Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

These Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs are gluten-free stew, pot roast style, made with corn, potatoes, okra, and carrots. It is fork-tender, super delish, and can be served over mashed potatoes or rice.

Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

If you are a fan of traditional American pot roast, you will go crazy for this Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs, Pot Roast Style.

The differences are:

1. Our recipe is made with beef short ribs instead of chuck roast!
2. We added corn and okra to the usual combo of veggies:  potatoes, onion, and carrots.
3. Instead of slow-cooking our pot roast either by braising the ribs or cooking them in the slow cooker, we used the Instant Pot which cooks the beef much quicker. Check out how to use a pressure cooker!
4. Our beef short ribs in the Instant Pot were inspired by a famous Brazilian recipe: Cozido Pernambucano.

Short Rib Pot Roast vs. Cozido

Traditional American Pot Roast is a stew made using a roast-sized, tough cut of beef such as chuck roast, which is browned, and then undergoes slow cooking in a Dutch-oven pan or slow cooker until tender, along with various vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and onions).

Also known as Yankee pot roast, it is a variation of the French boeuf à la mode. 

In contrast, our Short Rib Pot Roast makes use of beef short ribs that are browned and then cooked in an Instant Pot.

We added a larger assortment of vegetables, such as corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots, onions, and okra.

Like its Portuguese cousin, cozido a Portuguesa,  the dish has numerous regional variations throughout Brazil -- from the cut of meat used to the variety of vegetables, and in some instances even the use of plantains.

The version that I have for you today comes from my home state of Pernambuco, on the northeastern coast of Brazil.

Down there, it is common to also have maxixe (maroon cucumber or West Indian gherkin) in the mix of vegetables, which we omit because it is not easily available in Texas.

Some even add plantains, which we felt were not essential to our recipe since American corn is typically quite sweet, in contrast to the most common type of corn consumed in Brazil.

The modification is just a slight one. Back in Pernambuco, the dish is served with white rice and pirão (a creamy-polenta-like dish made from pot roast broth and coarse manioc flour).

But you can certainly serve it all by itself or along with your favorite side dish such as pasta, couscous, quinoa, mashed potatoes, polenta, etc.

The spices and herbs that we used in our Instant beef short ribs also differ from the American version. Besides salt and pepper, we used ground cumin and annatto/achiote (both available in any local supermarket in the Latin aisle, since both are also commonly used in Mexican cuisine).

If you don't have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, no worries.

You can make this in a Dutch-oven pan which will take longer to cook compared to an Instant Pot.

I made these beef short ribs in the Instant Pot for the first time and my family loved them.

I practically transported myself back to Brazil, along with my family, who have never tried the dish before.

To make the experience more authentic, I served it with white rice and of course, pirão. The roast received unanimous approval, but I can't say the same about pirão.

While I had to contain myself to leave enough pirão for the rest of the family, my husband and eldest child were not crazy about it-- mostly on account of its gooey texture.

I guess this was somewhat to be expected since they both are not really fans of creamy polenta or gravy.

But my little one (I mean, my ten-year-old) saved me from disappointment. She ate it all -- with a huge smile on her face. I was so proud of her adventurous palate --  just like her mom's. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Beef short ribs – Buy bone-in beef short ribs, either from the plate or chuck because these types of ribs contain more meat than back ribs.
• Seasonings – We used salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin. But you replace any with your seasonings of choice.
• Vegetable oil – Or olive oil!
• Vegetables – Onion, garlic, corn, carrots, okra, and potatoes were our options. But if you want you can swap any of them or add plantain and gherkin.
• Tomato extract (Please do not use tomato sauce)
• Water -- Or use beef broth that tastes even better!
• Lemon – Or Wine Vinegar!
• Cilantro -- Or chopped parsley!

This is a gluten-free and lactose-free recipe!

How to Make Beef Short Ribs in the Instant Pot

1. Mix the annatto, salt, cumin, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the ribs on both sides evenly.
2. Press the sauté button of your Instant Pot and let it heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the ribs in batches, about 1 ½ minute per side.
4. Do not overcrowd the pot! Use a bit more oil if needed. Transfer the ribs to a plate.
5. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then. Then cook the garlic for 1 minute. Do not let them brown!
6. Stir in the tomato paste and water or broth, scraping the pot down with a wooden spoon. Transfer the ribs back to the pot with their juices. Cancel the sauté function! Then, secure the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and set it to cook on High Pressure for about 30 minutes.
7. For this, I used the meat function of my instant pot. If you would like to cook in a Dutch-oven pot, please read the recipe NOTES.
8. When the 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully turn the valve to release the pressure quickly, letting all the pressure out.
9. Safely open the pot and add the corn, potatoes, okra, and carrots, making sure to submerge them into the liquids as much as possible, especially the corn and potatoes.
10. Secure the lid again, turn the valve to sealing, and set on the vegetable or poultry function for about 8 minutes.
11. Again, turn the valve to quickly release the pressure, letting all the pressure out. Safely open the pot, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
12. Squeeze in the lemon, stir, and add the chopped cilantro/parsley.
13. Serve with white rice and pirão (a creamy-polenta-like dish made from pot roast broth and coarse manioc flour) OR instead with mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, grits, pasta, couscous, quinoa, etc.

How to Make Manioc Flour Gravy (Pirão)

To make pirão, bring about 2 cups of the pot roast broth to a boil in a saucepan and reduce the heat to medium.

Then, add 1 to 1 ½ cups of coarse manioc flour (farinha de mandioca) in a steady stream, stirring often until it has the consistency of cooked creamy polenta and no lumps are found.

Adjust the seasonings (salt and pepper) if needed.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

Serve them with one of the sides below:

• White rice (basmati rice) and pirão
• Mashed potatoes
• Creamy polenta
• Couscous
• Quinoa
• Pasta

What Type of Beef Ribs is best for this Recipe?

There are basically 3 types of beef ribs: Chuck Short Ribs and Plate Short Ribs (in the category of beef short ribs), and Back Ribs. 

• Chuck short ribs: They come from the chuck area (front part of the rib cage) and are the most common type available in supermarkets. They contain a good amount of meat and fat on them, and their bones are short, making the meat appear even bigger. However, this type of beef ribs is tougher and leaner than plate short ribs, requiring more time to cook and costing less.
• Plate beef short ribs: Coming from the middle of the rib cage, they are meatier than chuck ribs, fatty, big, and tender, costing more and not so easily available. These also make a great alternative to chuck beef ribs!
• Back ribs: Located from the back section of the cow, towards the spine, these tend to have less meat than either chuck or plate, but the meat’s quality is better! Because it has more bones than meat, they shouldn’t be used in our recipe.

Because both the chuck and plate short ribs are meaty, they make great choices for our rib pot roast. The chuck ribs cost less than the plate ribs and were our first choice.

How to Store Leftovers

Store our pressure cooker short ribs in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

Other Instant Pot Beef Recipes:

• Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff (Instant Pot/Keto)
• Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Instant Pot Ground Beef (Fresh or Frozen)

PIN & ENJOY!I

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5 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

These InstantPot Beef Short Ribs, pot roast style, are gluten-free stew made with corn, potatoes, okra, and carrots. It is fork-tender, super delish, and can be served over mashed potatoes or rice.

Course:Main dish

Cuisine:Brazilian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 38 minutes minutes

Total Time 58 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories477.4 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 2.00 per person

Equipment

• 1 instant pot
• 1 Chef's knife
• 1 small bowl
• 1 cutting board
• 1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 1 ½ Tablespoons annatto powder (use turmeric as a sub although flavor is not the same)
• 1 Tablespoon salt to season the ribs (plus 2-3 teaspoon for the broth)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper (plus enough to taste for the broth)
• 1 ½ pounds beef short ribs (bone-in), about 6 ribs Make sure to remove ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 6 cups water or beef broth
• 6 baby red potatoes
• 12 baby carrots
• 6 frozen small sweet corn on the cob thawed
• 8-12 whole okra
• ½ lemon or red wine vinegar
• 1-2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

Instructions

• Mix the annatto, salt, cumin, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the ribs on both sides evenly.
• Press the sauté button of your Instant Pot and let it heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the ribs in batches, about 1 ½ minute per side.
• Do not overcrowd the pot! Use a bit more oil if needed. Transfer the ribs to a plate.
• Add the remaining oil and sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then. Then cook the garlic for 1 minute. Do not let them brown!
• Stir in the tomato paste and water or broth, scraping the pot down with a wooden spoon. Transfer the ribs back to the pot with their juices. Cancel the sauté function! Then, secure the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and set to cook on High Pressure for about 30 minutes.
• For this, I used the meat function of my instant pot. If you would like to cook in a Dutch-oven pot, please read recipe NOTES.
• When the 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully turn the valve to release the pressure quickly, letting all the pressure out.
• Safely open the pot and add the corn, potatoes, okra, and carrots, making sure to submerge them into the liquids as much as possible, especially the corn and potatoes.
• Secure the lid again, turn the valve to sealing, and set on the vegetable or poultry function for about 8 minutes.
• Again, turn the valve to quickly release the pressure, letting all the pressure out. Safely open the pot, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
• Squeeze in the lemon, stir, and add the chopped cilantro/parsley.
• Serve with white rice and pirão (a creamy-polenta-like dish made from pot roast broth and coarse manioc flour) OR instead with mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, grits, pasta, couscous, quinoa, etc. TIP: The pirão recipe is in the recipe notes.

Recipe Notes

COOKING IN A DUTCH-OVEN PAN: If cooking our beef short ribs in a dutch-oven pan, brown ribs over medium-high heat, about 1 ½ minutes per side, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

When cooking onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium, letting them cook for 2 minutes and stirring occasionally to prevent from browning.

Once tomato paste and water are added, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low.

Cover the pan, and let ribs cook for about 35-45 minutes or until almost tender.

Add the vegetables, making sure to submerge the corn and potatoes as much as possible into the liquids.  Cover the pan and let cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked and ribs are very tender.

How to Make Manioc Flour Gravy (Pirão)

To make pirão, bring about 2 cups of the pot roast broth to a boil in a saucepan and reduce the heat to medium.

Then, add 1 to 1 ½ cups of coarse manioc flour (farinha de mandioca) in a steady stream, stirring often until it has the consistency of cooked creamy polenta and no lumps are found.

Adjust the seasonings (salt and pepper) if needed.

How to Store Leftovers

Store our pressure cooker short ribs in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 477.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.1g | Protein: 29.3g | Fat: 24.6g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13.6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73.3mg | Sodium: 1910.6mg | Potassium: 1255.1mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 8.6g | Vitamin A: 4509.9IU | Vitamin C: 38.6mg | Calcium: 92.9mg | Iron: 5.2mg

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Post first published on March 5, 2018.