The Asian Short Rib Recipe I'm Obsessed With
These short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and super easy to prepare in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or in the Oven. The tender, flavorful meat is coated in a rich, slightly sweet and spicy sauce prepared simply by reducing the liquid that the short ribs have been simmering in.
"Oh wow, these Asian short ribs are fall off the bone delicious. Love, love, love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it!" - Kelly
Serve Asian Short Ribs on their own, over rice or potatoes, or use the meat in a variety of other recipes, such as:
- Slow Cooker Short Rib Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
- Asian Short Rib Rice and Veggie Bowls
- Asian Short Rib Nachos
- Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage
- Asian Short Rib Fried Rice
- Asian Short Rib Lasagna
"These Asian Shorts Ribs are my new obession!! Next time I need to double the recipe, my family loved them. The smell while these are cooking is intoxicating!! The is the best short rib recipe I have ever tried." - Debbie
There are a handful of recipes I make so often that you'd think we'd be tired of them, but actually love even more every time I make them. Roast Chicken. Black Bean Enchiladas. Chicken Pot Pie. Pasta with Homemade Marinara. Pork Green Chili.
They are simple, crowd pleasing, soul satisfying recipes that are impossible to tire of. This short rib recipe is that kind of recipe.
Here are 5 reasons why I love this short rib recipe so very much:
- The meat is so tender it literally melts in your mouth.
- The short ribs take about 5 minutes of work before you throw them in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or oven and let them do their thing.
- Cooking these short ribs will make your entire house smell so good that neighbors will be knocking on your door begging for a dinner invitation {Ok. Depending on your neighbors, that might not be a benefit.}
- You can eat them straight from the cooking pot, or add the short rib meat to an endless number of dishes. {You'll want to do this. Make extra.}
- The cooking liquid is easily transformed into an incredibly flavorful sauce just by letting it simmer away on the stover for a bit.
How to Cook Short Ribs in an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or the Oven
The only difference between cooking these short ribs in an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or the oven is the length of cooking time. Each method will give you the same deliciously tender result.
For me, this decision about whether to cook short ribs in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or Oven is a matter of convenience.
If I'm home all afternoon and want to start cooking the short ribs at 3pm so that they are ready to eat by 7pm, I'll use the oven. If I'm not going to be home all day, I'll put the short ribs in the slow cooker in the morning, set the timer, and know that they'll be ready and waiting to eat later that evening. And if I want short ribs in about an hour, I'll use the Instant Pot.
In all three cases, you simply add the short ribs to the pot with all the other ingredients let them cook. It really just doesn't get any easier than that.
What pre-salting does for short ribs
Salting meat in advance allows time for the salt to permeate throughout the meat, flavoring it from the inside out.
It really does make a difference. So, when possible, salt the short ribs the night before you want to cook them. It will result in short ribs that are even more flavorful and delicious.
Having said that, these short ribs are delicious even if you don't pre-salt the meat. If you purchase short ribs right before you want to cook them, or simply forget about pre-salting them, no worries. They'll still be fabulous.
How to make a simple sauce from the short rib cooking liquid
Serving these short ribs in a deliciously rich sauce is as easy as reducing the short rib cooking liquid. The recipe includes instructions for thickening the sauce with a bit of cornstarch or simply allowing it to cook down until it's concentrated and thick. The difference between the two methods depends on how much time you have and how much sauce you want to end up with.
If you want quite a bit of sauce and you want to make it quickly, thickening it with cornstarch is the way to go. This recipe for Asian Short Rib Pasta with Mushrooms and Asparagus includes instructions for thickening the sauce with cornstarch to ensure plenty of sauce is available to coat all the noodles. The same is true for Asian Short Rib Lasagna.
For other recipes, like this one for Asian Short Rib Nachos, a smaller amount of more concentrated sauce is desirable. The same is true if you want to serve your short ribs as the main dish, perhaps over cream cheese mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta.
The thing to remember is that if you reduce the sauce (allow it to boil for a while until much of the excess water has evaporated) instead of thickening it with cornstarch the flavor will be more concentrated. In other words, a little goes a long way.
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Asian Short Ribs {Slow Cooker OR Oven Braised}
These melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs are super easy to prepare and can be cooked in an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or the oven.
NOTE: The cook time for this recipe varies depending on whether you choose to cook your short ribs in an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or in the Oven.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me!
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs short ribs, bone-in
- Kosher salt or coarse ground sea salt
- 1 cup soy sauce (*If you are pre-salting the meat, use low-sodium soy sauce.)
- 2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth (*Or, simply use water. See note.)
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 6 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (Optional, for thickening the cooking liquid into a sauce)
Instructions
Pre-salt the short ribs (optional, but recommended): Lay the short ribs out on plate or in a baking dish. Sprinkle them lightly on all sides with salt. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Add the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce into the bowl of an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, OR a heavy bottom saucepan with a lid (preferably a dutch oven), OR a ceramic baking dish with a lid. Whisk to combine and then add the short ribs, turning them in the liquid to coat.
- Too cook the short ribs in an Instant Pot: Close the lid and choose the manual high pressure function set to high. Cook the short ribs for 45 minutes, followed by a 10 – 15 minute natural release.
- To cook the short ribs in a slow cooker: Cover with the lid and cook the short ribs until the meat is so tender it’s falling off the bone, about 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 on low. If possible, stir the meat in the sauce halfway through cooking.
- To cook the short ribs in the oven: Preheat oven to 325. Cook in covered pot or baking dish for 3-4 hours, until the meat is so tender it's falling off the bone. If possible, stir the meat in the sauce halfway through cooking.
- If using the meat in another recipe: Use tongs to remove meat from the slow cooker to a plate or cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle, then proceed with the recipe.
To turn the cooking liquid into a sauce:
- Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl; discard any solids left in the strainer. Let the sauce sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes than skim as much excess fat from the top of the liquid as possible, discarding the fat. *If possible, put the cooking liquid into the refrigerator, uncovered, for an hour or two (or, covered, for up to 2 days). This will allow the excess fat in the liquid to harden across the top of the liquid, making it very easy to remove.
- To thicken the sauce with cornstarch: Add the cornstarch and about ½ cup of the cooking liquid to a bowl and stir to combine. Add the rest of the strained cooking liquid to a heavy bottom saucepan. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and let simmer, stirring frequently, for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has reduced slightly. (If, after 10 minutes of cooking, the sauce isn't as thick as you like, add about ½ cup of sauce to another tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk back into the saucepan. OR, just continue to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce will continue to reduce and thicken the longer you allow it to simmer.
- To thicken the sauce by reducing it (without cornstarch): Add the strained cooking liquid to a heavy bottom saucepan and set it over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency. This should take between 10 and 20 minutes.
Notes
Why does this recipe call for chicken or vegetable stock instead of beef stock?
For the most part, I find the flavor of prepared beef stock to be considerably lower quality than chicken or vegetable stock. Therefore, even in beef recipes, I prefer to use chicken or vegetable - or just plain water. Of course, if you have some homemade beef stock, use that.
Recipes that use leftover short ribs:
I almost always make extra short ribs just so I'll have enough meat to make one (or more!) of these recipes later in the week:
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 797Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 1610mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 60g
Ben says
Awww yeah. I love short ribs when they're done right. I like the Asian kick on these. I'll have to give them a try.
Michelle says
Oh wow! This is a fantastic recipe. My mouth is totally watering reading through this. Great information in this post. My family will LOVE these.
Colleen says
I love to do short ribs in the slow cooker, and I definitely need to try this Asian flavoured version. Delicious!
Kelly Anthony says
Oh wow, these Asian short ribs are fall off the bone delicious. Love, love, love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Can't wait to hear what you think Kelly! xo
Leslie says
I have still not made ribs in the crockpot. This recipe might just be the one to get me going! AND...that sauce looks divine!!!
Paula Montenegro says
Wow, being a fan of ribs and slow cooking, I might dive into that last photo! They look incredibly tempting. Thanks for sharing this beauty of a recipe!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Thanks Paula! These short ribs are truly one of my favorite dishes ever. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Anne Lawton says
Now that the weather is cooling off, I'm all about comfort foods like this! I love all of the ingredients in this, and that they are made in the slow cooker! They are tender and delicious and so easy to make, just as you said they would be. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Elaine says
One of the best presentations I've ever seen, and definitely a wonderful dish to make for a special dinner. I love that the sauce is simply a matter of boiling down the yummy cooking liquid. So easy and so delicious! This is my new favorite way to cook short ribs!
RebeccaBlackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe Elaine! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Heather says
I've been wanting to try cooking short ribs for a while and this recipe looked so easy I decided to give it a try. They are soooooo good! I mean, crazy, finger licking sticky good!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Heather! I hope this recipe is your excuse to go for it! It's seriously one of the easiest (and most delicious!) ways to make short ribs. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me!
Debbie says
These Asian Shorts Ribs are my new obession!! Next time I need to double the recipe , my family loved them. The smell while these are cooking is intoxicating !! The is the best short rib recipe I have ever tried.
SHANIKA says
OMG! This Short Ribs recipe is absolutely amazing! That meat is so tender, it's unbelievable!
Sue says
Hi - I'm excited to try your recipe! I salted the ribs overnight. Are you supposed to rinse and pat dry before using? Thanks!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Sue! I'm so sorry for the delay in answering your question. I'm normally pretty good about answering comments quickly, but we've had a family tragedy, and I've been away. There is no need to rinse and pat dry the short ribs before cooking, but doing so also wouldn't hurt. What did you end up doing? How did they turn out?
Aimee says
These look SO good and I’m excited to try them. My family doesn’t handle heat well (me and my four year old lol) so I’m going to omit the Chile paste, is there anything you would recommend replacing it with, or just leave it as is?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Aimee! I'd suggesting replacing the chili-garlic sauce with about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 3 or 4 cloves of chopped garlic. This is truly one of my all-time favorite recipes. I'm excited to hear what you think! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Rosalie says
Hi, the recipe sounds amazing. Does it matter if it’s pork or beef ribs? As I notice you are using chicken stock as one of your ingredients
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Rosalie! I've only used beef short ribs in this recipe, but I don't see why pork wouldn't work just as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe after you make these short ribs. They are truly one of my family's favorite meals! xo
Melanie says
Okay quick question - when I try to find "Short Ribs" at my local Texas grocery store I get two options: 1) Fresh Beef Chuck Short Ribs or 2) Beef Top Blade Short Ribs, Boneless. Any suggestions?
RebeccaBlackwell says
I would get the Fresh Beef Chuck short ribs. Every time I've cooked boneless short ribs they come out dry. I'm honestly not sure why... but can say that the bone-in variety is always better.
Ally says
Can I use regular brown sugar?? I don’t have dark brown but have all the other ingredients 🙁
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Ally! Yes! Any kind of brown sugar will work great. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe after you make it! xo
Tracy De Soto says
These are fantastic short ribs! I’m making them for the second time today and making six pounds of ribs, because last time, 3 lbs just wasn’t enough...! :)) I’ve also made the short rib fried rice and that was...well, there aren’t enough words to describe how good that was. 🙂
I make these ribs in my Instant Pot, and although I have to guess the cooking time, they turn out awesome. If they ever come out undercooked, they can just go back in! Today’s batch is getting two hours to be safe.
Thank you for this recipe, it’s absolutely delicious and super super super easy!!!!
Xoxo Tracy
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Tracy! Your comment just made my whole day! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe so much! And, I love that you also made the short rib fried rice! That is one of our absolute favorite meals around here. 🙂 I'm happy to hear that these are working well for you in the Instant Pot. I haven't tested them in an Instant Pot and get questions every now and then about cooking them this way. It sounds like about 2 hours is the right amount of time? Thank you so very much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo
Mitch Wasserman says
An excellent, and simple recipe that produces an incredibly tasty, melt in your mouth result.
RebeccaBlackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe Mitch! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I truly appreciate it! xo
Anne says
Delicious and super easy!
RebeccaBlackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe, Anne! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! xo
fran says
Can you use flanken short ribs?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Fran! I don't see why that wouldn't work, although because flanked short ribs are thinner, pay attention to the cook time... it will probably take less time to get the meat tender and falling off the bone. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know how this works out for you! xo
Robin says
Hi I noticed this recipe didn’t say to sear the meat.I was wondering if I’m supposed to sear the meat
1st.???
Thank you
Robin Burkert
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Robin! No need to sear the meat first. When I was working on this recipe, I tried them both ways - searing first and not searing. There was no difference in flavor or texture between the seared meat and the non-seared meat. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know what you think of these ribs after you make them! xo
Chris Burton says
Hi there. I was going to try this recipe today; it looks lovely. Any particular reason why you’re using chicken or veg stock with it as opposed to beef ? I’ve seen beef stock used in other versions of this recipe plus sesame seeds to garnish. Thanks. Chris
RebeccaBlackwell says
Great question! I'm going to add a note in the recipe about this for anyone else who might be wondering. For the most part, I just feel that the flavor of beef stock isn't as good as most brands of vegetable or chicken stock. Homemade, of course, is a whole different story. If you have a good homemade beef stock (or any kind of stock), use that. But, I don't feel that most prepared beef stock has a great flavor. In fact, I'd rather just use water. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe after you make it! xo
Polly Rotan says
I would like to instant pot this recipe. Any ideas on how this might work?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Polly! As luck would have it, I tested this recipe in the Instant Pot just last week and am planning to add those instructions to the recipe later this week. Cooking these in the IP is super simple and works great.
Here's what you do: Follow the instructions to add all the ingredients to your instant pot. Close the lid and choose the manual high pressure function set to high. Cook the short ribs for 45 minutes, followed by a 10 - 15 minute natural release. That's it! Follow the rest of the instructions to de-fat and thicken the sauce as written.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of this recipe after you make it! xo
Nicole says
I want to make these today! But I don't have sesame oil. Is that essential to the recipe? They look amazing.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Nicole! I'm so happy to hear that you're making these today! This is one of my favorite dishes ever! I hope you enjoy it too! You can use pretty much any kind of oil in place of sesame oil, but my top choices are olive or peanut oil. If you have one of those, just swap them in for the sesame oil in an equal measure. If you don't have either of those oils, just use whatever kind of oil you have. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear how these come out for you! xo
Barry says
It looks like I don't have chili garlic sauce. Can I use Sambal Olek chili paste and add some garlic or wait until I get the chili garlic sauce?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Barry! Yes - using chili paste and garlic instead of chili garlic sauce should work out well! Just add as much chili paste as you like, depending on how spicy the paste is and how spicy you want the sauce to be. And, I'd add 3-5 cloves of garlic. Please let me know if you have any other questions. And, I'd love to hear how these short ribs come out for you! xo
Marilyn says
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I am excited to try this but would like to know if there is a specific kind/brand of Chilli Garlic I should use? Thanks!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Marilyn! No specific brand - just get whatever your grocery store has in stock I their Asian foods isle. Huy Fong is usually the brand I use and it's pretty widely distributed, so it's usually in stock everywhere. But if your store has something different, that will work too. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of these short ribs after you make them! xo
Amy says
Hello! I am excited to try this recipe tomorrow. I have a bottle of minced ginger. Do you know roughly how much I should use that would equal what is listed in the recipe? Thank you!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi there! Does the bottle say anything about whether or not the ginger is concentrated? If it's just minced ginger, I'd use about a tablespoon. If it's in any kind of concentrate, use less... maybe just a teaspoon or two. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'd love to hear what you think of these short ribs after you make them! xo
Brittney Alvarez says
Hello! Making this recipe for New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Was wondering how spicy it is? Like on a scale of 1-10? Or on a scale of mild, medium, hot, or extra hot ?
I personally love spice but some people in my household aren’t too keen on it. I was thinking of making one batch just as is with the chili garlic sauce and one without. I was wondering if there are any suitable replacements. Thanks!! Have a blessed new year.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Brittney! The level of spice really depends on how much chili garlic sauce you add... adding none will eliminate the spiciness, but it will also rob the short ribs of the flavor the chili garlic sauce adds. To play it safe, I'd cut the chili garlic sauce in half and use just 3 tablespoons. That should result in a low level of spice for anyone who's sensitive to it. Then, you can always just serve the short ribs with chili garlic sauce on the side for anyone who wants to turn it up a notch or two. 🙂 I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xo