Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
A plate with BBQ short ribs and mashed potatoes, with a dish of BBQ rub and a pressure cooker in the background

Instant Pot BBQ Braised Short Ribs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Mike Vrobel
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 3 pounds of short ribs 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Homemade Chipotle BBQ Sauce (or use 1 ½ store bought BBQ sauce)

  • 8 ounces ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • ½ canned chipotle, with adobo sauce, pureed or finely minced (or ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or substitute cheap yellow mustard)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Homemade BBQ Rub (or use 3 tablespoons store bought BBQ rub)

  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

BBQ Short Ribs

  • 3 pounds beef short ribs, cross cut about ½-inch thick (aka Flanken style ribs)
  • 1 tablespoon BBQ Rub (above)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)
  • ½ cup BBQ Sauce (above)
  • More BBQ sauce (above) to brush on the ribs after cooking

Instructions

  1. Make the BBQ sauce and BBQ rub: Whisk the BBQ Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir the BBQ rub ingredients in a small bowl, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar with your fingers, until smooth. (Detailed instructions for the BBQ Sauce here, and the BBQ Rub here.)
  2. Season the short ribs, then fill the pot: Sprinkle the short ribs on all sides with the BBQ rub. Pour the water and liquid smoke into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then loosely stack the ribs in the pot. Drizzle ½ cup of BBQ sauce evenly over the ribs.
  3. Pressure cook the short ribs for 25 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes in an electric pressure cooker or 20 minutes in a stovetop cooker. (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode set for 25 minutes in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure to come down naturally - if you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.
  4. Serve: Remove the short ribs to a platter with a slotted spoon or tongs. (Be gentle -they will want to fall apart after pressure cooking.) Brush the ribs with another coat of barbecue sauce, then pass the ribs and the remaining sauce at the table. Enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

If you want to crisp up the ribs, you can run them under your oven’s broiler. After removing them from the pressure cooker, broil them until they are starting to brown and bubble before brushing them with the last coat of barbecue sauce.

Tools

6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Sunday Dinner
  • Method: Pressure Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Find it online: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-bbq-braised-short-ribs/