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Instant Pot Ribs – Perfectly cooked ribs every single time and they are ready to serve in under an hour. Smothered in a tangy homemade BBQ sauce, they are irresistible!
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I adore ribs, but I don’t adore the long cooking time for sure! These pressure cooker ribs are perfect for when time isn’t on your side and a rib craving strikes! Find out how to get amazingly tender, fall of the bone ribs in under an hour!
Perfect to serve with my baked potato wedges, this light tomato cucumber avocado salad, and delicious coleslaw for a real feast!
Key Ingredients
- Ribs – Baby back ribs are my absolute favorite but you can also use spare ribs, side ribs, short ribs, and country-style ribs – whichever you have or prefer.
- Dry rub (your favorite or the one below) – These dry rub ingredients are basic pantry staples that you probably already have at home. But feel free to use any other dry rub you prefer.
- Liquid smoke (my secret ingredient) – this is totally optional but highly recommended. Since the ribs are cooked in the instant pot, the liquid smoke compensates for the smoke you would get if you cooked them on the grill or smoker. You should be able to find liquid smoke at most grocery stores.
- Orange – The orange juice adds flavor but if you don’t have orange, you can use 1/3 cup water instead.
- Water – 2/3 cup water in addition to the orange juice is required in order for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and to work properly.
- BBQ Sauce – you can use your favorite BBQ sauce or use the homemade BBQ sauce recipe i am including with this recipe.
How To Make Instant Pot Ribs
The best Instant Pot Ribs start with baby back ribs – they are so tender and melt in your mouth amazing.
- Prepare and pressure cook the ribs. Remove membrane and season ribs liberally with the dry rub on both sides of the rack. Add water, liquid smoke, and orange juice to the Instant Pot. Place trivet in the instant pot and the ribs on top of the trivet in a circular fashion with the meat side facing out. Cook on High for 25 minutes. Allow for natural release for an additional 15 minutes.
- Make the BBQ sauce. While the ribs are cooking, prepare the homemade BBQ sauce and cook in a small pot on the stove for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Slather with BBQ sauce. Place ribs onto a foil-lined baking sheet and coat both sides of ribs with your homemade bbq sauce.
- Broil. Broil in the oven on high for 2-3 minutes each side.
Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce
It’s so easy to make your own delicious BBQ sauce to cover these Instant Pot bbq ribs with and it tastes so much better than store-bought. You can make the sauce while the ribs are cooking, it only takes 15 minutes! Of course, if you prefer you can use a bottled sauce, but trust me, it’s SO worth it to make your own!
How Long To Cook Ribs In The Instant Pot?
Spare ribs are bigger, meatier and tougher cut of meat than baby back ribs which are smaller and tender, and taken from the top of the rib cage. Both types of ribs can be prepared using this recipe, they just need different cook times.
- Baby Back Ribs: 25-30 Minutes
- Spare Ribs: 30-35 Minutes
If you live in a low altitude, use the lower number to cook the ribs in the instant pot, and if you live in a high altitude, cook them a little longer.
Of course, the longer you cook them, the more “fall-off-the-bone tender they will be. If you want them tender, without falling off the bone, use a slightly lower cook time.
Can You Cook Frozen Ribs In The Instant Pot?
Yes, you can! The timings for this recipe are based on unfrozen ribs, but the Instant Pot is king when it comes to cooking meat from frozen. To cook them from frozen, simply up the cooking time for the ribs to 32 minutes and follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Delicious Ribs In Less Than An Hour!
If you cook ribs in the oven or on the grill, you are looking at at least 2 and a half hours of cooking time. This is fine on a leisurely weekend but making them in the Instant Pot means that you can enjoy them on a weeknight! Grab your pressure cooker and let’s do this! You will love these quick and easy Instant Pot ribs.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If the back of the ribs has a membrane, do your best to remove that prior to seasoning the ribs. With the bones facing up, slide your finger or a butter knife under the membrane between two rib bones until you can grip the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off.
- Season the ribs with a dry rub. A dry rub is best for these ribs because it will infuse it with a lot of flavor as it cooks and it won’t wash away while it steams in the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook the ribs rolled in a circle. They won’t cook evenly if you cut them and stack them.
- You can sauté the onions first in some butter for more depth of flavor.
- Broil the ribs for a few minutes to crisp the top and boost the flavor of the barbecue sauce. Use the middle position in your oven when broiling for the best results.
- This Instant Pot ribs recipe works for one or two sets of ribs without adjusting the sauce quantities. Simply add a second set of ribs coiled in the Instant Pot.
- It’s best to use a 6 QT or larger Instant Pot.
More Instant Pot Recipes
If you want to try more easy Instant Pot recipe, I have this whole lineup of healthy Pressure Cooker recipes for you to explore.
- Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
- Pressure Cooker Goulash
- Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Instant Pot Ribs
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Ingredients
- 3 lbs ribs, spare or on the rack
- 4 Tablespoon dry rub (below), or your favorite dry rub
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 large orange
- 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (below), or your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce
Dry Rub
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar, or coconut sugar (for Paleo)
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Homemade BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ vadalia onion, finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ Tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Remove membrane and season ribs liberally with the dry rub on both sides of the rack.
- Place trivet in the instant pot and ribs on top of the trivet in a circular fashion. Add water, liquid smoke, juice from one orange and the leftover orange slices, into the instant pot. Secure lid and set on manual pressure at High for 25 minutes. Allow for natural release for an additional 15 minutes.
- While the ribs are cooking, combine remaining ingredients into a small pot on the stove. Whisk and cook ingredients over medium-low heat for approximately 15 minutes. Flavors will come together, onions will cook through, and the sauce will become thicker. Remove from heat and await ribs.
- Place ribs onto a foil lined baking sheet and coat both sides of ribs with your homemade bbq sauce.
- Broil in the oven on high for 2-3 minutes each side.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips
- If the back of the ribs has a membrane, do your best to remove that prior to seasoning the ribs. With the bones facing up, slide your finger or a butter knife under the membrane between two rib bones until you can grip the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off.
- Season the ribs with a dry rub. A dry rub is best for these ribs because it will infuse it with a lot of flavor as it cooks and it won’t wash away while it steams in the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook the ribs rolled in a circle. They won’t cook evenly if you cut them and stack them.
- You can sauté the onions first in some butter for more depth of flavor.
- Broil the ribs for a few minutes to crisp the top and boost the flavor of the barbecue sauce. Use the middle position in your oven when broiling for the best results.
- This recipe works for one or two sets of ribs without adjusting the sauce quantities. Simply add a second set of ribs coiled in the Instant Pot.
- It’s best to use a 6 QT or larger Instant Pot.
How long to cook ribs in the instant pot?
- Baby Back Ribs: 25-30 Minutes
- Spare Ribs: 30-35 Minutes
OMGosh! Can I tell you how amazing these turned out!? Ribs came out tender, juicy and simply perfect! I made them over night so my fiance and I could enjoy them for lunch. He LOVED them.
I love ribs, they are one of my most favorite summer eating. These are so delicious looking, the meat just falling off the bone. Oh yum.
I LOVE ribs but have never made them. What a great idea to make them in the instant pot – they look so easy and I bet they are fall apart tender. You rub sounds absolutely perfect!
These ribs looks mouthwatering, and I will try making them tomorrow. Amazingly yummy!
This looks like the tastiest dinner ever! I am drooling over these ribs!
I’ve always skipped making my own ribs because it took too much effort. However, these sound amazing and not hard at all!
Oh wow, looks extremely delicious! Love those flavors on it, need to make this!
First time instant pot user and your recipe came out great. Thanks for the step by step instructions. I was kind of scared of the instant pot but not anymore. Thanks