Instant Pot Ribs

These Instant Pot ribs turn out so tender, juicy, and flavorful! Slathered with a delicious barbecue sauce, the ribs are done in just 45 minutes! Serve with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, or your favorite potato salad for a complete meal.

Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Baby back ribs should be cooked low and slow until they’re tender without losing any moisture. But when you cook ribs in the slow cooker, truth is, you have to keep checking on them.

This Instant Pot method is hands-free! Once you try these Instant Pot ribs, you won’t believe how tender and succulent these are, and they’re made in under an hour!

The ribs are rubbed with a delicious dry rub, then pressure cooked until tender. To form an irresistible crust, I slathered the ribs with my favorite BBQ sauce and placed them under the broiler. And then give them another brushing of barbecue sauce right before serving for extra flavor!

If you’re looking for a beef ribs version, check out my Instant Pot short ribs recipe!

The Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these Instant Pot ribs

• Dry rub – you can either use your favorite rib rub (if you have one), or make your own. I made my own and used brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, ground mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper (scroll down to the recipe card for the exact amounts).
• 1 or 2 racks of baby back ribs – or pork loin ribs. Fresh or frozen.
• Water or apple juice or cider – you can totally use water to pressure cook the ribs, but I like to add apple juice or apple cider along with liquid smoke to get that lovely applewood smoking flavor.
• Liquid smoke – optional, if using then add just half a teaspoon to the liquid.
• Barbecue sauce – homemade or store-bought. I like Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce because it’s sweet and caramelizes well to create a great crust on the ribs.

How to Prep The Ribs

To prep the ribs, wash and pat dry to remove any excess moisture. Check if the membrane is still there on the boney side, as usually it is already removed. However, if it’s still there, here’s how you remove it:

Place the ribs upside down on a cutting board, and using a butter knife slide under the membrane on the back of the bone. It is a thin layer, so you don’t need to go deep. Once you have loosened it, take a paper towel and grab onto it with one hand. Hold the ribs down with the other hand and gently pull on the membrane, It should come off easily.

How to Make The Best Instant Pot Ribs

• Rub the entire ribs with the homemade or store-bought rib rub.
• Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and coil the ribs in a standing position around the sides. Add the apple cider to the bottom of the pot.
• Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 23 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then quickly release the rest of the steam.
• Remove from the Instant Pot, brush with barbecue sauce and broil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut between the ribs and serve warm.

You can also finish off the ribs in the Air Fryer if you like, just cut the rack in thirds (to fit your air fry basket), brush on barbecue sauce on both sides and air fry for 4-5 minutes at 390°F (200°C).

How to Cook Frozen Ribs in the Instant Pot

You can cook the ribs in the Instant Pot from frozen. However, before freezing, I recommend that you cut the ribs in thirds and rub the dry rib rub before freezing.

The reason behind cutting the ribs before freezing is that you won’t be able to coil them when they’re frozen, and a whole rack of ribs if frozen in one piece won’t fit the Instant Pot.

And rubbing the dry rub before freezing will help it stay on, as opposed to trying to apply it on frozen ribs (it won’t work!).

Side Dishes for Ribs

Serve the Instant Pot ribs with your favorite sides! Below are a few ideas:

• Coleslaw
• Air Fryer corn on the cob or make them in the Instant Pot!
• Creamy mashed potatoes
• Instant Pot mac and cheese
• Crispy corn fritters
• Instant Pot Potato salad

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

5 from 8 votes

(Click stars to rate!)

Instant Pot Ribs

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Author: Diana

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Print Rate Recipe

These Instant Pot ribs turn out so tender, juicy, and flavorful! Slathered with a delicious barbecue sauce, the ribs are done in just 45 minutes! Serve with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, or your favorite potato salad for a complete meal.

6

These Instant Pot ribs turn out so tender, juicy, and flavorful! Slathered with a delicious barbecue sauce, the ribs are done in just 45 minutes! Serve with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, or your favorite potato salad for a complete meal.

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients 

1/2x1x2x3x

• ▢ 1-2 racks baby back ribs about 3 pounds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ 2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup water, or apple cider, or apple juice
• ▢ ½ cup barbecue sauce homemade or store-bought

Instructions 

• To make the dry rub: In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, ground mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
• Spread the rub evenly over the entire ribs, pressing gently to help it stay on. Let this sit for 10 minutes.
• Place the trivet in the instant pot and coil the ribs in a standing position around the sides. Add the apple cider to the bottom of the pot.
• Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 23 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then quickly release the rest of the steam.
• Preheat the broiler for 500°F (260°C).
• Place the ribs on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and brush the ribs with a generous amount of barbecue sauce.
• Place close to the broiler and cook for 5 minutes. The barbeque sauce should be nice and bubbly. You may need an additional minute or two. Watch carefully so you don’t burn the ribs.
• Remove from the oven and brush with additional barbecue sauce before serving.

Notes:

• For the BBQ sauce, I prefer Sweet Baby Ray’s brand.
• To prep, the ribs, wash and pat dry to remove any excess moisture. Place the ribs upside down on a cutting board, and using a butter knife slide under the membrane on the back of the bone. It is a thin layer, so you don’t need to go deep. Once you have loosened it, take a paper towel and grab onto it with one hand. Hold the ribs down with the other hand and gently pull on the membrane, It should come off easily.
• To finish off the ribs, place under the broiler or grill for 5 minutes. Or use the Air Fryer. To use the air fryer, cut the rack in thirds (to fit your air fry basket), brush on barbecue sauce on both sides, and air fry for 5 minutes at 390°F (200°C).
• You can cook the ribs in the Instant Pot from frozen. However, before freezing, I recommend that you cut the ribs in thirds and rub the dry rib rub before freezing.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 423kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 1391mg, Potassium: 477mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 337IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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