Instant Pot Short Ribs in Red Wine Recipe by The Redhead Baker (2024)

FAQs

Why is my short ribs tough in the Instant Pot? ›

Why are my short ribs tough in the Instant Pot? If beef short ribs are tough, they simply haven't been cooked long enough. If your short ribs aren't completely tender after 45 minutes, simply pop the lid back on and cook at High Pressure for another 5-10 minutes or until tender.

Yes, super-cheap Sangiovese are best saved for lighter food, but pay a few more dollars and you'll be rewarded with serious reds that have bright cherry fruit and smoky, herbal notes — delicious with beefy short ribs. Try wines from Mastrojanni in Montalcino, Fèlsina in Chianti, or Avignonesi in Montepulciano.

The first five ribs of the animal are shorter (hence the term “short ribs”), and the meat around them is more muscular than that around the other ribs. Like other tough cuts of meat, when slow cooked, short ribs break down and become incredibly tender and delicious.

Because short ribs require long, slow cooking for tenderness and flavor, braising is the perfect technique for cooking them. Most recipes are quite easy—once you've put everything on to simmer, the slow, moist heat does the work.

And the winner is: The slow cooker, but just by a hair (by a rib?). If you're pressed for time, pressure cooker is the way to go.

Short Ribs & Braising:

You don't need any special equipment to braise ribs. First, brown or sear the ribs at a high temperature then cook them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This is an excellent cooking method for tougher cuts of meat that will become tender after prolonged cooking!

Yes, red wine can be used as an ingredient in cooking BBQ ribs to add flavor and depth to the dish.

Serve these with mashed potatoes, polenta, or some good crusty bread. You could even remove the bones and shred the beef into the finished sauce to create an absolutely killer sauce for fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta.

Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. So when used in cooking the alcohol is usually burned off, leaving the flavour without the alcohol content. So as long as the wine was cooked, it should be fine for kids to eat, they won't get any significant alcohol intake.

Short ribs that are cooked completely submerged in liquid will come out with a thin, watery sauce, while those cooked in just a thin layer of liquid—enough to provide a moist environment under your Dutch oven's lid—will produce a rich, flavorful sauce.

Why are my short ribs not falling apart? ›

If they aren't braised long enough, they can be super tough to eat; if they are cooked too long, the meat will just fall apart. The key to preparing short ribs is to cook them until they reach a point that is just before they would fall apart.

Start by trimming the fat down to the silverskin, then with your sharp knife remove it. There is also a heavy membrane on the backside of the beef ribs. It's best to leave this membrane on as the meat may fall off the bone during the cooking process. Once you cook the ribs, the membrane is easily cut away.

Slow-Cooker Short Ribs Tips

Braise short ribs for six to eight hours in a slow cooker set on low. Don't try to speed up the cooking process. Short ribs can become tough and chewy if they're cooked too quickly.

It really doesn't matter either way since the meat is going to fall off the bone after it is cooked, and the meat becomes so tender that it's easy to separate into individual servings.

Braising is the act of cooking food in a liquid to add flavor, moisten, and tenderize. It does usually require a longer cooking time, which works best for tougher cuts of meat. Braising is best at lower temperatures like 250-350˚F/121-177˚C to allow your food to cook slowly, usually for hours, depending on what it is.

Braising beef short ribs: why and how

You end up with a meat and a sauce that are ideally suited to each other and are both incredibly tasty. Braising is an ancient means of cooking tough cuts of meat to tenderize them, and is also quite simple.

Steam method. If you want to lessen the time required in the previous method, you can try steaming. After coating your meat, transfer it to the oven or a steamer and cook it over low until extra tender. The moisture will help pack in flavors and break down tough fibers.