Air Fryer Short Ribs

Keto Korean Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Korean short ribs is a popular recipe when it comes to beef ribs. Most marinades for Korean BBQ are loaded with brown sugar; however, this recipe for keto Korean short ribs doesn’t use sugar to add a hint of sweet to these juicy beef ribs. The marinade is low carb and delicious! We get away with not using the traditional Asian pear in the Korean BBQ sauce. The flavor is still on point for these air fryer ribs. And for ease in cooking, these short ribs are made in the air fryer. Air fryer short ribs are a simple way to prepare this cut of beef.

Cooking your flanken cut short ribs in the air fryer creates a juicy rib with a crispy exterior. They are delicious with a side of asparagus or brussels sprouts roasted in the air fryer.

These air fryer ribs are great when you are looking for something different to serve for dinner. If you are a fan other ribs, you should try my slow cooker pork ribs or smoked spare ribs. Top with your favorite sugar-free barbecue sauce for the ultimate dinner!

Flanken Cut vs English Cut Short Ribs

Short ribs are sold as two different types, flanken cut and English cut. The flanken cut, which is what we use in this air fryer short rib recipe, is thinly cut, about 1/2 inch thick. The cut goes across the bone so that every short rib contains multiple small cuts of bone. This is a popular cut of short ribs for Korean BBQ.

English cut short ribs are bigger and thicker. The cut is made in between each rib resulting in a longer bone and meat and fat surrounding the bone. This cut of short rib is best when cooked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, like braising short ribs in broth.

Korean BBQ Marinade

The marinade to add flavor to these short ribs is a sugar free Korean style dressing. We mix together liquid aminos in place of soy sauce. Liquid aminos are an alternative to soy sauce that has similar flavor but isn’t made from soy beans and is zero carb. Soy sauce does contain carbohydrates. It’s okay to use soy sauce in in this air fryer keto recipe; however, it does have a small amount of carbs in it so you will have to adjust the macros for that.

Next we whisk in rice wine vinegar for some bite and sesame oil for fat and flavor. Other seasonings like black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper for added flavor similar to Korean BBQ marinade.

For a hint of sweet, golden monkfruit is added; however, you can substitute with golden Swerve if desired.

You will see that I don’t add any kosher salt in this short rib recipe. That’s because the liquid aminos or soy sauce have a lot of salt in them so we don’t need to add any additional sodium.

Benefits of Cooking Short Ribs in the Air Fryer

When you cook Korean cut short ribs in the air fryer, not only does it help with flavor and texture, but cut cooking time is almost cut in half!

Air fryer short ribs are juicy and flavorful inside and extra crispy on the outside. The fat caramelize on the short ribs. You can spray or brush with some olive oil if you want a little extra crispy outer layer.

The air fryer that I use is an Instant Pot Vortex Pro. It is large so it can hold a lot of meat and it does an excellent job of crisping the meat. It’s not a pressure cooker too, although the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, air fryer and sous vide all in one! Another popular air fryer is the Ninja Air Fryer.

How to Cook Short Ribs in the Air Fryer

It’s easy to make make air fryer short ribs and they don’t take very long to make either.

1. Season your flanken cut beef short ribs with salt and pepper or a marinade.
2. Preheat your air fryer at 400 degrees for a few minutes.
3. Add short ribs to the air fryer basket or tray. You can lightly spray with oil to extra crispy short ribs.
4. Air fry the short ribs at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Turn ribs halfway through to allow the other side too cook at get crispy.

Other Keto Air Fryer Recipes to Try

If you have an air fryer and want to try some other low carb air fryer recipes, here is a few:

• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Air Fryer Keto Meatballs
• Breakfast Sausage
• Avocado Fries
• Pork Chops
• Turkey Breast
• Chicken Chimichanga