We have a strong opinion that some of the greatest comfort dishes one will encounter in the journey to culinary nirvana will undoubtedly include beef short ribs. Versatile, flavorful, and with proper care, fall-apart tender. Queue up the drool emoji. This is also a hint that short ribs will be making future appearances here. In fact, it should come as a great surprise that it took us this long to share one with the world. Nevertheless, here we are with Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu.
Short ribs are not always the easiest item to find in the grocery store so you may want to ask someone behind the meat counter if you have trouble locating them. We are fortunate enough to have a Red Angus farm down the street where we are able to procure the freshest beef (and pork!) items while supporting a local business. Shout out to Windhaven Farm. More and more local farms are selling direct to consumer these days and it may be beneficial to run a quick Google search nearby your location to see if something similar exists in your neck of the woods. The product will take your meal experience up a notch 🙂
But, we digress.
Short Ribs: A Love Affair
If we were to rank top comfort foods (and maybe we will someday) short ribs would rank at or near the top. We alluded to it in the open: meaty, juicy, tender, versatile. They can be served alone as the star of the plate alongside a hearty helping of mashed potatoes or as a lead ingredient in the dish you are about to experience and countless ways in between.
Time and moisture are your best friends when it comes to short ribs. These well-marbled delights become fall-apart tender with the proper TLC – perfect for this meaty ragu. Marbling is simply striations of fat within the lean muscle. Remember, as the saying goes, fat makes flavor. It really gets a bad rap sometimes.
Preparation: Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu
Good things come to those who wait. However, we sped up the wait by using the Instant Pot.
If your ribs have excess fat cover feel free to trim it down a bit. Pat the short ribs dry and generously season with salt and pepper. Prep the remaining ingredients according to the recipe card below. As always, prepping beforehand makes life easier in the kitchen, particularly when building ingredients like we will in this ragu.
Place the IP in saute mode and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the short ribs to sear. Brown on all sides and set aside.
Add the wine and use to deglaze the pan, scraping the remnant browned bits off the bottom. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes, again stirring to avoid burning the garlic.
Add the short ribs back to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, beef stock, crushed red pepper, bay leaf, and torn basil.
Set the Instant Pot to the Meat/Stew function (35 minutes under high pressure). Let natural release for at least 20 minutes.
While the IP is releasing pressure cook gnocchi according to package instructions (usually a boil until gnocchi begins to float).
Use a slotted spoon (and possibly a fork) to work bones away from meat and remove. Also remove the bay leaf and any excess fat that has separated from the meat. Thicken the sauce to desired consistency by returning IP to saute mode for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Layer gnocchi in a pasta bowl. Spoon ragu over the gnocchi. Top with additional torn basil (if desired) and grated parmesan cheese.
Strike up the band. Do a victory lap around the house. Dig in. Soak up the endless praise of your family, your friends, or your dog – whomever shares this latest creation with you. Buon Appetito!
Equipment: Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu
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You can certainly read about our affinity for the Instant Pot here. It really is a time saver for all kinds of meals. We definitely love it for expedited meal preparation, especially on a weeknight. The one we use is below. There are certainly many other models to choose from but this is a good place to start. Well worth it in our opinion (affiliate link below)!
If you liked that, try this…
- Moroccan Short Ribs
- Cherry Apple Braised Short Ribs
- Pumpkin Spiced Braised Short Ribs
- The Perfect Pot Roast
- Ragu Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
- Lamb and Turnip Ragu
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Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu and Italian Gnocchi
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 lbs Short Ribs (bone-in) Reduce by half if boneless. Pat dry and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste Generously season the meat before searing. About as much as will stick to the ribs.
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 Celery Stalks, diced
- 2 Carrots, peeled and diced We used baby carrots (about 18)
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Red Wine
- ¾ cup Beef Stock
- 1 large can Diced Tomatoes, approx. 28 oz.
- ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper, adjust up or down to taste
- 6-8 Basil Leaves, torn
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ¼ cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese To top the finished dish
Instructions
- Place the IP in saute mode and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the short ribs to sear. Brown on all sides and set aside.
- Add the wine and use to deglaze the pan, scraping the remnant browned bits off the bottom. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes, again stirring to avoid burning garlic.
- Add the short ribs back to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, beef stock, crushed red pepper, bay leaf, and torn basil.
- Set the IP to the Meat/Stew function (35 minutes under high pressure). Let natural release for 20 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure.
- While the IP is releasing pressure cook gnocchi according to package instructions (usually a boil until gnocchi begins to float).
- Use a slotted spoon (and possibly a fork) to work bones away from meat and remove. Also remove the bay leaf and any excess fat that has separated from the meat.Thicken the sauce to desired consistency by returning IP to saute mode for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Layer gnocchi in a pasta bowl. Spoon ragu over the gnocchi. Top with additional torn basil (if desired) and grated parmesan cheese.
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