the results!
Amazing!!! Was so incredibly tasty and couldn’t have been any easier to prep and cook. This is going in the regular meal rotation for sure. FYI, I misread and didn’t see you could use just plain ol’ white vinegar, which is what I ended up doing.
Can this dish be made in a crock pot instead of a pressure cooker?
Thank you, THANK YOU, for this amazing recipe. It’s become an absolute family favorite. It’s simply perfect. People who didn’t like ribs before because they only had experienced tough burnt grilled ribs you had to chew for hours are now die hard fans of these falling-off-the-bone things of wonder!
I DREAM of these – they are that good! I cook, refrigerate overnight, and remove the solidified fat from the top. Then, I remove the bones (they just fall out), shred the meat a bit, and put it in the IP to reheat for a few minutes. I serve over vermincelli rice noodles. SO GOOD!
I also lucked out and found the aminos at my local grocery by the soy sauce. I made it with soy sauce the first time, cutting it by half, and it tasted just fine. I prefer the aminos for some reason though.
I only have 2 pounds of short ribs in the freezer – should I proportionately reduce all the other ingredients and cooking time? Thanks!
Can you substitute a different cut of meat for this recipe? Perhaps beef brisket?
Could you replace coconut aminos with soy sauce?
Yes, but use a little less because it is saltier than coconut aminos.
If you could choose would you recommend the instant pot version or crock pot version? Want to make a special meal for my boyfriend for valentines day! Thank you!
Instant Pot!
Similar question as someone’s above -but I’m not FODMAP I’m allergic to apples and pears… any guesses on a fruit or other food that I could substitute (cooked sweet potato or butternut squash? Honey?) to keep the consistency/taste of the sauce or is it ok to just leave out? Doesn’t have to stay whole30 either. I want to make these for the family to nosh on while cheering on the US during the Korean Winter Olympics! Thanks!! 😀