Instant Pot Short Ribs With Creamy Polenta

This instant pot short ribs recipe yields the most tender, juicy and flavorful meat that’s falling off the bone. The instant pot makes it possible to enjoy this traditionally slow cooked meat much faster and just as delicious.

If you are a meat lover, waiting patiently for the slow cooking process of braising short ribs in an oven or slow cooker may seem like a worthy cause (and it is, if you have the time!) but this Instant Pot recipe offers the same amazing flavors and meat falling off the bone experience, in a fraction of the time.

Today recipe is for all meat lovers. Those of us who appreciate a well flavored, juicy and tender meat, but don’t always have the time to invest in the traditional method of cooking short ribs.

My guess is, if you never tried short ribs cooked in a pressure cooker, this will be the ONLY way you will want to cook short ribs, roast, beef stew, oxtails and any type of tough meat from here on.

Slow Cooker vs Pressure Cooker

Personally there are no particular better method. The pressure cooker simply offers a quicker method of cooking without compromising on flavor. This is what makes the Instant Pot stand out.

Based on my experience, you get amazing results from either of these options. However, what has me reaching for the Instant Pot version MORE often than the slow cooker or dutch oven, is the time constraint.

I believe this is the true for most working Moms/ Dads out there, which is why the Instant Pot is such a popular option.

how to make the best tasting beef short ribs

1. Season the meat well on all sides. I use a kitchen thong to hold the meat while I sprinkle a generous layer of salt and pepper over a large piece of parchment paper or even the store packaging paper. I don’t work well if the kitchen is too messy, so little steps like this helps keep my hands and counter clean.
2. Brown the short ribs on all sides (picture above). This helps lock in moisture and flavor. Use the sauté mode to do this.
3. Make the base. This is where we’ll build the flavor base for the recipe. Sauté onions, garlic and a shredded carrot (for color and flavor), then add tomato paste, coconut aminos or wine (acid), flour to thicken sauce, fresh thyme and bay leaves and top it with the broth (picture above).
4. Now you can add the short ribs back into the pot and also the veggies. Cancel the sauté mode and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. The picture below shows what the ribs looks like once I open the pot. I always add fresh herbs right away to get the extra aroma and flavor.

Recipe notes, substitutions and adaptations

• it is very common to use red wine in the making of braised meats. Wine being an acidic element, it add depth in flavor. But a lot of times folks don’t have wine in hand or want to use it. For this reason I tested this recipe with another form of acid other than wine and the result was extremely tasty. What I used, you ask? COCONUT AMINOS! which is a healthier substitute for soy. This said you can use soy, I unfortunately am allergic to it so coconut aminos is my best friend 🙂
• feel free to add other types of veggies to the pot. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes and Brussels are good substitutions
• the beef short ribs can be substituted for stew meat (see this Instant Pot Beef Stew) or even Oxtails (see this Instant Pot Oxtail Recipe). All these recipes are very similar the only difference is the cooking times. In fact, once you learn the steps of making mega flavorful stew-like meats or braised meats, you can confidently grab any type of tough meat and turn into a pot of deliciousness.
• You will see that in a lot of my stew meats, braised meat recipes I sauté one shredded carrot with the onion and garlic. That is because I found that the carrot adds beautiful color and great flavor to the sauce.
• the broth! this is where I go bananas!! what I mean by that is, yeah you can add some plain ‘ol beef broth but you can also add bone broth, or even better collagen bone broth! Listen, I can go on and on about the AMAZING health benefits of bone broth and collagen but I’ll just say this; these two are like an invisible shield helping keep you healthy and strong!

Once everything is ready, we serve the short ribs over the polenta, topped with our carrots and plenty of that tasty meat broth. Garnish with fresh thyme, parsley or cilantro and moooooore parmesan because WE CAN and voila!

how to make polenta

I recently published a recipe where I share my favorite way to make polenta. Most times recipes asks for water but I find it that the polenta comes out pretty bland, so this is how I have been making polenta

See Polenta Recipe HERE!

If you make this Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thanks a bunch!