The Fastest Way To Cook Ribs That Are Still Tender And Juicy

It can take hours to cook ribs low and slow enough to achieve tenderness that makes the meat just fall off the bone. If you try to hurry the process, you might end up with undercooked ribs. In that scenario, a structural protein in the ribs called collagen would not get hot enough to dissolve, resulting in tough and gristly meat.

So is there a way to cook ribs quickly while still making sure that they come out tender and juicy? Tasting Table spoke with chef Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, CDN to find out. Gellman said that using an Instant Pot could help you achieve juicy ribs in much less time than braising or using a slow cooker. She told us, "an Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, which uses high pressure steam (a moist heat cooking method) to cook food quickly."

Moist heat cooking is a method that uses incredibly hot liquid or steam to tenderize tough cuts of meat like short ribs by encouraging collagen to break down more quickly. Your Instant Pot is the secret to juicier short ribs because it traps steam in a high-pressure chamber, essentially amplifying the results of hours of slow cooking so that the ribs are done in around 30 minutes. As Gellman told us, "Because it is a moist environment, it keeps the ribs from drying out and they maintain any flavor, spices, and seasonings that have been added ... more so than if the ribs were cooked on a grill, in an oven, or in a dry heat method."

The best part of using the Instant Pot is that you won't have to commit to three or four hours of cooking. However, there are some important things to consider before you get started. Firstly, you want to make sure to select the right kinds of ribs. Choosing ones that are too large might overcrowd the pot and cause uneven cooking. The best types of short ribs for cooking quickly are baby back ribs, St. Louis-style spare ribs, and country-style ribs.

Next, make sure to rub the ribs with your favorite seasoning mix before putting them in the Instant Pot. Doing this the day before you cook can let the meat absorb the flavors for longer; however, seasoning right before you pop your food in the pot is fine too. You might also want to consider adding a cup of red wine to the Instant Pot for more flavorful beef short ribs. Including a teaspoon of liquid smoke can also infuse the meat with a bit of the taste they would have gotten had they been cooked in an oven or on a grill. Finally, after you remove them from the pot, cover them in barbecue sauce and finish them under the broiler to caramelize the exterior. Cooking your short ribs this way can help you achieve "tender, fall-off-the-bone meat in a much shorter amount of time compared to conventional cooking methods," says Abbie Gellman.

Make tender, red wine-braised beef short ribs in the Instant Pot with our recipe.