The single most frequently asked questions on this site of late has not been “Wait, you just put peanut butter inside a chocolate cookie, are you pregnant?” (Which is too bad because I want nothing more than an excuse to say this.) It’s not “Can I make this recipe gluten-free/dairy-free/Whole30-compliant?” (Me.) And it’s not even, “How do you do your daughter’s hair?” (We wake her up at 4 to set it in curlers, it’s a little crazy but obviously worth it). It is, in fact, some combination of “I need Instant Pot recipes.” and “How do I make this in an Instant Pot?” or “Should I get an Instant Pot?” Today I’ll do my best (and, of course, just skip ahead if you’ve already made peace with the presence or absence of one in your life):
* Is it worth the space? While I cannot answer for you whether you have the space for another large kitchen appliance, it’s worth noting that the IP could ostensibly replace a slow-cooker (or slow-cookers, in my crazy case), a stovetop pressure cooker, should you have one, and a rice cooker, although I’ll get rid of mine when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I can tell you with authority that I don’t have room for mine, but I like it anyway. I also don’t have room for my children and their belongings in this apartment, but I like them anyway (“anyway” = after 7am).
* But I am perfectly happy with my slow-cooker: I think of the IP/other electric multicookers and Crock-Pots/slow-cookers on the same continuum with different speeds. They excel at many of the same things: beans and stocks and long braises. Both are plugged in so you can put stuff in them and walk away (unlike a live gas flame on a stove). The slow-cooker requires you to think about what you’d like for dinner either the night before or that morning before you go off to work — it slows things down. Electric pressure cookers allow you to do it when you get home — it speeds things up. (The IP also makes yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and rice, you can simmer a pot of liquid in it about as fast as you would on a stove, and you can actually brown things like meat, so it’s got a few other tricks up its sleeve, but rice and eggs at least cook faster on a stove.)
* But it’s faster, right? Sometimes but not always. The name is a lie; it’s not going to cook anything “instantly.” Pressure cookers shave a significant amount of cooking time off longer dishes, but almost all “I did short ribs in 35 minutes!” (see also: below!) conversations omit that it can take up to 25 minutes for the machine to get up to pressure, and if you’re “naturally releasing” the pressure, at least in my experience, the rest of your life, or at least the cooking time you saved by not making it on your stove/in your oven, to be done. Fortunately, it’s rarely necessary to let things fully naturally release.
Here is an opinion: I actually think speed isn’t the point. I think a lot of the magic that people speak of when they talk about the IP is less about how well it cooks everything (although it does just fine, especially if intact textures or crispy edges aren’t your goal) and more about the ease of use, that we can come home after a long day and throw some stuff in it and *walk away* — change your clothes, help your kid with their homework, pour a glass of wine, do any of the things you’d prefer to be doing at the moment rather than hovering about a stove — and when it dings 15 to 30 minutes later, it holds your dinner cooked and warm almost indefinitely. The internet is full of 15 to 30-minute meal ideas, you don’t need an IP to make one, but they’re not hands-off.
* What size should I get? Guys, I went big, I got the 8-quart. It just didn’t feel *that* much bigger to me than the 6-quart but do you know what would annoy me until the end of time? Having a clunker as large as the 6-quart in my home and finding it didn’t hold all the liquid I needed for stock, or, like, a whole bird, because sometimes you need to put a whole bird in a pot. I’d rather have room to spare. I’d rather be free to double what I want to double.
* Has it changed your life, Deb? I work from home, often in the kitchen and don’t mind a bit if a pot is glurping away on the stove or braising away in the oven for hours, so it doesn’t do as much for me as it does for others, but on the occasion that I’m working on a dish that will not partially or fully form a dinner meal (I mean, the nerve), being able to throw things in there (chicken breasts, an onion, garlic, spice) for 7 minutes to make an almost comically easy and hands-off taco filling is a neat trick to have up my sleeve.
* The manual is terrible and the buttons are confusing: Yes, they are. Ignore them. A good cookbook or recipe will tell you exactly what to push at which times on your cooking robot and you’ll be just fine. And speaking of good cookbooks…
I recently got a copy of Coco Morante’s The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook. There are a lot of IP cookbooks out there right now, and some of them are fantastic (some are comical), but this was the first one where I was overwhelmed with a desire to quit my day job, so to speak, and Julie-Julia it for a month. There are so many recipes in here that perfectly strike the midpoint between attainable but still inspired, and so blessedly little cookbook filler, I hardly knew where to began. I love steel-cut oats but they take forever on the stove; I made her apple pie riff on the oats (with a few tweaks) in the IP (although, lols) and one entire child out of two actually agreed to eat it, which, by the way, is considered a success story around here, plus the leftovers were great on other mornings. I made the potato-leek soup (with a few more tweaks), something that’s never held our interest before, and we enjoyed it for two full days of dinner. I have about 8 other dishes tabbed for the next time I don’t feel like making dinner but would do it if it was fairly hands-off. And finally, because short ribs are my favorite meat, but still one I don’t make very often because they’re fairly rich and feel fancy, I made her riff on galbi jjim, or Korean braised short ribs, and they were so good, I made them again three days later.
In those three days, I went on an Authenticity Hunt, this obsessive thing I do where I watch a lot of YouTube videos from, in this case, Korean cooking channels, to see where a recipe I have in mind diverges from, say, the way a Korean grandmother might make it. I don’t think every recipe needs to be the height of authenticity, but it bothers me when a recipe deviates and doesn’t tell us why, or possibly even know that it does.
What I learned is that this dish is considered a special occasion meal. Beef is not as common in Korea — which is fairly narrow peninsula surrounded by water; not ideal cattle conditions — as a lot of the grills-in-tables Koreatown restaurants would make us think. This dish is usually done with bone-in short ribs (small cuts are usually made in it) and in almost every Korean recipe I saw, the meat is always soaked in cold water (and sometimes a few changes of water) for 30 minutes to 2 hours to drain excess blood. They’re then boiled for 5 minutes to remove fat. The theory is that you either skim it from the braise or you can get rid of it sooner; I’d like to try this next time. I thought it was a funny thing that the vegetables were blended raw to make the braising liquid but then someone reached out to me and told me this was fairly common, that it’s done to thicken the sauce too, and that the pear is usually used a natural sweetener, so less sugar is needed. Overall, the Korean cooking site recipes I saw didn’t do the kind of braise we usually see in, say, French cookbooks: browning the meat and then a very long cooking time. Most just simmered it on the stove for 60 to 90 minutes. But otherwise? This recipe is pretty close, which is great because we loved it and think you will too.
However you make this — I’m including oven-braising instructions, because that’s how I most commonly make short ribs — do know that this recipe is a delight. On the second day, it’s even better, and as well as the third. We ate it with plain rice, kimchi, sometimes a cucumber salad, and sometimes a napa cabbage salad too, and we were sad when the leftovers were done. Fortunately we’re only 35 minutes 55 minutes er, 75 minutes from this happening.
[More Instant Pot recipes on Smitten Kitchen: Right here!]
Previously
One year ago: Small Batch Tiramisu
Two years ago: Hot and Sour Soup and Belgian Brownie Cakelets
Three years ago: Oven-Braised Beef Tomatoes and Garlic and Pecan Sticky Buns
Four years ago: Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Hearts and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Five years ago: Salted Caramel Brownies
Six years ago: Lasagna Bolognese
Seven years ago: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake and White and Dark-Hearted Brownies
Eight years ago: Chana Masala, Walnut Jam Cake, Ginger Fried Rice and How To Make an Overly Obsessive Spice Rack
Nine years ago: Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes, Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw and Whole Lemon Tart
Ten years ago: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares, Seven Yolk Pasta Dough and Best Chocolate Pudding
Eleven years ago: Sour Cream Bran Muffins
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Blackberry-Blueberry Crumb Pie
1.5 Years Ago: Chile-Lime Melon Salad and Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
2.5 Years Ago: Raspberry Crushed Ice
3.5 Years Ago: Apricot Pistachio Squares
4.5 Years Ago: Strawberry Lime and Black Pepper Popsicles
Korean Braised Short Ribs | Galbi Jjim
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 Asian or Bosc pear, peeled and cut into chunks
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine) or apple juice
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon or more hot sauce, such as gochujang
- Salt, to taste
- 3 to 3 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, rinsed and cut into 3-inch segments
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium daikon, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (to garnish)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (to garnish)
In an Instant Pot/electric multicooker: Arrange short rib pieces in a single layer. Pour blended sauce over, and stir to coat. Secure the lid and set the pressure release valve to Sealing. Select the Meat/Stew setting for 35 minutes at high pressure. When the timer goes off, you can perform a quick release by moving the pressure release valve to Venting, but do so with tongs or a spoon because the pressured steam release will absolutely burn your hand. Open the pot and add the carrots and daikon. Secure the lid on the pot again, and set the pressure release valve once again to Sealing. Select Cancel to reset the cooking program, then select the Manual program and set the cooking time for 3 minutes at high pressure. Perform another quick release when the time is up (moving the valve to Venting). Open the pot and use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables from the cooking liquid, then use a spoon or fat separator, if you have one, to skim as much of the fat as possible from the surface of the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as needed, then spoon the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
In the oven: Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine short rib pieces and blended sauce in a heavy casserole dish or Dutch oven. Cover tightly with foil and a tight-fitting lid, if you have one. Bake in oven for 3 hours total, but after 2 hours, add the carrots and daikon. To check for doneness, carefully remove the lid and foil (trapped steam can burn you) and pierce the meat with the tines of a fork or point of a knife; it should yield easily. Taste a bit you pull off if you’re not sure. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables from the cooking liquid, then use a spoon or fat separator, if you have one, to skim as much of the fat as possible from the surface of the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as needed, then spoon the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
To serve: We ate this with white rice, a quick cabbage salad (thinly sliced napa cabbage, grated carrots, and thinly sliced scallions dressed with rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes and salt to taste), and a quick cucumber salad (thinly sliced small cucumbers lightly marinated in rice vinegar, salt, a pinch of sugar, and pepper) and gochujang (Korean hot chili paste) on the side.
Do ahead: Short ribs are so good the second and third days, if you have any chance to plan ahead, you should. They keep in the fridge, buried in their braising liquid, for 4 to 5 days. They’re also much easier to de-fat; it will solidify once chilled and be easy to remove before reheating.
Can’t wait for more Instant Pot ideas!
BTW, I think you mean “compliant” not “complaint” in the first paragraph… but maybe a Freudian slip?!!
It’s so perfect I want to keep it. But thank you.
I agree!
Looks amazing! I love my Instant Pot but I use it mostly to make components, not cook the actual meal in. Hard-boiled eggs done in the IP are literally a joy to peel.
I have never ever gotten those magical, perfectly cooked, easy to peel, hard boiled eggs in the IP. I’ve tried about 12 different time combinations. All are hard to peel with rubbery whites.
I do 3 minutes on regular pressure then 3-4 minutes on NPR and then run under cold water…obviously, use an ice bath if you can instead but we don’t have an ice maker. Most recipes say to cook them for much too long.
Not that anyone needs to buy another one-use appliance, but if you are looking for perfect steamed eggs every time that are easy to peel and perfectly done (soft medium or hard), then you need a Cuisinart Egg Central. It’s a game changer. I have a pressure cooker and after a dozen tries with eggs I gave up. The steamer is vastly super.
My eggs have been really easy to peel in the IP–I think the key is using the steamer basket so the eggs are above the water and steam rather than boil.
The ONLY thing my 7 year old will bring for lunch these days is egg salad sandwiches, so I’ve done a lot of hard boiled eggs recently.
Yes, I always put the rack in the bottom and the eggs on top of it. Never occurred to me that anyone might not use the rack for them. Just a cup of water and the rack is all it takes for perfect eggs.
I’m the weirdo that wants to know how to do it in the slow cooker. I assume I’d follow the dutch oven instructions, but how long should I cook it, and do you think high or low?
I think it’s *about* 9 hours on low in a slow-cooker.
7 hours on low is good in a slow cooker. Stephanie O Day has an awesome, borrowed Korean short rib recipe for slow cooker on A Year of Slow Cooking
I have bone-in short ribs in the freezer – any idea how to adjust the cooking time for that?
I don’t think cooking time is much different, actually.
I’ve heard that frozen affects more the time it takes to come to pressure but the time at pressure should stay the same.
This looks amazing! Love the sticky sauce :)
Best. Statement. Ever. ” I also don’t have room for my children and their belongings in this apartment, but I like them anyway ” Lol!!!!
Also really want to make these this weekend – thanks for another recipe I can’t wait to make Deb!
Which rice cooker do you have/like/won’t let go “until they pry it from [your] cold dead hands”? I’m moving and looking for one in my next place. I bought Roger Ebert’s The Pot and How to Use It a while ago and he recommends Zojirushi brand ones, but I’m curious as to any other suggestions.
That’s the brand I have. I have this one; I’m sure there’s a newer model. It’s also great for all grains (farro, quinoa, yes, not technically a grain). What’s great is the hands-off thing here too; once the rice is done, it can keep it warm and perfect in there for… hours it seems.
Zohirushi is a great brand. Korea’s Cuckoo brand is as well. You can keep the rice warming for days. When I lived in Korea there was always a big pot of rice ready and waiting. If you get brown crunchy rice on the bottom after a couple of days, even better. Total yum.
At what point do you add the vegetables in the “in the oven” version? Half way through? Sounds delicious. Thanks!
Whoops! I’d probably put them in 2 hours in.
I asked you this same question on IG, glad i looked here :)
I’ve been waiting for this to appear on your site! I highly recommend making your pork ragu recipe in the instant pot.
I have to have everything very gluten free because I have Celiac disease, so thank you for posting this and filing it under that tag! I don’t see that too often and usually have to figure a sub out myself since I get tired of bothering everyone all the time :-) The recipe looks amazing…I think we’ll try it out next week with tamari or coconut aminos rather than the soy (usually has wheat in it).
Cori: I am a celiac, too, just for my bonafides, and use Tamari, which is a soy sauce made without wheat.
Cori: Oops, didn’t read your comment carefully enough first thing in the morning ; – )
Another thing worth mentioning in the “pro” column for the Instant Pot is the way it can suddenly make using dried beans a remembering-day-of reality. Before I got mine I almost never used dried beans because I could never think to soak them the day before. And, of course, they come out perfect every time!!!
Yes! I figured out I could make this black bean soup in 25 minutes. I mean, a bag of dried beans to soup (vegetarian, vegan-optional and wildly flavorful) in all of 45 minutes.
I cook my dry beans in my slow cooker without soaking. Been doing that for years – the time varies with the age of the beans which is unknown.
I never soak. I mean, unless I think I’ll be rushed for time the next day and plan ahead. (I don’t, in fact, ever plan ahead.)
Not only are they quicker, dry beans in the IP have less elections, a substance that makes them harder to digest/not as good for you.
The last election was hard for me to digest. I’m still having heartburn a year later!
Best comment yet!
LOL!!
You are so funny!
But what I really want to know is what about an air-fryer?? My husband adores fried chicken and although we don’t want another gadget, he is seriously wondering if it’s worth it. I have 2 slow cookers and no plans for an Instant Pot until all the bugs are worked out!
I have an air fryer. I find it disappointing for flour breaded foods (like fried chicken). It’s like oven baked, OK but nowhere near as good as fried. That said, it does a reasonably good job on panko coated foods and is superior for thing like roasted fingerling potatoes and frozen fried things (tater tots, onion rings).
From all I’ve read about air fryers…they’re basically convection ovens. If you don’t have a convection oven, it might be worth it, it I don’t think it would make great fried chicken like NightOwlToo says… if you used corn flakes or panko it could be good, but probably not the fried chicken your husband is after.
I have a very small apartment, with a kitchen the size of a 1/4 bath, so kitchen items, ie, clutter, are very low on list. That being said,
1. I LOVE the air fryer, works as a toaster, and cooks everything crispy, in the summer I really love it, because we have no A/C. The oven is off from April until October.
2. I love the Instant Pot, I hardly use the stove any longer.
OMG, thank you for the “* But it’s faster, right?” response. I have an Instant Pot, and I like it fine, but the hype has started to irritate the @#%$! out of me. I pretty rarely find it dramatically faster, and almost always prefer the results of something slow braised in the oven. Not that I don’t use it, and really like it for some things (quick and hands off risotto being high on the list), and chicken stock, but SO MUCH HYPE. Looking forward to trying your recipe, though will slow braise in the oven, as I extra don’t like instapot recipes that require me to release the pressure, add stuff, and bring it back up to pressure — two quick releases is just too much steam in house for my taste, and I find the whole quick release process a little stressful / unpleasant…
One trick I picked up from Amy and Jacky at pressurecookrecipes dot com is to use a towel to move the little dial to the “venting” position for a quick release, and then leave the towel kind of snuggled on top of the valve. This way you never get hot steam on your fingers and the towel soaks up like 95% of the steam so you don’t get a super steamy kitchen either! Check out one of their videos and you’ll see the magic… it’s seriously the best thing I learned about my IP on the interwebs.
What are your thoughts on doubling this recipe in the IP? (Separately, I cooked a whole spaghetti squash in the IP today. Brilliant results.)
Did you cut it in half or just prick with a fork and do it whole? For how long? Brilliant! Thank you!
Used a paring knife to vent the squash and put the whole squash in with a cup of water. Squash was about 2lbs. Manual setting for 15 minutes.
Might depend on the size. From the look of things in mine, an 8-quart, I don’t think it would be a problem.
I agree with you about IP cookbooks. I borrowed all the IP books my city’s libraries have and the only one I would buy is Morante’s. I will give this recipe a whirl. I’ve been having trouble with meats and sauces in the IP. I think it’s because I use thawed frozen meat and that throws off the liquid content in my dishes. I end up with under flavoured sauces. Lastly, about books, your new cookbooks is an all round winner! Truly great.
Short ribs were on sale today, so I was torn between making either Korean flavor inspired or red wine based braised short ribs in my electric pressure cooker. I decided to go with the red wine one with your recent slow roasted sweet potato recipe. So in the grocery store, I pull up the SK homepage for the potato recipe, only to find a new recipe….this one! Obviously, it was fate, so I made this recipe and I’m so glad I did. The flavors were true to traditional Galbi Jjim and the texture of the meat was tender (but not too tender) . I ended up making a roux with some of the skimmed fat to thicken the sauce, which worked out well for me. I would definitely make this again. Thanks Deb for posting this today as the timing was perfect.
I made this dish several times and I really recommend soaking the short ribs in cold water and parboiling before cooking. The result is mellow and less greasy. I also noted that you thought the recipe needed more salt, so I dropped in a spoonful of miso which added extra depths of flavour to the dish.
You’ve nailed it on the IP. I love mine but it’s not always a time saver; it’s more convenience, which is what a lot of people don’t understand. Ribs are the highest and best use, where you actually save some time AND they come out delish AND they’re a main dish not just a component like eggs. It makes decent rice from what I’ve heard but I’d never be without a rice cooker (grew up with one). Thanks for the rec on the cookbook; will try it.
My favorite question for you isn’t seasonally appropriate quite yet…it’s “more artichoke recipes please?” I went from being able to get them in so many forms to only fresh, and only in season, that I need to have them everyday.
There is a recipe in the book for braised artichokes and I’m so on it — soon.
I have been on the fence for an Instant Pot. I was kid of waiting for my rice cooker to die but I think you have convinced me with these short ribs! I love a spicy pork dish! Thanks for sharing. Here is a recipe for Korean BBQ pork chops too: https://ethnicspoon.com/korean-barbecue-pork-chops/
I love this whole post– Instapot, etc. I lost my microwave oven in the last move and am kind of missing it for reheating stuff. But those short ribs…
OH NO! Have you seen this????https://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2018/02/ny-cake.html
PS. My daughter bought the IP and loves it.
I am devastated. Every New Yorker complains about how terrible it is that things that arrived before them close, and I kind of roll my eyes because when did NYC promise stasis, but then *my* favorite places, the ones I considered non-negotiables, and I get it.
They are FORCING us to shop online – BOOOO! I just enjoyed going in there, TOUCHING nearly EVERYTHING and walking out with SOMETHING that I use and LOVE! (even tho they were kinda mean – I put that aside for my baking :) )
It’s so sad. Michael’s totally put them out of business.
Reading this 3 years later (browsing Deb’s site as one does while waiting for new content ;)) and it seems as if they are still open! Although in Yonkers and possibly as a warehouse for pick up only (the answers on google are inconclusive).
Ribs, Recipes, Pots, Ooookay yummy, but that picture of your daughter is possibly the cutest most curly adorable darling and spunky kid ever. LOVE it. don’t ever change her hair,ever.
wait but what?! the 4am thing is surely a joke right? you can just sleep on them!
Yum! If I cook it in the oven, when do I add the veggies? Along with the meat/blended sauce, or later in the process? This looks like a perfect weekend meal – thank you!
this sounds delicious – I don’t have an InstantPot though – I tend to use the slow cooker for that kind of thing so it’s ready when I get home from work. Would it work for these?
I haven’t tested these in a slow-cooker so I don’t feel confident until I do, but usually for short ribs like this, it’s *about* 9 hours on low.
thanks
Being that we are a retired couple and moving soon anyway, I haven’t jumped on the IP bandwagon. But I’m open to new things and may jump in. I’m thrilled to see you have given it a go and I feel I can rely on your honest opinions on it rather than a “leave the dog, save my IP” mentality.
Deb or anyone – I’ve never bought short ribs before, but sometimes see “English” listed in recipes. Are there different kinds? Does it matter what kind I get for this or other recipes? Thanks!
Usually for a longer braise you want the English cut ones. Per Real Simple, “The ribs are cut parallel to the bone, with one bone per piece.” The other cut is usually flanken – “The ribs are cut across the bone. Each piece has three to four short sections of bone with a generous portion of meat around them.” Usually flanken is thinner.
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/flanken-short-ribs
I made this (FINALLY) but with pork country ribs and thought it turned out really great! So if anyone is able to eat pork and doesn’t want to spring for the beef short ribs (they were twice the price in my store) go for it.
Ha,ha. With over 1,000,000 sold on Amazon for Christmas, I was wondering how long it would take you! Being one of them, I’m hoping for more recipes from you.
Heh, I actually caved last Prime Day, but just didn’t get to use it that much yet. This book has inspired me! Also, many more IP-tagged recipes to come as I add instructions (in the next month) to 10 classics in the archives that will do well in the IP.
Slow cookers seems right. I only have one, but would happily pick up a couple more if I got the right bargain.
That bowl… teetering at the edge of the counter, in front of the instant pot…
This looks great and pretty authentic. Love short ribs- my mother always said that meat tastes best closest to the bone.
I know! I just wanted to move it so badly!
Of course you need both a rice cooker and an IP! For all those recipes that go over rice. Of course don’t need for risotto (parmesan) which I had never tried before and worked great.
This looks wonderful and thank you! I have read other recipes using Asian pear as a tenderizer and look forward to trying it. I have had good luck with equal parts (usually 1 tablespoon each) of well mixed potato starch and butter – bring to a low simmer, stir and drop bits of the mixture in until it reaches the desired consistency.
Just wanted to say thank you for including non-IP instructions, too! I don’t own an IP (and don’t have plans to buy one) and would hate to miss out making this awesomeness.
Well I’d like to make this but I never see short ribs at our local store. What other cut would work? Is it actually part of the brisket?????
Sadly, I know little about butchering, however, I do think that brisket would also work here, left whole.
You can request them from the meat manager – they will order them.
Costco (in St. Louis Park, MN, anyway) carries boneless short ribs regularly.
I knew as soon as I saw this post that you’d say everything I have to say about my Instant Pot – thank you! As a person who can never plan ahead and who is gone from the house until late most days, I appreciate that the Instant Pot has made beef stew or chicken soup on a week night a reality – certainly not “instant”, but short enough that I can distract myself with TV or chores or cleanup while it cooks. I have clicked on many an “Instant Pot” recipe that seems like it could be done just as easily and quickly and with better results on the stove-top or in the oven, so the hype is confusing. The cookbook sounds great and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’ll leave you with a tip – I’ve learned to speed up the natural release in desperate situations by filling a kitchen towel with ice and cooling the top of the pot – yes, it results in a pool of water on the counter and occasionally scorching my hands on the hot towel- but if you do it a couple of times, it drops the pressure fast. Although, I just googled and I can’t seem to find any other validating source besides my own experience that this works and is okay to do, so good luck? ::gritted teeth emoji::
IP is best for me for making soups that I like to simmer for HOURS to get a good broth. I actually just made korean beef short rib soup (galbi tang) with the short ribs I had. I would love to simmer it for at least 4 hours to get the rich broth from the bones, but this only requires about an hour in the IP for a good broth. At 1.5 hrs, I get a gelatinous broth once refrigerated.
But it is true that it doesn’t necessarily save all that much time because of the pressurizing, etc. I use it the most on Sunday night after dinner to prep lunch for the week so that I can finish in an hour or two rather than needing to cook a soup or slow cook a pork shoulder roast overnight.
Because I normally eyeball the soy sauce and add enough until it looks right when making Korean dishes, I took a quick look at Roy Choi’s recipe for galbi jjim. He uses about 1 1/2 cup soy sauce for 4 lbs of short ribs. 6 tablespoons here would probably too little for most people.
Deb, somehow you always happen to know what I have in my freezer/pantry and need to use up somehow. I got beef shortribs from my CSA this summer (!) and I still haven’t used them, but now I know how.
Just wanted to say that Koreans traditionally use pear as a natural meat tenderizer not as sweetener.and its definitely more common in grilled short ribs which don’t have the benefit of a long braise for tenderness. Also, we never add cornstarch. The sauce is served as is/ which is a thin broth. Its not meant to be a gravy or sauce really. Otherwise the recipe ingredients look great.
I grew up in a household where we used the stovetop pressure cooker for everything. We’ve 3 in different sizes currently. I got the Instant Pot and it’s been a struggle convincing my husband (he does almost all the cooking in the house). His argument – it’s not really fast or faster than our stovetop cooker. And trying to cook a meal in 30 mins before the kids’ bedtime after we get home at 6 is hard, to say the least. So we almost never use it. And that makes me so sad. I think I can probably try to change his opinion with this recipe. Thanks!
Do you find that your stovetop pressure cooker to be faster (to get up to pressure)?
Yes!!
I completely prefer my Presto stovetop pressure cooker. I jumped on the IP bandwagon last winter, used it for about a month and then sold it. My old school Presto is simpler, intuitive (no control panel of buttons, just two settings to vent and pressurize—use your ears to determine if the gas is too high). I will try this on the stovetop pressure cooker and get back with you. And I have zero affiliation with Presto!
I grew up with stove top pressure cookers, so I was never duped by the “Instant-ness” of the IP but I still love and use it practically every day. Just making yogurt alone was worth the price for me, add to that the hands-free capability and the lack of “whistle” that you get from a traditional stove top (critical when the toddler is napping and dinner must be made) has made this indispensable for me.
Having said that, I tend not to follow recipes that need me to bring & release the pressure multiple times, I may have to make an exception for this one!
For the oven version, when do you suggest adding the carrots? Thank you
I made this tonight in a stovetop pressure cooker. It turned out great! I also boiled the meat for 5 minutes prior to cooking. It definitely helped remove some of the excess fat.
Thanks!
I got an IP for Xmas 2 years ago. I’ve only used it a few times- this inspired me to go out and get the ingredients. I did the soak and the boil- both I think were worth it. I love cooking so times aren’t a big deal. But I think the IP really helped with this cut of meat for the perfect tender-not-too-tender. Next time I would add a tad bit more salt (I did nine extra) or soy sauce and more spice. It did feel weird to just go sit on the couch and not have to check on food/stir/taste…..
My husband bought me an IP for xmas this year and I love, love, love it. I got 2 cookbooks for it– Coco Morante’s book and “Dinner in an Instant,” by Melissa Clark. Both are excellent – Morante’s book has very good recipes and excellent instructions to walk you through how to use the IP, care for it, convert recipes, etc. (Favorites for me: the brown butter steel cut oatmeal, but I add some maple syrup and raisins before adding the water and cooking it, the Turkey Chili Verde, Whole Chicken with Mushroom Sauce, Beef Stew.)
Melissa Clark’s book assumes you already know how to use the pot, has some extra steps, is a little more fussy, but the steps are worth it. The Teriyaki salmon comes out perfect each time, but did take a little tweaking to make sure there was enough volume of liquid before setting the pressure.
Don’t overlook desserts in the pot. This week I converted a flan recipe that was in a recent Food and Wine – and it came out the best flan I’ve ever tasted. Done in about 30 min (including coming up to pressure) with none of that water bath nonsense that you need in the oven.
Can’t wait to try the short ribs. Looking forward to more IP recipes.
We love Melissa Clark’s book! The Garlic Cuban Pork is AMAZING. Can’t wait to try the recipes you mentioned.
Funny, I was visiting America’s Test Kitchen when I was up in Boston for book tour and they were working on recipes for their IP book that will be out this year and they had me taste two flans and I almost fainted — you’re right, they’re AMAZING from the IP, and I wouldn’t have guessed.
But you need to have a separate sealing ring. I made the oats the first time with my first sealing ring on and they were a little chili-ish, I’m sad to say. (I got more after that.)
Deb!! Would LOVE your version of the potato leek soup recipe!! Pretty please? :D
This really looks amazing. Just bought a new instant pot and was looking for new recipes to try. I will definitely try this during the weekend, thanks for the recipe! :)
Ok I was so excited to see a picture of an actual bottle of Mirin wine (yelled out loud to myself in the kitchen ‘IT DOES EXIST!!!!!!’) so my question is, where in the world did you find this?! I’ve tried several grocery stores and even BevMo (all in San Francisco) and they all look at me like I’m nuts!
Mirin is a grocery store thing, not a wine store thing. In SF, they should have it at the Asian grocery store. In a more general grocery store, look with the soy, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, etc. Mine came in a plastic bottle at H-Mart.
Maybe you can try an Asian market? There are a TON of those in SF. I’m in the East Bay and the Safeway has it in the Asian section of the store.
It’s just a fancy name for sugar water.
Thanks ladies! My mom just sent me a link for it on amazon. Feeling kind of silly for not thinking of that earlier :-/
Dear Deb,
I have your cookbooks and thoroughly love both of them. Thank you for that! I cannot live without them. Whether it’s for specific recipes or simple inspiration, I reach for them almost every day.
PLEASE name the five cookbooks in your library you cannot live without. PLEASE.
Thank you, Jill
Best, Jill
Thank you. I’m sorry, I do not have a top five. I have hundreds and love them for different reasons!
Going to send this to my Lil Bro because he’s got an IP which we gave him for his 40th last year. He’s loving it so far. I think he would love this recipe too.
I can’t wait to make this recipe this weekend! I can’t seem to find daikon at my local grocery store, though. What would you recommend as a possible substitute?
This looks delicious! I’m pretty sure the short ribs in my freezer are pork. Is there any reason they wouldn’t work in this recipe?
Wow, I have no experience at all with pork short ribs. Hopefully someone else will chime in.
I’m going to try it tonight, and will report back :) (single and urban, so if it doesn’t work there’s always late night delivery!)
So, I think I tried to break your recipe, and it still came out fabulous! Forgot to pick up the pear, used about a tablespoon of brown sugar instead. Definitely used close to twice as much ginger as you called for. Used the pork boneless short ribs, in the oven method. Forgot to pick up the daikon so just used carrots. I definitely had too much fat in the pan to even toy with draining and having a sauce, so there is that. I just pulled the meat and carrots straight out with tongs onto rice and bok choy, and even my picky boyfriend loves it!
I agree with your thoughts re the IP. I finally got one and while I’ve only used it three times, I think I like it, but agree that it is tricky and overhyped (but whatever gets ppl cooking is good right?) Sure, there’s nothing instant about it but it did wow me by cooking whole sweet potatoes really quickly compared to oven method. It feels like such a waste of energy to use an oven to roast one or two potatoes. And I hate using an oven in the summer. As for whole chicken, I now prefer poaching it in the IP (6qt, 3-5lb bird) than having to watch over it on a stovetop or oven. I only put 4-5 cups water and added veggies and ended up with a big jar of stock which I thought was great and tasty. My hubs was impressed too and he didn’t want an IP.
I don’t have an instant pot, so would use the oven method. Do I do the meat and vegetables in the oven for 3 hours or put the veggies in later (for less cooking).
Advice please!
I’d put the vegetables in one hour before done; will clarify.
Any tips for cooking this in a curse Instant Pot? :) https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/faq-your-new-cursed-instant-pot
Yum! yogurt blood geysers!
This looks great & I can’t wait to try it. I currently live in S. Korea & beef is definitely a luxury. We usually go out for it because it’s just so expensive. I saw a package the other day for $20 for 500 grams. This might be a birthday type dish.
Hmmm, not too far off from bay area (california) prices. I bought 4 pounds for $50, worth every cent too.
I have been reading your blog for several years now and love your passion for easy recipes that do not sacrifice authenticity. I am Korean American and find this recipe to be pretty accurate. To add to the comments- I do this 10 hrs in a slow cooker. You can use this recipe with beef neck, beef shank, pork neck, but it won’t be as tender and delicious as the beef short ribs :)
Looks so tasty, can’t wait to make these, sans instant pot however. Like you mentioned, working from home allows for more braising and fewer convenience appliances. I’m pretty much a pioneer woman…but not THE pioneer woman.
Which 8 quart model of the IP do you have? I’ve been looking online and there seem to be quite a few. I’m just starting to consider getting one of these, I’ve been against them because I actually love the cooking process and don’t want to skip over that and make my dinners “instant”, but your endorsement is pretty compelling!
Thx
I agree, there are so many models, I don’t know what brands have to gain by making it so confusing. The one I bought (last July) is discontinued; this seems to be the replacement: http://amzn.to/2BwL32W
I have the 8 Qt Duo and am very happy. I fought buying it and now am very happy. I even made yogurt with it last night.
Delicious. A big hit with my family. After making the ribs in the IP – we decided to add brown sugar and sirachi (I did not have korean hot sauce at home). I also like to finish my ribs with a few minutes on each side on the BBQ – gives the meat a nice texture. My kids said – MIA (make it again). Thanks Deb – next can you work on Korean crispy rice – Bibimbap??!! I love it – I think of it as the Korean equivalent of Chinese Fried Rice but healthier because not fried and also more flavorful.
Second vote here for bim bim bap please
I was so excited to make this tonight! I braised the ribs in the oven and the meat was tender but I was a bit underwhelmed by the lack of flavor in the sauce. I’m used to a punchier sauce for Korean braised ribs. I’ll make it again but will play around with garlic/ginger/soy sauce amounts.
I used at least three tablespoons of kochujang and it was delicious! Tho, I might use more next time.
Yummy dog meat.
You’re a lively, creative, snappy writer!
Love your recipes.
I do have an Instant Pot, and do love it for applesauce, macaroni and cheese, soup, and yes, I do just put stuff in there, close it, press a button and wander off. Terrific for summer cooking.
You can’t leave out Korean sesame oil. It’s the most common mistake when westerners make a Korean dish. Toasted sesame seed garnish can’t make up for the loss of flavor balance.
It’s also way too much ginger for a Korean beef dish. Cut the ginger to 1/4 inch. Ginger is used to get rid of the gamey taste in pork and chicken. Beef is considered special because of it’s mild taste that doesn’t require the masking of ginger.
I used bone-in short ribs and oven cooking time was the same as for boneless (~3 hours). Braising the short ribs a day ahead is a real plus for defatting and for flavor!!! Delicious!
I’m hoping you’ll get a sous-vide immersion heater someday, experiment with it, and post your delicious results. We have one and love how tender and moist the food comes out. I think these short ribs would be a perfect recipe to make with it.
Deb,
Great recipe! I was going to make short ribs for my sister in laws visit and you just happened to post this recipe. Can’t tell you how many times that has happened in the many years I’ve read your blog. These were delicious…even my son’s picky girlfriend loved them. I did not use an Instant Pot, as you said the name is a lie. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who had the old, scary pressure cookers. I don’t need another appliance and I live in a huge house with a large walk in pantry. I used the oven baked them in the evening until I went to bed and then reheated slowly for about two hours in the oven before serving. You are right about needing more salt, everyone salted theirs at the table. Thanks Deb!
I love the commentary you share! I chuckled my whole way through (especially about the kids “anyway, after 7am”). I appreciate your realness about IP and the ins and outs of whether its truly revolutionized your time in the kitchen and making foods from scratch vs just cooking them on the stove/oven/crockpot. I’ve not bought one because I still enjoy and know those forms of cooking and am not convinced yet I’d use the IP enough to justify it but still watching and learning. I appreciate recipes that don’t start out with all the ingredients coming from a bottle you opened but making the recipe from scratch. There’s a time and place for short cuts and easy obviously too but when I want to make an authentic meal, I don’t trust Chi Chi’s to have it on the grocery shelf.
is daikon easy to find? I’ve not heard of it before. Is there something to replace it with if I can’t find it in my town that I can’t even find a scallion in? Thanks
Daikon belongs to the radish family. Maybe red radishes with a bit more Gochujang in the sauce?
Thanks
Turnip is a good alternative, it kind of looks like a potato when cooked but not starchy and softer
A propos of pretty much nothing… your “For the other side of the world” section should also include “for the pregnant” – those refreshing dishes sound perfect right about now!
But you are effectively convincing me that I want an IP, even though I don’t need one and don’t really have space for it either – like you I already own a slow cooker and a rice maker, and like you, I will be cold in my grave before I will get rid of the latter. But your “stuff it, close it, and walk away until it is done” argument-fu is very strong…
neat!!😍😍
But seriously, what are you using to detangle your daughter’s hair? Fellow mom of a curly, ginger-haired Jewish toddler here, a very specific toddler subset. Bath time is… trying.
Im intrigued by the immediate pressure release. I’m on the IP group on Facebook and everyone claims that a quick pressure release with tough cuts of meat will cause them to seize up and get tough again. So I’ve been doing natural pressure releases on almost all meat recipes, which really adds to cooking time. I can’t wait to try this recipe though – and I’ve never made a bad recipe of yours so I know this will be good!
Erin, I’m glad you asked this question. I’ve read the same caution against quick release for similar cuts of beef, so was uncertain about trying this recipe.
Hi Deb,
These look amazing! And short ribs are on sale at Whole Foods in NYC :)
I have a 3QT Instant Pot – do you think it will be big enough and okay if the ribs overlap?
Thanks!
Love your recipes and 100% of the ones that I have tried have been delicious. That said, this one was not. It was really flavourless and I don’t know why. I swapped out the Mirin for Marsala (suggested substitute by Bon Appetit) but I don’t know if that would make a huge difference?
So sad, it looked so promising!
I had the same experience. The whole dish turned out pretty flavorless, which was really disappointing. I love your recipes and have made many, and they’ve all been great. I used an Instant Pot and followed the recipe very closely. The meat turned out just a little dry, but overall it was the lack of flavor in the meat and sauce that turned us off. I’m really not sure what happened; the liquid going into the pot at the start was full of great flavors.
I used bone in and cooked via my Breville fast slow cooker (basically an insta pot). Doubled the soy sauce and ginger, tripled the hot sauce, and added a few more garlic cloves. Used a teaspoon of salt and came out great. I even accidentally puréed the daikon with the sauce and had no issues but want of some extra chunky veg in the final product. Next time will add a bit of corn starch or a potato to thicken the sauce a bit more for a stew like consistency.
I made this last night and scoffed when I saw one teaspoon of kochujang. I used at least three tablespoons and might even use more next time I make it. All other instructions I followed, oh, and I also used my oven.
I think the amount of sauce is the problem here for those of us whose meat turned out bland (sob!). After some googling, it looks like for braising, you need only the min amount of liquid you can get away with in the cooker (see link below, item #1 “You drowned it”).
I checked the manual, and the min amount of liquid 18 fl oz, which is 2.25 cups. I can’t remember how much I ended up with but I think it was over 2.25 cups. I saw someone above mention they ended up with 4 cups of sauce. So maybe just less sauce?
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/stop-making-these-pressure-cooking-mistakes/
omgeeeeee
I bought an instant pot just to make this (quickly :)
Probably the best recipe I’ve ever made.
Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had time on Presidents Day Monday so I soaked the ribs for 30 minutes in 3 changes of water and then boiled them for 5 minutes and I thought those extra steps made a big difference to the end result which was delicious and tender.
My other short rib braises usually turn out chewier than I like but these were just great. There was almost no fat to remove after a day in the fridge too — a first for me!
Thanks for the technique tips, I will use them every time I make short ribs now!
I got and Instant Pot for Christmas and am excited to try something that isn’t soup!
I do want to make this ahead- I’ve found with my soups they are all better the next day, plus I’m working a lot of evenings this week, so this will be good for family to have while I’m at work. Question: What is your preferred method of re-heating?
Used my crockpot and this came out wonderful! Thank you! definitely a keeper! I don’t have an instant pot but this recipe / the photos looked so amazing that I was determined to try it any way I could!! I forgot the carrots and daikon so it was a little sauce heavy. I blanched my short ribs – I could only find the bone in kind at my market – and then put everything in the crock pot and left it overnight on high. I refrigerated and skimmed the fat the next day (there was a lot!) and it was so, so delicious! thank you so much! Definitely doing this again. the korean pear added the perfect sweetness. I felt like I had made restaurant level food with this.
(Please feel free to delete this if it’s a double post… I had some issues with my WordPress login, and I don’t know if my comment actually made it)
A few notes from a Korean living in Korea:
First off, thank you for acknowledging that Koreans don’t eat BBQ all day every day, or that Korean meat dishes other than BBQ even exist. For this alone I could kiss you. Your notes about pureeing the vegetables (and not just that, the way you’ve cut the vegetables, with the corners trimmed and rounded off! That’s so authentic!) also warmed my soul to its very cockles. I’ve loved your blog ever since I was a high schooler in 2006 browsing through it and dreaming of the things I would cook once I was independent and had my own place, and this only makes me feel even better.
Now, I don’t want to be repay this lovely blog post by being THAT person who always pops up to give unsolicited advice on how this isn’t the same as “my granny made it” or whatever. I’m really not trying to tell anyone how to cook here: but since there’s always bound to be a wealth of conflicting information available when people go out seeking information on how to cook a food from a different culture, I only mean to put some of the information provided in this post (and elsewhere) into the context as many Koreans would understand it… which I imagine a lot of people might be curious about anyway.
For starters, Deb is absolutely right that soaking and parboiling are steps in the cooking of not only galbi-jjim, but any other meat dish in Korean cooking: the purpose of both steps is to remove the gamey smells of meat (how far you want to take this is very much a personal decision, as I will soon explain). These steps are much more important than a Westerner might think, and this is because, in my personal (albeit anectdotal) experience, Koreans are much more sensitive to off or gamey smells in meat than their Western counterparts are (whereas, I’ve also noticed, Westerners seem to be much more sensitive to fishy smells than their Asian counterparts, so any Asian recipe involving any kind of seafood might require tweaking to not overwhelm a Western palate). Steps such as these (and others, including babying the stock as it cooks to obsessively skim the foam that rises to the surface, putting stock in the fridge and waiting hours for the fat to float to the top and solidify, even RINSING THE MEAT after parboiling and before cooking) are there for that reason.
That said, even Korean housewives will exercise judgment on a case-by-case basis about how far to take this (instructions on how long to soak or even whether to soak at all will vary depending on how much meat you have – under 300g or a cut that is already thinly sliced is commonly considered not to require soaking – and also depends on whether you are using the meat in a braise or stock, vs whether you are meaning to actually eat the meat itself… for dishes like bulgogi, you’re not supposed to soak very much or at all, because it erases the meaty flavor), and also it’s a matter of personal preference. Even within Korea, palates are changing (especially among the younger generation, more people have eaten more meat from an earlier age, and therefore are closer to their Western counterparts in being inured to gamey flavors) and also lifestyles (who’s going to be soaking for hours AND parboiling AND babying a pot to skim the foam from it, AND wait hours for stock to cool enough to ensure that ALL fat has floated to the surface? Ain’t no working woman got time for that). Now, for a broth-y or braised dish my MIL would never dream of skipping any of these mentioned steps, and I am personally of the “but it does make a difference” camp, but really, if it’s not something that measurably improves the outcome from your personal point of view, then I say there’s no point to subjecting yourself to all that.
“I skipped Morante’s suggestion of a cornstarch slurry” – This was absolutely the right call to make. I have never seen a cornstarch slurry used in Korean cooking for anything other than a “Chinese-influenced” recipe, and in fact a cornstarch-thickened sauce is one of the signatures employed by Korean cooks to connote a Chinese influence when their recipe is a modern creation that no one quite knows how to categorize.
As for pureeing the vegetables, this is definitely how it is done in many Korean homes (and the way my mother did it when I was growing up). It does add richness and body to the sauce… however, the more important intended effect is actually not to thicken the sauce but to soften the meat. Onion and particularly daikon contain enzymes that work to break up proteins and act as natural meat tenderizers, and this also accounts for the much shorter braise time seen in Korean recipes vs Western ones like for boeuf bourgignon or coq au vin, and also help with digestion, as most of these meat-heavy dishes would traditionally have been eaten at great feasts. Also, take into account that many Western braise recipes would have been cooked in an oven, while ovens were unknown in Korea outside of pottery kilns, and cooking instead would have been done in giant cast iron pots set over a fireplace (as shown here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Q12605101_%EC%95%84%EA%B6%81%EC%9D%B4_A01.jpeg … it’s not easy to get a sense of scale, but know that the pot in the photos is close to the size of the tire on a Jeep).
That said, while adding the vegetable puree directly to the pot is a perfectly valid and efficient way of getting results that range from “close enough, who cares” to “this actually tastes better”, depending on the circumstances, it’s technically speaking not the “Julia Child” way to do it. Many Korean households place an emphasis on decluttering the food, and adding vegetable puree directly to the pot so it becomes part of the finished product is anathema to some housewives’ training, because it makes the sauce “messy” (of course, one person’s “messy” is another person’s “rich and flavorful”). So what people like that do is they marinate the meat (before parboiling) in the enzymatically active vegetable purees, and scrape or wash off the excess marinade before parboiling the meat (or not) and starting the braise with the seasonings mentioned here (only sans the ginger, as that will have been used in the marinade already… and yes, please don’t skip the sesame seed oil!). Some uber-purists actually will not even use fruit such as pears, maintaining that daikon (along with the more traditional addition of lotus root, chestnuts, and dates in the place of carrot or even the potatoes used in even less traditional recipes) is more than sufficient and the added sugars only result in a messier taste… I am personally not of this camp, but I would like to experiment with an uber-traditional recipe at some point, as it seems like an interesting challenge.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that all my long-winded blabbering aside, it’s always lovely and exciting to see non-Koreans who actually show an interest in knowing the “right” way to cook our food… personal preference and tweaking is one thing (Koreans do it themselves all the time, as I’ve amply talked about), but I’ve seen too many people who take our recipes, distort it to their tastes and insist that we’re the ones doing it wrong!
WOW! I really like to cook and this was a great recipe. I found this site because of my daughter, she likes to cook. I guess the apple doesn’t fall from the tree.
Cheers, Mark
OK, so here’s an annoying question. Those of us who have a slow cooker and don’t want to buy another appliance. How would you adjust this recipe for that?
What a gorgeous dish! I love ribs although I only have them during summer time on the barbecue. I love this way of preparing them!
I made this tonight and had SO much sauce at the end it was a little strange (like well over 4 cups). I don’t mind a thinnish sauce either, but this was just straight liquid and I’m wondering if I did something wrong. I agree with others that it could have used more flavor since there was almost no acid or bite to it – I omitted the hot sauce though, so maybe that was my fault. How much salt is everyone adding? The ribs were so tender and the veggies delicious that I will probably make it again and tinker with it a bit.
Technically speaking, I don’t think the hot sauce would be necessary (also, I think it’s misleading to call it a “sauce”, as I feel that implies something with a much more runny consistency). I’ve never seen it as a component in Korean galbi-jjim recipes (whole dried peppers may be included in the braise, and if you want to be really fancy, dried “string peppers” may be used, but I’ve never seen anyone use gochujang). Not saying you couldn’t if you wanted to (I think it could taste good) but that’s my experience.
Reading the recipe again, I actually think adding the vegetable puree to the sauce (rather than simply using it as a marinade as I mentioned above) might be causing this? The omission of gochujang may also cause the sauce to be a little runnier than the recipe’s author intended, as gochujang can be quite gluey in texture (though at a teaspoon, I’m not sure how much difference it would actually make). Though I have no experience with Instant Pots, I also feel like this could be down to maybe not enough water being let out of the pot as the dish cooks.
I’ve checked the recipe here against other recipes I have, and it seems that the vegetable puree amounts are reasonable for the amount of meat being used, even if you are pouring it directly into the braise. From that, as well as from the fact that I see a lot of people also complaining of blandness in the comments, I would guess that steam release settings (whichever ones you are using) would be the most likely culprit.
Heads up, not sure if anyone else caught this. Recipe is labeled as gluten-free but isn’t bc of the soy sauce.
Short ribs are something I order in restaurants because I figure I would never try to make them myself. However, when I saw this recipe I thought I would give it a go. I followed the instructions to soak, boil, then braise in the oven. Couldn’t find daikon at my market so just used carrot, but all other ingredients were as listed. Before serving I put the braising liquid through my gravy separator to get rid of some of the fat. My husband loved the sauce so much he wanted to drink what was left and my adult daughter announced if she had to pick one meal to eat every day for the rest of her life, this would be it! So needless to say this is a keeper! Thanks for another delicious meal Deb!
This was almost TOO flavorful for me – I did 1 giant onion per 2.7 lbs of meat and my husband and kid loved it and it was a little too much oniony for my taste. We also boosted the garlic a little bit and added a dash of fish sauce (used Cholula as the hot sauce) instead of salt. I don’t like radish so we did turnip instead and it worked well.
MAJOR POINTS for this idea of 5 min boil for the meat, it is a TOTAL GAME CHANGER. I don’t usually like short ribs because they are too fatty but I wanted to try this and it was worthwhile – the quick boil solidifies the outside fat and surfaces making it easy to trim and it melts out some of the inside marbles of fat as well. No messy skimming, just throw away the boiling water (now all scummy with fat). Immediate quick release to make sure you don’t over cook, and the meat was perfectly tender the flavors still intact.
If the onion is too much, you can reduce the amount of pureed onion and boost the amount of pureed pear, or replace some of it with pureed daikon. Daikon is a classic pairing with beef in Korean cuisine, but if you don’t like it, I suggest pear.
Turnip sounds like a great vegetable to use here (there are no turnips in Korea). Many modern at-home versions will use potatoes instead of the daikon as well, even though it’s completely inauthentic… but it’s very satisfying and delicious, and it’s a good way to keep the braise from getting watery if you’re worried about that.
Silly question but I have boneless pork shoulder in my refrigerator. Can I use that instead? What adjustments would you recommend?
Silly question – Can I use pork shoulder instead? What adjustments would you recommend?
This recipe is so my mood right now! If only I wasn’t traveling so much : )
Thank you so much for this recipe! Made this last night and it was sooooo good :) It was much better than the recipe from this famous Korean restaurant’s recipe from Lucky Peach (to me at least). Thanks again, your recipes are always successful!
I usually just lurk (and buy your cookbooks) BUT your Cardi B “Let me fat in peace!” shout-out is everything I love about your writing, your food and you! Happy Purim – last year I made your hamentaschen and they were fantastic, this year I lazed out and bought Breads’ version (also fantastic). Thank you for today’s moment of sheer joy!
I loved the juxtaposition of the quick mac and cheese and these nice spareribs. I made the mac and cheese for a quick dinner, and then had the evening to make the spareribs for the next night.
I used almost 4 pounds of bone in spareribs. Maybe it’s because of slightly less meat in the final dish (because of the bones) but I found the seasoning to be just fine. I didn’t use salt and didn’t miss it. There was a nice, subtle aftertaste of soy sauce. Just a little bit.
I did try soaking the ribs for about 45 minutes, and I did parboil them for 5 minutes. I still had a lot of fat, so I’m not sure the 5 minute boil did much.
I cooked the oven version of this. I have an old school, stove top pressure cooker. I could try it that way too, and post the results, but I suspect not too many people would want to cook it that way.
The end result is delicious. Great with vinegary cucumbers.
Made these yesterday! Did not soak, did not parboil, cooked in slow cooker on high ~3 hours, then added carrots and daikon for about 45 minutes on low. Meat was tender, falling off the bone, and sauce was delicious. I also added a little honey to the sauce after the 3 hours.
Can you tell me more about the chicken tacos you make in the IP? Do you use a specific recipe? We’ve been pretty beef heavy with our IP creations and would love a chx alternative.
So, how did you cut those carrots and daikon? Is there a special name for that cut? Gem cut? It looks pretty, but time consuming. How’s it done?
Lol, I was waiting for someone to ask. I got a little carried away. I couldn’t find it again by Googling but in one of the Korean home cooking videos I watched, the girls were insistent that the carrots and daikon get a “chestnut” shape and I found it so cute, I couldn’t resist. I just beveled off the edges of the segments. It’s definitely time-consuming, isn’t technically necessary here. I then had a small pile of carrot and daikon bits and combined them with gochujang and sesame oil and salt for a kind of hot carrot relish.
I have recently gotten myself into the Korean culture of things and have become a fan of Korean cuisine; usually dining out with friends and family once a week. Stumbling upon this blog post got me excited, Deb. Now I was able to try and get my hands on recreating a flavorful Korean dish and enjoy it with loved ones inside the comforts of our humble abode.
We live in Minot, North Dakota, and the grocery store I entered for (truly fabulous!) short ribs did not have daikon. I bought rutabaga instead, and even with this substitution the recipe was out of this world. This is one we will make again, with or without daikon! Thank you!
Oh, this was good! I couldn’t find daikon, but that’s the only place I deviated from the recipe. I made it a day ahead, which made it so easy to skim the fat. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll make it again.
Hi Deb! I am pumped to try this. Based on history, I am assuming you tested this recipe a few times yourself. Were there any issues with the texture of the meat becoming stringy when doing a quick release? I’ve seen quite a IP posts saying that beef does better with a natural release to prevent that.
I didn’t have an issue with stringiness, but if you’re nervous, it can’t hurt to do a natural release for extra security.
So I made this last night for Sunday dinner……superb!!! Only thing is “one teaspoon of kochujang”???? Yes, I’m Korean but I don’t like highly spicy food but I used at LEAST 3 tablespoons and it honestly could’ve used a little more. Even our spice-intolerant daughter thought it could be spicier. Overall, a delicious dinner, wonderful to lease out space to my ginormous dutch oven in the oven on a chilly afternoon because the aromas it fills your house with are DIVINE!!!! Served with white rice, I made a little cucumber kimchi, and steamed broccoli served with a kochujang dipping sauce (we call it Korean ketchup). I can send a pic if you like :-)
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I had time so I did soak the ribs and then boiled it to skim off the fat. We found it really flavorful – everyone in the family inhaled it and said it was terrific, including the 7-year-old. Because of him I only used 1/2 tsp of gochujang but I think I could have used a bit more – I was just afraid it would be too spicy for him. Definitely a keeper of a recipe – thanks Deb!
This was fantastic. My family loved the short ribs. I boiled the ribs to aid defatting and made it in my InstaPot.
I plan on making it again next week for a dinner party.
Nice effort! Although I am compelled to tell you that mirin and daikon are not used as these are Japanese ingredients. There is a Korean radish that is much more fatter and rounder than the daikon radish and it has a very peppery bite, which helps to cut thru the fat from the beef. The hot pepper paste is also not used. Lastly, this is supposed to be a very saucy dish.
While this comment is technically correct, I consider daikon an acceptable substitution because Korean mu can be difficult to obtain unless you’re living quite close to a Koreatown… my mother used to make kimchi, danmuji and other dishes with daikon when that was the case for us. It may not have the same level of bite, but honestly even Korean mu can have different levels of bite depending on the conditions in which it was raised (and the MORE peppery it is, it’s actually considered an inferior quality product, at least among the Koreans I know, autumn mu is prized for its mild, sweet flavor). And for heavens sakes, have you not read some of the comments saying people are substituting rutabagas and turnips because daikon is hard enough to find?
As for mirin, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, because Korean housewives use matsul / mirim (the Korean pronunciation of mirin) all the time, and it’s basically the same thing as Japanese mirin (in fact, I keep a bottle of Japanese hon-mirin around the house to use in cooking, including Korean dishes, and the difference in taste is nonexistent).
Lastly, the amount of sauce is something that varies from household to household. My mother made it on the saucy side, but my MIL makes it with almost no superfluous sauce at all, as do many home cooks, and that’s also where my personal preferences lie.
Love that you made an instant pot recipe, and your attention to checking the authenticity of the dish! I The addition of gochujang (albeit so little), and the lack of any sugar is curious and an interesting riff on the dish. Pear (or soju) is not uncommon as a tenderizing agent, but I’ve also never had the vegetables blended before. But, that’s just me!
Cooking this for the second time today – thanks Deb – I use my oven and love it!
Fairly authentic Kalbijjim recipe. The only thing I changed is to subsitute brown rice syrup for mirin (never used in Korean cooking, brown sugar is a decent substitute). I disagree with adding more gochujang as it not meant to be a spicy dish. Spice comes from the kimchee that is always served as a side with this dish along with other “panchan” – or Korean side dishes. Seasoned spinach and or soy bean sprouts work well as do cucmber and radish kimchee.
For readers who want a bibimbap recipe have a look at http://www.maangchi.com for all all Korean recipes. Very well written recipes and great video demos.
I got one for Christmas and almost everything I tried has worked out (salmon from frozen, not so much). I am totally thrilled that you are posting Instant Pot recipes. But I did adapt your Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew to the Instant Pot. I put it all in together, and admittedly don’t remember for how long I cooked it. If (when – it was scrumptious) I do it again, I will do all the browning and deglazing on the stove top and then transfer.
I made this in the oven. After 90 minutes, it seemed excessively soupy, so I uncovered the pot to concentrate the sauce and to allow some browning.
Like others, I used way more gochujang — the brand in my fridge (Mother In Law) is very savory and salty, but not too spicy.
It turned out great! Delicous over rice, but also killer in tacos, topped with pickled jalapeño slices.
I made the short ribs this evening as my first ever Instant Pot recipe- a big success! I used bone-in short ribs and decided to soak them, par-boil them, and sear them before pressure cooking. I don’t think the soak did much and my sauce at the end was still pretty fatty, so I’m not sure the par-boil was worth the time and extra pot to clean.
I liked the ribs seared and the Instant Pot sauté feature was easy to use for this purpose.
Since I used bone-in ribs I increased the cooking time to 50 minutes before the vegetables were added and the ribs were falling off the bone tender.
I also totally agree on the salt- I didn’t add much extra while cooking and it definitely needed salt at the end.
Thanks for the recipe Deb!
This came out excellent! thanks!
Just uses your recipe and it was on point! I followed it exactly but added just a little bit more soy sauce. It was sooo good! I’ve tried other recipes before but this one tasted just like the restaurant. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve made this a few times in the IP but using the amounts for the purree from a maangchi recipe (https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/makgalbijjim) that is almost identical. This recipe calls for double the amounts of onion, pear, garlic, and ginger for the quantity of short ribs. This may help to boost the flavor for those saying the sauce is bland and would also not require gochujang for flavor as this is never used in traditional galbijim. A spicy side dish like kimchi and its variants is always served with it to offset the rich umami flavor of the jjim. If there is too much liquid at the end you can reset IP to sautee mode more a few minutes on high until you get the desired amount. And I do think you need to soak and parboil the meat to boil away some of the fat especially if you don’t have the time to refrigerate and defat before you serve. I am making it tonight as a quick do ahead dish I can feed the kids before I go out.
I have been thinking about an instant pot but there are so many different brands on the market. I am wondering which one do you have Deb?
I made this in my regular stovetop pressure cooker and am finding (after already adding and cooking the veggies – doh! – that 35 minutes was not enough to get the short ribs as tender as I’d like). Am not sacrificing the texture of the poor carrots and radishes for the texture of the meat – but it tastes good!
Speaking of radishes … has anyone else experienced a, err, strong sulfuric smell when first opening the pressure cooker after the veggies are added? My husband thought the dog was having digestive issues!
*am NOW sacrificing the veggies
(correction)
Quick Question on the meat and salt. I read many of the comments about needing salt. Normally, when I cook any sort of beef I salt it before hand to drive flavor into the meat. Would this help….or does cooking in the “slurry\braise” do the trick?
Thanks
Made this with the instant pot. It. Was. Amazing. I couldn’t find diakon in the standard UK supermarkets, so just subbed in a parsnip (which, I know, is nothing like diakon in flavour but it did the trick). I also have a smaller instant pot, and I could fit the ribs in one layer as per the recipe but did not find that it impacted anything. I was so pleased with how the meat came out. I wish I’d added a bit more spice to the sauce myself, as well as sauce (I haven’t used my instant pot much yet and was unsure how over salting might impact things). This made a ton for two people, so we’ve had a few days worth of left overs. So perfect for the cold nights we’ve had.
I made this yesterday for Sunday dinner and it was delicious. I didn’t have access to any daikon so I subbed in some potatoes that needed using and no one could tell anything was missing. I didn’t add any salt pre-serving because I wasn’t sure how far the soy sauce would go and the flavor was good but mild, so I might use a pinch of salt and a bit more hot sauce next time. This is definitely going on the make-again list – thanks, Deb!
I made this for a dinner party. Really didn’t change much of the recipe except to load up on the gochujang – more on the order of 3 tablespoons, not 1 teaspoon – as well as adding a tablespoon of ssamjang, a Korean soybean paste. I also made it the evening before, refrigerated and reheated the next day. Much easier to skim the fat. Other than a “burn” notice on the Instant Pot, which I fixed by making sure the sauce was properly distributed, all went well, and the final result, over sushi-style brown rice, was delicious. We accompanied with kimchi, a gochugaru-based cucumber/radish salad, and charred cauliflower with olives and capers.
First of all I’m 3rd generation Korean American. You are right my mom always simmered it forever. She never added a pear. (Must be a trendy thing). I will say I didn’t appreciate Korean food back then. Like most kids American came first. Now I’m wanting it. Btw I made your Blonde Btownies and they are my second go to’s. I read the comments and I agree w/ u!👍🏻
As a third generation Korean American my mom made this as a very long slow simmer. She never added a pear. Neither did Grandma. The pear must be a trendy thing. I will say as a kid I really didn’t go crazy over Korean food. I guess bc it was always there. Today they make a big deal out of it. Btw we as a family never had those hibachis at the table. When my Grandma saw those in a Korean restaurant she was taken aback. FYI we never added the tons of sugar that the restaurants seem to do in the marinades
Btw I made your Blonde brownies and they were fantastic. Disputes the comment someone made about them being flat, they were perfect. If they were thick the consistency would of been lost
Made this with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Still very tasty. Topped with added sriracha too. Wonderful over rice. Sauce didnt look as thick as yours in the pic but I’m hopefully it stiffens up after it sits.
I’ve made this both ways (IP and oven braised) and I thought the flavors were much better when braised. I tripled the ginger and added more soy at the end. Served with the pickled cucumbers, slaw, kale sautéed with soy and ginger and kimchi. Delicious!
Thank you for delving into the Instant Pot world. It scared me for a while and I tried to avoid it – until I desperately needed a rice cooker AND slow cooker at the same time! It just made the most sense to buy one. So far I have made rice and this recipe. I still prefer not to make meat in slow/pressure cookers. The veggies were perfectly cooked, however. Not so mushy like my oldschool slow cooker always made them. My issue with meat in this thing (as it was for my slow cooker) is that the depth of flavor is just never there. But, as a big fan of beans/stock from scratch, I’m sure this crazy machine will come in handy! Thanks again.
Liked how easy this recipe was to prepare but very disappointed with the lack of flavor. admittedly, I omitted the daikon and substituted some pear juice for the rice wine, but the meal did not satisfy flavor wise. The sauce was watery and tasted bland.
I am knew at cooking so forgive my ignorance but why are we braising these Korean short ribs? They are so thin and in the Korean reateraunts we always cook them over the grill on our table and they come out so yummy! There are a lot of Korean markets around me that sell these thin sliced high quality short ribs so I’m wondering why braise as opposed to quickly putting them in my grill pan (if I marinated them for a while). Does braising make them taste better? What is the difference in taste and quality. Why chose one method over the other? Thanks
There is more than one (or even two) Korean dish with short ribs. It’s totally fine if you wish to make them the way you find more often in restaurants, but that’s not what this is. Galbi Jjim is a special occasion meal and it’s always a braise.
You would not braise the thin meats meant for grilling. Galbijjim requires a different cut of short ribs. They’re different- both are delicious.
Hey, Deb! When I go into my local HEB grocery…I LOVE my HEB…in my very small town, and approach a manager, they ask, “What obscure product are you inquiring about today?” (They stock, understandably, what is not obscure in this small county in Texas. Daikon will require some explaining! Is there a substitute for it? (The closest grocer that will have daikon is an hour away.)
If I’m doubling this for a party, does the cooking time in the oven change at all?
I haven’t found that it does.
After making this in the InstaPot, store this in the fridge and wait a day to eat this. I’ve made this dish several times, and it tastes so much better when eaten the next day. Being able to chip off the solidified fat after a day in the fridge makes such a big difference in the sauce. And as a Korean-American, this flavor and recipe is indeed authentic.
What cut of short rib do you use? Flanken, as what is usually used in Korean recipes?
I often substitute brisket for short ribs, since the meat is so similar but is so much less fatty. Do you think this would work here, and would it need adjustments?
Your comment that cornstarch-thickened slurries can bear an unpleasant taste rang true with me . . . and Stella Parks! On occasion she has commented about the metallic taste of cornstarch lingering in the sauce. Her cure consists of substituting Tapioca Flour/Starch for cornstarch . . . and it works. I now keep Tapioca Flour/Starch on hand as a permanent sub for cornstarch. The ratio is 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Hi Deb! What other cuts of beef do you think would work for this recipe if I can’t find short ribs? Thank you! Love your blog!
I am a long time fan and have made so many recipes just on the photo alone and many more from great descriptions. Except this dish. It was greasy, short ribs have a gamey taste and not much meat. To make it worse, it was such a disappointment for my husband’s birthday – however your double chocolate cake should make up for it later today.
That is too bad that it was greasy and gamey. Soaking the meat in cold water (while changing it a few times) and the blanching it might’ve helped. I hope you will give it another try as it is a delicious dish – look up Maangchi or aeris kitchen’s recipes, and you’ll see some tips there.
Deb,
When this recipe was first posted, something about it bothered me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. In light of so much that has happened recently in our country, I’ve been reflecting more and hope to articulate some thoughts now. My hope is that you will receive my comments and at a minimum consider what I am about to say:
– As a Korean-American, I take great pride in my culture and food, so when I see recipes or food highlighted in any medium, it makes me happy. However, I wish you had taken a different approach. If you had gone on an extensive “authenticity hunt” why not use this as an opportunity to highlight and credit the Korean cooking videos you watched? Why not consult with the various korean food bloggers out there (there are plenty that are easily accessible to an American audience – sure you must’ve come across them during your research)? Why highlight a person who is NOT Korean, and make a recipe that is a riff on the original? It is frustrating that even with Korean-inspired recipes, not a single Korean person was highlighted or credited.
– What is so “funny” about blending carrots? Why is French braising the “usual way” of braising. Please be careful with the words you choose – you are (I am guessing) unintentionally choosing a Euro-centric view of cooking. Korean cooking has been around for thousands of years – please don’t other-ize its cooking.
– I will not point out all of the parts of the recipe or your explanations that are lacking in detail or incorrect. The cornstarch slurry in the original recipe is abhorrent (I am glad you did not partake in that). Soaking meat in water before cooking is an oft-used method to remove certain meat-y smells that can occur while cooking (not to skim the fat). There are reasons why you cut vegetables in a round manner. I assume you ward that criticism off by saying that not all recipes have to be the height of authenticity. But, Korean food and Asian food in general have been bastardized so much in this country. Why are people so slow to actually do the research and understand why Koreans cook the way they do, and quick to change things a little here and there, and then slap a “Korean” in front of it and call it pretty close? I am all for cooks and chefs being inspired by different cultures, but let’s be aware of the power dynamics in the cooking world in this country. French/Euro cooking is revered and seen as the norm, Asian cooking is seen as lowly and bastardized. Unfortunately, recipes like this that get posted on a big platform such as yours adds to this stigma – even if it was unintentional.
Deb I beg you please write an Instant Pot cookbook❣️
I honestly love so many recipes on your site but this was a huge miss. The short ribs were tough, the aroma was off putting and the flavor was too salty. I think if I make these again I’ll stick with BBQ sauce 🤷🏻♀️
I used bone-in short ribs from Whole Foods and followed the recipe closely including the specific IP instructions. However, the meat turned out not very tender at all, and the sauce could definitely use more heat. I am a little disappointed because I should have used a crock pot or just a slow braise in the oven. Both have been better than an IP for any braising I’ve done. Wondering how to get this right next time.
How do you recommend reheating it if I made it the night before and put it in the fridge? Thanks!
So delicious!