Instant Pot Short Ribs (Video) 牛バラ肉と大根煮

This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is my family‘s all-time favorite comfort meal. Seasoned in a savory Japanese sauce, the marbled boneless beef cooks to tender perfection in just 30 minutes under pressure. It‘s hearty, delicious, and so satisfying! {Gluten-free adaptable}

When my family and I are in the mood for some warm comfort food, I often turn to this Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe. I mean, who doesn’t love melt-in-mouth marbled beef and perfectly cooked carrots, sweet daikon, and onions all nestled in a flavorful sauce? Serve it with steamed rice and you have the most soul-satisfying dinner on a weeknight. With the pressure cooking function in the Instant Pot, this beautiful dish comes together in just 30 minutes. It’s magical!

If you have only tried and loved the western-style short ribs, the ones that are braised with red wine and served with mashed potatoes, I guarantee that you’re going to enjoy this Japanese version as well. It’s on the lighter side but bursts with sweet-savory flavors.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easily accessible ingredients. I can get all the ingredients in my local American grocery stores. I hope you can find them as well.
• Time saving and so easy to prepare. A one-pot meal for the win! Toss in the vegetables, sear the meat, hit the button, and viola, dinner is done in 30 minutes.
• It goes well with any Japanese and Asian dishes. Enjoy as it is with steamed rice, or serve alongside with miso soup and a salad for a well-balanced meal.
• So delicious! …is what everyone who tried this recipe has said.
  • Tiff said: “I keep coming back to this recipe because it is just SO delicious and easy!”
  • Arlene said: “The Short Ribs were so unbelievably, melt-in-your-mouth delicious.”
  • Lyn said: “This was most delicious and tender.”

How to Make Instant Pot Short Ribs

The Ingredients You’ll Need

• Boneless beef short ribs – I used boneless ribs for my recipe, but you can use the bone-in short ribs and cook a little longer. See substitution info below.
• Onion
• Daikon radish – It absorbs all the juices and adds sweetness to the sauce. Substitution info is below.
• Carrot – It adds sweetness to the sauce.
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Green onion/scallion
• Salt and black pepper
• Roasted sesame oil – Use it to add a nutty aroma and flavor.
• Seasonings: salt, black pepper, brown sugar, sake, mirin, and soy sauce

The Cooking Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients. Cut the onions, carrots, and green onions. Cut the beef short ribs into smaller bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper.
2. Sear the beef in an Instant Pot and transfer it to the plate.
3. Add the onion and water, scraping off the bottom of the pot. Then, add the ginger and garlic and sauté.
4. Add the beef and all the seasonings. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
5. Release the pressure and serve hot.

Ingredients Substitute

• Beef short ribs – I usually have to ask the butcher to remove the bone for me. I really like this cut for this recipe because the fat and collagen in a beef short rib run evenly throughout the meat, producing that juicy texture. If you can’t find short ribs, you can also use the tender part of beef brisket or chuck roast.
• Daikon radish – I don’t recommend skipping it, but you can substitute with turnips, parsnips, or jicama.
• Brown sugar – You can use white granulated sugar, but brown sugar adds more depth and flavor.

Cooking Tips

• Cut the daikon radish and carrot into bigger chunks. As we cook the meat and vegetables all together in the pressure cooker, you want slightly bigger chunks of vegetables so that they don’t get too soft and disintegrate easily.
• Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Salt helps draw out water and enhance the meat’s natural taste. It also makes the piece of meat more delicate and richer in flavor.
• Don’t skip searing. Searing the beef so that the surface becomes caramelized. This enhances the savoriness and complexity of the taste (this is called the Maillard Reaction). I believe it’s worth spending extra time for the best flavor!
• You can increase the amount of meat. This recipe is good for 3-4 people. If you or your family are big meat eaters, you can increase the short ribs up to 2½ lb (instead of 1¾ lb written in the recipe). I’ve tried that amount and the dish still came out great. If you increase the vegetables, however, more moisture is released from the vegetables, which will dilute the flavor a bit. So cautiously increase the amount of veggies, or slightly increase the seasonings ahead of time.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

These short ribs are perfect to enjoy alone with rice, but here are some suggestions if you wish to serve it with a more elaborate meal:

• Rice: White Rice, Brown Rice.
• Soup: Vegetable Miso Soup, Kabocha Miso Soup.
• Salad: Asian Cabbage Salad, Harusame Salad, Japanese Potato Salad.
• Side Dishes: Kinpira Gobo, Tamagoyaki, Chrysanthemum Green Salad.

Why I Love Pressure Cooking

An Instant Pot (I have this and this) has both slow cooker and pressure cooker functions, but I almost always use the pressure cooker as I don’t prepare dinner early enough to slow cook.

Since I work from home, I try to get as much work done as possible while my children are at school. By the evening, I usually have about 30-45 minutes to prep dinner before driving them around for after-school activities.

To make these short ribs, all I need is to chop up the vegetables and sear the beef. After all the ingredients go into the pressure cooker, I hit the start button and leave the kitchen. By the time we get home, the food is all cooked and ready to be enjoyed.

I also schedule my rice cooker to finish at dinner time so we have freshly cooked rice at the table. While the family is settling down, I quickly prepare miso soup and salad.

Thanks to the electric pressure cooker, my family gets to sit down together for a home-cooked meal despite everyone’s busy schedule.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Cooking with an Instant Pot has been a real timesaver. It’s hard to believe that I can cook up a luxurious meal for the family on a busy weeknight! If you’re looking for more comfort foods that you can cook with an Instant Pot, here are some of our favorites:

• Instant Pot Pork Belly
• Instant Pot Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
• Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs
• Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Honey Spare Ribs
• Instant Pot Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)

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Instant Pot Short Ribs (Pressure Cooker)

4.89 from 111 votes

This Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe is my family‘s all-time favorite comfort meal. Seasoned in a savory Japanese sauce, the marbled boneless beef cooks to tender perfection in just 30 minutes under pressure. It‘s hearty, delicious, and so satisfying! {Gluten-free adaptable}

Print Pin

Video

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 3

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8–10 slices ginger (peeled and sliced from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 onion (8 oz, 227 g)
• ▢ 3 inches daikon radish (10.5 oz, 300 g)
• ▢ 1 carrot (5 oz, 140 g; or use 2 thin carrots)
• ▢ 1 green onion/scallion
• ▢ 1¾ lb boneless beef short ribs (fat and collagen run evenly through this cut for a juicy texture; you can ask the butcher to debone English-style short ribs; or substitute the tender part of a beef brisket or chuck roast)
• ▢ ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

For the Seasonings

• ▢ 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp sake
• ▢ 4 Tbsp mirin
• ▢ 4 Tbsp soy sauce (for gluten-free, use GF soy sauce)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Prepare the Ingredients

• Peel the ginger knob and cut thinly into 8–10 slices ginger. Mince or crush 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press).
  
• Cut 1 onion in half. Slice each half into 5–6 wedges.
  
• Peel 3 inches daikon radish and cut in half lengthwise, then slice it ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Tip: If you prefer a firmer texture, cut the daikon into bigger pieces.
  
• Peel and cut 1 carrot into bite-size pieces. I use the rangiri Japanese cutting technique to slice the carrot diagonally while rotating it a quarter turn between cuts. This makes an ideal shape for stews and simmered dishes and increases the surface area to help absorb the seasonings. Tip: If you prefer a firmer texture, cut the carrot into bigger pieces.
  
• Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds. Set aside for garnish.
  
• To promote searing, pat dry all sides of 1¾ lb boneless beef short ribs with paper towels. Then, cut it into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces.
  
• Season with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
  

To Cook

• Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot (I use a 6-QT Instant Pot Ultra) and heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
  
• Now, sear the meat in batches (do not crowd the pot to avoid steaming). When the inner pot is hot, sear a single layer of meat, 1 minute per side. Don‘t touch the meat while it‘s searing. When a beautiful crust forms, the meat will release naturally from the pot. When this happens, flip it over.
  
• When seared, transfer the first batch to a plate. Continue with the next batches.
  
• You might sear 3–4 batches for about 8 minutes total. Transfer the last batch to the plate. Deglaze the pot with a bit of water and wooden spatula to release any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom.
  
• Add the onion and 2 Tbsp water to the pot. Sauté while scraping the bottom of the pot with the spatula for 2 minutes.
  
• Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute.
  
• Add the short ribs and their juices back to the pot.
  
• Add 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp sake, 4 Tbsp mirin, and 4 Tbsp soy sauce.
  
• Mix it all together.
  
• Then, add the daikon and carrot. Mix it all together.
  
• Cover and lock the lid. Point the steam release handle at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to stop sautéing. Select the Pressure Cooking mode or switch to the Manual mode and cook under high pressure for 35 minutes.
  
• For a stovetop pressure cooker: Cook on high heat until it reaches high pressure. Then, reduce the heat to low and maintain pressure for about 30 minutes. For a standard pot on the stove: Cooking under pressure will yield the best results, but you could cook this in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough beef stock to just cover the sides of the meat, then place the lid tightly and simmer on low to medium-low heat for 3 hours or until the meat is tender; add more stock or water if the sauce evaporates.
• When finished, the Instant Pot will switch to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally (ideally) for 15–20 minutes or quick release it using the pressure release button. Unlock the lid and stir.
  

To Serve

• Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the sliced scallion/green onion. Enjoy!
  

To Store

• You can store the leftovers in the airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or 2 weeks in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 626 kcal · Carbohydrates: 23 g · Protein: 54 g · Fat: 32 g · Saturated Fat: 12 g · Cholesterol: 156 mg · Sodium: 871 mg · Potassium: 1457 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 15 g · Vitamin A: 7935 IU · Vitamin C: 32 mg · Calcium: 91 mg · Iron: 7 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: boneless short rib, instant pot

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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on December 3, 2015. It has been republished with a new video, new step-by-step and final images, and updated content on November 3, 2023.