Instant Pot Short Ribs are juicy, tender and easy to make! Paired with Southwestern spices and colorful Harvest Succotash you have an exciting, unexpected dinner recipe in one pot!
Southwestern Instant Pot Short Ribs with Harvest Succotash is a flavor-packed meal, all made in the Instant Pot!
In a little over an hour you’ll serve tender, falling-off-the-bone short ribs.
A colorful succotash side dish with southwestern flavors makes a perfect meal.
Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
Short ribs are a portion of beef ribs with a large portion of meat.
They are well marbled (fat laced in the meat) giving great flavor and keeping the meat moist.
Cooking short ribs through braising or in an Instant Pot creates tender meat that falls off the bone.
The short ribs transform when cooked.
The fat renders leaving the meat rich, moist and tender.
It shrinks exposing the bone. The bone also adds more flavor to the ribs.
Short ribs are a delicious cut of meat.
A little goes a long way thanks to the richness. It is a perfect cut of meat for the Instant Pot.
How Many Short Ribs in a Serving?
This recipe calls for 3 pounds of short ribs. That equals 6-7 short ribs.
My butcher would tell you he thinks 3 ribs per person is about right. Personally, I think that’s too much.
I find 1-2 ribs per serving is more accurate.
When served with the succotash and maybe one other side dish 1-2 ribs are plenty.
Again the ribs are rich and filling.
What is Succotash?
Succotash comes from a term meaning ‘broken corn’.
It’s typically a mix of corn and lima beans often with other beans or vegetables mixed in.
Harvest Succotash
This succotash version has a modern twist.
Harvest Succotash is a mix of corn, edamame beans, sweet potatoes and some diced canned tomatoes.
How to Make Harvest Succotash
The sweet potatoes and tomatoes are cooked in the Instant Pot with the short ribs and earthy, spicy Southwestern spices.
When the cooking is done, the corn and edamame are added to the Instant Pot and mixed with the other ingredients.
The Harvest Succotash is removed from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon.
It’s a delicious, colorful bed for the short ribs.
The Sauce
Once the Instant Pot Short Ribs are done cooking the liquid can be used when serving the final dish.
Option 1: Drizzling the Liquid
Some of the liquid can be drizzled on individual servings.
Option 2: Reducing the Liquid
To thicken the liquid slightly, use the Sauté function to allow the liquid to reduce by 2/3’s.
Stir and watch the liquid so it does not completely evaporate.
Option 3: Defatting the Liquid
The rendered fat from the short ribs will be mixed in with the cooking liquids.
A fat separator can be used to drain out some of the fat if desired.
Pour the juices into the separator, allowing the fat to rise. Pour off the fat.
It’s an easy way to remove fat from the sauce.
Southwestern Instant Pot Short Ribs Ingredients
The ingredients in this Instant Pot recipe are simple and easy to find.
They build great flavor and a wonderful liquid to sauce the final dish if desired.
Star Ingredients
Spices – the earthy spices give full bodied flavor of the Southwest.
They are not over powering in the final recipe but season perfectly for a special touch.
Ale – it’s common to find short ribs cooked in red wine. Like using wine, adding beer to the cooking liquid further tenderizes the meat.
Using Pale Ale adds light flavor to the cooking liquid without making the short ribs taste like beer.
Here are all the ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Beef Short Ribs
- Red Onion
- Low-sodium Beef Stock
- Pale Ale (regular or gluten-free)
- Yam or Sweet Potato
- Canned Petit Diced Tomatoes
- Cumin
- Ancho Chile Powder
- Ground Coriander
Make it Gluten-Free
To make the Instant Pot Short Ribs gluten-free use gluten-free Pale Ale.
There are multiple companies that make a tasty gluten-free Pale Ale so it shouldn’t be hard to find.
How to Make Southwestern Instant Pot Short Ribs – Step-by-Step
This is a very easy Instant Pot recipe. Everything is cooked in the Instant Pot (easy clean up too).
Key Recipe Steps
Searing or Browning the Short Ribs
The first step of searing the ribs in the Instant Pot makes all the difference.
Searing the short ribs seals in the moisture and gives them a wonderful texture after cooking in the Instant Pot.
Searing is done using the Sauté function (high heat).
The ribs are rotated to brown each of the 6 sides.
It only takes 15-30 seconds a side. Time well spent!
Deglazing
After the sauteing steps there will be food bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
The cooking liquids are added to ‘deglaze’ the insert bottom.
Deglazing is a way to loosen any cooked bit of meat or vegetables from the pan (or insert).
It adds more flavor to the cooking liquids.
In the case of the Instant Pot newer models can be sensitive to anything sticking to the insert.
Freeing all these food morsels avoids any burn warning the Instant Pot might issue.
For a detailed printable recipe refer to the recipe card at the end of the blog post.
STEP 1: Select the Sauté function of the Instant Pot. When hot add the oil.
STEP 2: Sprinkle salt and pepper on the ribs. In batches brown the ribs on all sides and place on a plate.
STEP 3: Drain all fat except 1 tablespoon from the Instant Pot insert.
STEP 4: Add oil and garlic and sauté.
STEP 5: Pour the beef stock and ale into the Instant Pot. Use a pliable spatula to deglaze the insert.
STEP 6: Add the sweet potato, tomatoes, spices and stir to combine.
STEP 7: Add the short ribs back into the Instant Pot. Seal and cook on Manual High Pressure for 40 minutes.
STEP 8: Follow with a Natural Release for 15 minutes. Release any additional pressure manually.
STEP 9: Remove the short ribs with a slotted spoon.
To complete the Harvest Succotash:
STEP 10: Add the corn and edamame into the Instant Pot. Stir and remove the remaining ingredients from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon.
STEP 11: Make a sauce with the cooking liquids, if desired, via the options above.
More Side Dish Recipes to Serve
- Mexican Fiesta Cauliflower Rice
- Slow Cooker Barbecue Beans with Bacon
- Roasted Garlic Buttermilk Smashed Red Potatoes
- Mexican Quinoa Salad with Green Chilies
- Cornbread recipe
Try these Instant Pot Recipes too!
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Garlic
- Instant Pot Coconut Lime Jasmine Rice
- How to Make Creme Brulee in the Instant Pot
- Chocolate Cherry Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
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Southwestern Instant Pot Short Ribs with Harvest Succotash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 6 2-3 inch Beef Short Ribs (approximately 3 pounds), fat trimmed
- 1 cup chopped Red Onion
- 4 medium Garlic Cloves , peeled and diced
- 1 cup low-sodium Beef Stock
- 1 cup Pale Ale (gluten-free or regular)
- 1 1-pound Yam or Sweet Potato , peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 14.5-ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
- ½ teaspoon ground Coriander
- 1 cup frozen Corn Kernels , thawed
- 1 cup frozen shelled Edamame , thawed and microwaved per package instructions
Instructions
- Select the SAUTE function on the Instant Pot. When hot add the oil.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper onto the ribs. In batches, brown the ribs on each side (30-60 seconds a side average) and place aside on a plate.
- Drain all fat retaining 1 tablespoon in the pressure cooker.
- Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Pour the beef stock and beer into the pressure cooker. Using a spatula deglaze the bottom of the pan lifting any bits from the cooking.
- Add the sweet potato, tomatoes, cumin, chile powder and coriander to the Instant Pot insert and stir to combine.
- Add the beef ribs back into the pressure cooker and secure the lid. Move the vent to SEAL.
- Cook on MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 40 minutes. Follow with a NATURAL RELEASE for 15 minutes, releasing any leftover pressure manually.
- Once the pressure has equalized, remove the lid. Using a slotted spoon remove the beef ribs and place them in a vessel for serving. and the succotash, placing them in separate vessels for serving.
- Spoon the thawed corn and prepared edamame into the Instant Pot allowing the ingredients to mix and warm for a few minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop the succotash from the Instant Pot into a serving vessel.
- The sauce: the remaining pan liquids may be used as is on top the ribs when served or may be reduced using the SAUTE function until the liquid has reduced by 2/3’s.
- To serve: Serve 1-2 ribs on a bed of succotash with a drizzle of the pan sauce.
Nutrition
Originally published: November 13, 2016
Instant Pot Short Ribs with Southwestern spices and succotash is an easy, unexpected dinner recipe!
Melissa says
So delicious and such a beautiful dish!
Katie says
These are so easy and so delicious! Definitely a family favorite around here.
Katie says
What an awesome go-to recipe! LOVE how these ribs turned out and the fact that they’re in the instant pot makes it even better!