Instant Pot Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine and Guinness is a simple, sophisticated recipe that features fall-apart tender beef short ribs with a rich and flavorful sauce that tastes as though it simmered for hours! I love to serve these short ribs over creamy cheese polenta, which is so easy to make in the Instant Pot.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I recently adapted this red wine braised short ribs recipe to the Instant Pot. The original recipe comes from Ina Garten’s newest cookbook Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks and it was a big hit with my family.
I had to make the Instant Pot version of the recipe a few times to get it just right since Ina Garten’s recipe for red wine braised short ribs is cooked in the oven. The red wine and Guinness stout beer impart a complex flavor to these pressure cooker short ribs. I love to serve them over polenta.
Guinness stout is a really dark beer that has a very strong and unmistakable flavor. I have to confess that I’m not a fan of drinking it but I am a fan of cooking with it! The flavor of the beef short ribs cooking in the Guinness and red wine is rich and robust.
Okay, so this isn’t a dump-it-in-and-press-start recipe! The recipe takes over an hour to prepare (pressure cooking time is 40 minutes with a 15-minute natural pressure release), but the recipe itself is quite uncomplicated. See my tips below to find out an easy way to brown the short ribs – this comes from Ina Garten’s recipe.
Here are some other comfort food recipes:
– Instant Pot Coq au Vin
– Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
–Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips
Tips and Substitutions
Leeks
Leeks can have dirt hidden between the layers. So be sure to clean the leeks very well. I like to use all the white parts and the light green parts but you can even use some of the dark green parts because they become soft with pressure cooking.
Wine and Beer
The recipe uses wine and beer, but upon pressure cooking, there will be no alcohol remaining. If you substitute other liquids such as beef broth or chicken broth, the flavor won’t be as complex.
Browning the Ribs in the Oven
There are two ways to brown the short ribs:
- in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- in the Instant Pot on Saute mode.
I actually prefer doing it in the oven because it’s less messy and it gets done much quicker. I like to deglaze the baking sheet after transferring the short ribs and I add that liquid to the inner pot prior to pressure cooking. Lots of flavor in there!
Browning the Short Ribs in the Instant Pot
Keep these tips in mind if you brown the beef short ribs in the Instant Pot:
- The inner pot should be very hot.
- The meat will sizzle when added.
- Don’t overcrowd the inner pot, or the beef ribs will end up boiling. That’s why it’s important to work in batches.
- Sear the meat without stirring, for 1–2 minutes, until nicely browned.
- Use tongs or a silicone spatula to gently try to release the pieces – if they stick firmly, let them cook some more. Turn the short ribs once they release from the bottom.
Removing the Fat
The short ribs can release quite a lot of fat and so I like to remove most of the fat. There are a few ways to separate the fat from the cooking liquid:
- I highly recommend using a fat / gravy separator to separate the fat from the rest of the liquid. I have a 2 cup version but I would recommend a 4 cup fat/gravy separator. They’re not too expensive and a worthwhile investment.
- Remove the solids after pressure cooking and place the liquid in the fridge until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. You can then discard the fat. If you’re using this method, you might want to make the pressure cooker short ribs a day ahead and reheat before continuing with the recipe.
- Use a large ladle or fat skimmer to skim the fat off the top. I don’t know why but I have a hard time doing this although I know many people who use this technique!
Boneless Short Ribs
The bones do add a ton of flavor but if you want to substitute boneless short ribs, decrease pressure cooking time to 35 minutes.
Beef Chuck or Other Cuts of Beef
Short ribs are an expensive cut of meat. If you want to make this recipe more economical, you can substitute 1 ½ to 2-inch cubes of beef chuck (trimmed of fat) and pressure cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
Accompaniments
Serve over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Creamy Polenta.
FAQS
Short ribs are a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of beef cattle. They consist of a short portion of the rib bone, which is overlain by meat that varies in thickness. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
The short ribs come from a valuable section of the cow and that’s why they’re expensive.
I find that the bones add flavor to the sauce so I prefer using the bone-in beef short ribs but you can substitute boneless short ribs. Decrease the cooking time to 35 minutes.
What’s known as beef short ribs in the US is called thin rib or Jacob’s ladder in the UK.
Yes, you can make it in the slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot. Cook it for 8 hours on low heat or until fall-apart tender.
Browning the meat adds a layer of flavor to the recipe. You can skip the browning step but you will sacrifice some flavor.
All Instant Pot models and other brands of pressure cookers such as Ninja Foodi can be used to make this recipe.
Yes, you can make this recipe in the mini. Keep the same cooking time.
Yes, there’s enough liquid in the recipe that you should be able to make the recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot.
Yes, the recipe can be doubled without changing the cooking time.
As long as you have the minimum quantity of liquid to get your pressure cooker to pressurize, you can reduce the recipe e.g. halve it, but keep the same cooking time.
I think the short ribs taste even better the next day. I also like making them ahead because it’s easy to remove the fat from the sauce. I usually refrigerate the meat and vegetables separately from the sauce.
If refrigerated promptly, the beef short ribs should easily last for 3 to 4 in the fridge.
Yes, freeze them in an airtight container or by double-bagging them in freezer bags, removing all the air from the bags. They should last 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Short Ribs Ingredients
- Wine
- Broth
- Beer
- Short ribs
- Celery
- Leeks
- Onion
- Carrots
- Pepper
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Tomato sauce
- Thyme
- Cornstarch
- Garlic
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Short Ribs in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Brown the ribs
- Cook the vegetables
- Cook the garlic and spices
- Add the remaining ingredients
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Remove meat from sauce
- Thicken sauce
Brown the ribs
Option 1: in the oven
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Coat baking sheet with two teaspoons olive oil.
- Place short ribs on baking sheet, meaty side up and evenly spaced.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brush with olive oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Transfer short ribs to a large platter.
- Add a few tablespoons of hot water to the baking sheet and scrape with a spatula to deglaze.
- Carefully pour drippings into a small bowl and reserve for later.
Option 2: in the Instant Pot
Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meaty side of the short ribs.
- Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, heat a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Brown both sides of the short ribs in batches, making sure not to crowd the inner pot. (Use a splatter screen to prevent splatters.)
- Transfer the short ribs to a plate, cover lightly with aluminum foil and set aside.
Cook the vegetables
- Select Saute mode.
- Add remaining olive oil to inner pot.
- Stir in onions, celery, and leeks. Saute till soft, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- This step should also take care of deglazing the inner pot; there should be no brown bits remaining. If there are, deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water or broth.
Cook the garlic and spices
- Stir in garlic, salt, black pepper, and thyme and saute briefly. *
- Press Cancel.
* If necessary, deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth. Stir to remove any brown bits.
Add remaining ingredients
- Stir in broth, beer, and wine.
- Add reserved short ribs and carrots to the liquid and push down to submerge.
- If you browned short ribs in the oven, add in the reserved drippings.
- Add tomato sauce on top; but don’t stir.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 40 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure the steam release handle is in the Sealing position.
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 40 (40 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 40 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 40 minutes (00:40).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to do a 15-minute Natural Release of Pressure
- Allow the Instant Pot to stay in Keep Warm mode for 15 minutes.
How to Release any Remaining Pressure on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Any remaining steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Release any Remaining Pressure on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and any remaining steam will come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Remove meat from sauce
- Remove as much of the solids from the inner pot as possible, using a slotted spoon.
- Separate fat from the liquid. See tips above for details.
Thicken sauce
- Stir together the cornstarch and water till they form a smooth paste.
- Select Saute mode.
- Once the liquid is simmering, add in cornstarch slurry.
- Allow the sauce to cook for another 2 minutes, or until thickened.
- Add back reserved meat and vegetables and heat through.
- Press Cancel.
- Serve with roasted vegetables, and polenta or mashed potatoes.
Oven Instructions for Braised Short Ribs
- Roast short ribs on a rimmed baking pan in a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Saute the onions, celery, leeks, and carrots in olive oil, in a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe dutch oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the spices and stir to combine.
- Add the wine and simmer until reduced.
- Stir in the broth, beer, and tomatoes.
- Add the ribs with the juices and seasonings from the baking pan.
- Bake in the oven for one hour.
- Uncover and cook for one more hour, until the meat is very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the short ribs and all solids to a bowl.
- Separate the fat from the sauce and simmer the sauce on the stove for 20 minutes, or until reduced.
- To thicken the sauce further, stir together the cornstarch and water till they form a smooth paste and add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Add back reserved meat and vegetables and heat through.
- Return the ribs to the pot, heat for 5 minutes, and taste for seasonings.
- Serve with roasted carrots, polenta or mashed potatoes.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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More Instant Pot Beef Recipes
Pam says
Out of curiosity, is there a way to make this recipe without the beer? My husband has celiac and cannot have gluten. Since both barley and wheat contain gluten, beers made from either are not gluten-free. Thank you in advance.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Pam, thanks for your question. I’m thinking you can just omit the beer and be fine – I think there’s enough liquid to come to pressure. Good luck 🙂
Gene says
I made this with pork short ribs. I made it the day before which enhanced the flavor and thickened the sauce. The next day I heated it up by pressure cooking it for 1 minute. I also served it with Haitian-style polenta and steamed broccoli. The meal was subtle in flavor and quite tasty. The texture of the meat was perfect. Fell right off the bone. I’ll definitely make this again.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Gene – glad to hear you were able to use pork short ribs. Thanks for the rating too 🙂
Dennis says
NIna
This sounds really good….but I don’t eat beef!!!! I printed out the recipe anyway maybe some other cut of meat will work with it. Hope your weather is not as bad as the rest of the country is having.
Dennis
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Dennis, thanks for commenting – too bad you can’t make the recipe with beef, but maybe another type of meat might work – not sure how it would be. Let me know! Nope, not as cold here – thank goodness!