Short ribs have been my go-to dinner for company or special occasions for a long while now. They’re economical, they’re hard to mess up, and they feature that magic deliciousness that only meat cooked low and slow does. But cooking low and slow takes some time. Or at least it usually does. With this method, you’re using the Instant Pot (or another electric pressure cooker) to shave off hours of stovetop time and you still get succulent and tender meat that falls apart at the touch of a fork. There’s also a rich and delicious balsamic and red wine sauce to spoon over anything your heart desires, and that doesn’t hurt matters either.

To start, you want a couple of pounds of bone-in short ribs. You’ll season them and sear them in oil right in the Instant Pot. A couple of tips – wait for it to get hot, work in batches if you need to (don’t crowd the pot), and don’t rush the process.

Brown them well on all sides and then remove the ribs and set them aside for the time being.

Then, soften some onions and garlic…

… before you add the ribs back in along with some tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and beef broth.

After an hour at high pressure, that meat will be wonderfully fork-tender and flavored by that aromatic red wine sauce.

I think mashed potatoes or polenta are a must here, if only because it gives you more surface area to spoon the sauce over. It’s a dish that always impresses, but it’s so easy to make!