Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs is a weeknight recipe for quick Asian flavors from my pressure cooker.
Here's a quick weeknight version of short ribs, Korean style. No browning the ribs this time; I sauté the aromatics for a minute to bring out their flavor, then add everything else to the pot and lock the lid. Serve on rice or Asian noodles, topped with minced green onion if you're feeling fancy and Gochujang sauce if you need Korean heat.
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Now, is this a traditional Korean recipe? No. I took the flavor profile that makes me think "Korean" - garlic, ginger, and scallion; soy, rice wine, pear juice, and sesame oil - and used it in a pot of beef ribs. It may not be authentic, but for a weeknight dinner, served over rice to soak up the sauce? I got rave reviews at the dinner table and pleas to "make this one again!"
(According to this website, I'm pretty close to making Galbijjim, slow-simmered short ribs. I had to triple-check the number of "I" s and J" s in galbijjim, so you can see how non-authentic I am.)
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Green onions (scallions)
Garlic
Ginger
Beef short ribs, 2 to 3 inches thick, cut into 3 rib portions
Water
Soy sauce
Rice wine (or dry sherry)
Pear juice (or apple juice)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Garnishes
Green onions
Gochujang sauce
Korean Shorts Ribs VS Regular Short Ribs
The short ribs in this recipe are the same cut as regular short ribs, 2 to 3-inch thick, cross-cut short ribs. The difference is the flavors. This recipe uses a Korean flavor profile, unlike my traditional, French-influenced short ribs recipe.
The other difference might be the thickness of the ribs. Sometimes you will find thin-cut short ribs, between ¼-inch and ½-inch thick. For thin-cut ribs, cut the cooking time at high pressure to 25 minutes, with a natural release afterward.
How to Make Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs
Saute the aromatics
Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode (or a pressure cooker on medium heat) until the oil is shimmering. Add the green onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until you can smell garlic, about 1 minute. Add the short ribs, water, soy sauce, rice wine, pear juice, and sesame oil. Stir to coat the ribs with the liquids.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 38 minutes in a stovetop cooker. (In an Instant Pot, use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set for 45 minutes.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)
Serve
Scoop the short ribs out of the pot with tongs and/or a slotted spoon. (Be gentle - the short ribs will be fall-apart tender.) Pour the remaining liquid into a fat separator and let it settle so the fat floats to the surface for about 5 minutes. Pour a little de-fatted liquid over the ribs, and pass the rest at the table as a sauce. Have your diners top their bowls with the garnishes, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Defatting the sauce: I don't usually worry about fat when using the pot liquid as a sauce. But there is a lot of fat in short ribs, so I recommend defatting the sauce with a fat separator.
- Cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce: I didn't include this in the recipe, but if you want a thicker sauce, you can use cornstarch. Whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Wait for the pot liquid to settle in the fat separator. Pour the defatted liquid into a medium bowl and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Continue by pouring some thickened sauce over the ribs and passing the rest at the table.
- Specialty ingredients: I can find all the ingredients in my local grocery store's International aisle. (It's incredible how much better-stocked local grocery stores are with Korean ingredients nowadays.) Go with the recommended substitutions if you are having problems finding things. Or, seek out your local Asian market - it is worth the trip if you are a culinary adventurer.
Serving Suggestions
- White rice is the perfect accompaniment for these ribs, but they also go well over Asian noodles. Or any noodle, really - spaghetti and egg noodles would be two easy-to-find options.
How do you make Korean short ribs more tender?
Pressure cooking is the perfect way to tenderize Korean short ribs. (Short ribs are tough if they are undercooked because of all the fat and connective tissue. They tenderize with longer cooking times, and cooking under pressure is a great way to tenderize them.)
If your ribs are still coming out tough, you're not cooking them long enough - or they're thicker than the 2 to 3-inch thick short ribs I recommend for this recipe. Try increasing the pressure cooking time by 5 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally - don't quick release it.
Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs is a weeknight pressure cooker recipe for quick Asian flavors from my pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 green onions (scallions), cut into 1 inch lengths
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 quarter-sized slices of ginger
- 4 pounds beef short ribs, about 3 inches thick, cut into 3 rib portions
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine (or dry sherry)
- ¼ cup pear juice (or apple juice)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Garnishes
- Minced green onions
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Gochujang sauce
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode (or a pressure cooker on medium heat) until the oil is shimmering. Add the green onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until you can smell garlic, about 1 minute. Add the short ribs, water, soy sauce, rice wine, pear juice, and sesame oil. Stir to coat the ribs with the liquids.
- Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 38 minutes in a stovetop cooker. (In an Instant Pot, use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set for 45 minutes.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)
- Serve: Scoop the short ribs out of the pot with tongs and/or a slotted spoon. (Be gentle - the short ribs will be fall-apart tender.) Pour the remaining liquid into a fat separator and let it settle so the fat floats to the surface for about 5 minutes. Pour a little de-fatted liquid over the ribs and pass the rest at the table as a sauce. Have your diners top their bowls with the garnishes, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Korean
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Sara says
OMG!! These were so good! My very picky 14yr old asked for 3rds. i followed the recipe to a T with the exception of a teaspoon of chili pepper flakes and it was delicious. I served mine over baked butternut squash and for my boys over Jasmine rice.
BTW- the butcher at Safeway said he'd be happy to cut the ribs thicker if I call 1st thing in the morning.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks for the tip - it's always a good idea to know your butcher!
Rachel says
Should I marinate the meat beforehand?
Mike V says
Nope
Pamela B says
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I plan to try this tonight in my new Instant Pot using boneless short ribs (I got the ones cut into long strips from Costco). Per your previous comment, I'm going to cook them at high pressure for 30 minutes (as instructed in the Mexican short rib recipe). Does that sound about right to you for cooking time? Thanks!
Mike V says
Yes, that should work fine.
Pamela B says
Thank you! I'm bookmarking your site.
FancyPants says
What do you think about using these ingredients for pork ribs?
Mike V says
Great idea!
Howard says
I've made this dish twice now for company. Delicious!
Su says
Hey Mike,
Made this a few times now. Just wanted to say thank you for this easy, yet impressive dish. I usually cook ahead in the morning, and then keep warm using my crockpot keep warm feature, so that I can use my instant pot for making rice.
This makes really tender short ribs, and makes it seems like I had slaved over the dish, when in reality, I just pressure cooked, and reduced and thickened the liquid after that 🙂
Mike V says
You're welcome - glad you're enjoying it!
Carol says
Mike, I just got an Instant Pot for Christmas! What do,you mean when you say put it on high pressure? How does that translate to the instant pot? Thanks!
Mike V says
See my Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-frequently-asked-questions/
Howard Thompson says
This looks phenomenal. Where did you get cross cut ribs this thick? Short ribs at my store are either one longish rib or thin flanken cut 3 rib portions
Regardless, I'm so on this!
Mike V says
I can find them at my local butcher shops - thick, cross cut ribs are getting more popular in Northeast Ohio - but I do keep an eye out for them; they're not available all the time.
Howard Thompson says
Thanks Mike; I'll definitely keep an eye out now that I now what to look for.
Kevin says
Would you suggest a different cooking time if English cut ribs are used?
Mike V says
The cut isn't as important as the thickness. This recipe assumes roughly 3 inch thick ribs; if you have thinner ribs (say, 1 1/2 inches thick), cook for the time specified in this recipe:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-short-ribs-with-mexican-flavors/