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Orange Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs (Instant Pot OR Slow Cooker)

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Orange Zinfandel Braised Beef, a great paleo, healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free recipe

Orange Zinfandel Braised Beef, a great paleo, healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free recipe

Orange Zinfandel Braised Beef, a great paleo, healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free recipe

Update 2018: want more Instant Pot recipes? Get my best tips plus 36 easy recipes in my new Instant Pot for Beginners eBook!  Click below to get your copy!

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So not ready for citrus season to be over. UGH.

Luckily, I get a pretty lengthy season (because Arizona) but all the citrus trees have long since bloomed and the 90F days are upon us.

This recipe is more than celebrating citrus (which it does in a lovely way).

It’s about my concerted effort to not turn the oven on as much as possible for the next 6 months.  I love that the Instant Pot doesn’t generate much heat.  And so long as I keep it far from the thermostat (not as easy as it sounds cause my home is just 25 ft long), it doesn’t kick my A/C on continuously like the oven does.

So grab one of those last navels and try out this sweet & savory slow roast.  I love short ribs any way you do them but this is for sure makes my top 5.


Get a printable PDF of the recipe

Orange Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs

Yields: 4 servings

  • 4 medium-sized bone-in beef short ribs*
  • 3 tbsp. high-heat cooking fat
  • 1 large sweet or white onion, chopped
  • 5 large carrots, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 c. zinfandel, tempranillo, or merlot
  • 1 c. bone broth or stock of choice
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large orange, zest & juice (about 1/2 cup juice)

Directions:

  1. Pat the short ribs dry.  Season with sea salt and black pepper liberally on all sides.  Set aside to rest and let the seasoning adhere (the salt will dissolve into the surface of the meat).
  2. Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” and toggle to “More” heat.  When the display reads “Hot,” add the high-heat cooking oil and the short ribs.  Cook until golden on all sides, about 20 minutes total.  Remove the short ribs to a plate.
  3. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic.  Sauté until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze with the white wine and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  4. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, orange zest, and orange juice.  Tuck the short ribs in amongst the veggies.
  5. Turn the Instant Pot off.  Set it to “Slow Cook” and toggle to “More” heat.  Set the time to 5 hours.  Use a clear lid to get a better visual while it cooks or use the standard IP lid with the vent set to the “venting” side.
  6. When it finishes, check the doneness to see if the short ribs shred easily but with a small bit of resistance.  (This is my preferred doneness.  For fully shreddable, you may need to add another hour or two.)
  7. Strain out the liquid (careful, it’s hot!) and optionally add the liquid back to the Instant Pot to reduce.  Set to “Sauté” on “More” heat and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
  8. Serve atop your favorite mash with the reduced sauce.

Notes:

  • You want medium-sized short ribs to match well with this cooking time, about 3″ cubed.  You could also sub any fatty, ribboned cut of meat like chuck roast, cubed to 3″ square.
  • To prepare this recipe with a slow cooker, brown the short ribs stovetop in a wide cast iron.  Set them aside while softening the carrots and onion.  Deglaze with a bit of the wine and add all the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Check the meat to gauge tenderness and add 30 minutes to an hour, as needed.  It will be similar to the steps in this recipe for Coffee Braised Short Ribs.  To reduce the sauce, move it back to a pot on the stove.
1 Comment
  1. Cinda T says:

    I think we’ll love this recipe, but offering a couple edits, because, when I saw ‘Instapot’ I automatically thought, ‘Quick Dinner!’
    At recipe level, ‘add short ribs back in and SLOW COOK for hours’ I knew I was in trouble. My fault for not reading full instructions until preparing, but, it would be immensely helpful to put a total cook time at the top of the recipe.
    Also, ingredient list calls for red wines, but your recipe says to deglaze with the white wine?
    So, DH threw turkey burgers on the grill, while my Instapot went to slow cooker mode.
    Still not done, so now have them transferred to a casserole dish to cook before refrigerating, will get up mid night and place in refrigerator till tomorrow, when they go back to InstaPot.

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