Best Instant Pot Ribs [VIDEO]

Instant Pot Ribs are so tender that they fall off the bone. The best part is that you can cook them from start to finish in just a little over an hour.

After making some delicious and easy side dishes in the pressure cooker, like Instant Pot Corn on the Cob, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, I decided to pair them up with the juiciest and tender ribs possible.

Best Instant Pot Ribs

When it comes to summer barbecues, I am always excited for BBQ Ribs, because they are just among the best thing on this Earth. You see, I am a pork and beef girl at heart, and I just can’t say no to a delicious rack of ribs.

These homemade pressure-cooker ribs are so good, I honestly don’t think I will ever cook ribs any other way. Because of the tenderness and quickness of how Instant Pot produces the ribs, I really doubt there is any other better and quicker way to cook them.

These ribs are so tender and juicy that they fall off the bone. They taste like they have been slowly cooked and smoked at a fancy North Carolina restaurant. Making them in the pressure cooker will save you so much time, as you only have to cook the ribs for 40 minutes. Covered in a sweet, spicy and flavorful homemade rub, and coated in a hickory brown sugar BBQ sauce, you will lick your fingers clean!

Why cook ribs in the Instant Pot?

• First, it is super easy and convenient to make them.
• Second, the cooking time is reduced by a lot compared to grilling or baking.
• Also, the results are fall off the bone tender ribs, that everyone can enjoy in just a little over an hour.
• Minimum prep work for a great dinner!

What you will need to make the Instant Pot Ribs Recipe?

1. Instant Pot or any other Pressure Cooker
2. Trivet Steamer Rack
3. Ribs
4. Water
5. Spices for the dry rub
6. BBQ Sauce – I used store-bought Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce

How long do you cook ribs in the Instant Pot?

The cooking time is reduced a lot, you cook them on high pressure for 40 minutes with a Natural Release of 15 minutes. If you take into consideration that time it takes for the pot to come to pressure, cook and broil the ribs, it takes about 90 minutes to make fall off the bone ribs from scratch.

What is the trivet for the instant pot?

A trivet is like steamer baskets without feet and it can be used to keep food from touching the base of the cooker. This is the trivet that I have and used in this recipe.

How much liquid do you need in an Instant Pot?

For a 6 quart Instant Pot, about 1 cup is the minimum liquid amount and about 1 1/2 cups for Instance Pot DUO, unless you’re cooking something that will absorb water.

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What do you need to make the dry-rub for the ribs?

The dry rub is what will add flavor to the ribs. I absolutely love my homemade dry rub recipe, it’s perfectly balanced when it comes to sweet and spicy. Also, it has some cinnamon and nutmeg that elevates the other flavors and just adds another layer of something that you can’t really put a finger on, but you can taste its awesomeness. Here are all the spices that I have used:

• Garlic Powder and Onion Powder
• Dry Ground Mustard
• Smoked Paprika – do not replace with regular paprika, the smoked one is what adds great flavor
• Cayenne Pepper Powder – you can add more or less, depends how spicy you want the ribs
• Brown Sugar – to balance the heat from the pepper
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg – a little goes a long way, but this addition will add some depth to the flavor
• Dill Seeds – you can use crushed or whole
• Liquid Smoke

Watch step by step Recipe Video:

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5 from 25 votes

Servings: 6 servings

Best Instant Pot Ribs

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

50 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Instant Pot Ribs are so tender they fall off the bone. The best part is that you can cook them start to finish in just a little over an hour.

Ingredients

Dry Rub:

• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dill seeds

Cooking the Ribs:

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs about 2lbs each*
• 2 cups unsweetened apple juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 3 bay leaves optional

Homemade BBQ Sauce (optional):

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup preferably no sugar added
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika or smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce or more

Instructions

Dry Rub:

1. Add all the the dry rub ingredients in a medium bowl and using a fork whisk to combine.
2. Dry the ribs with paper towels of excess liquid or blood.
3. The ribs usually have a membrane on the back (the bony part of the ribs), remove it and discard it.
4. Place the ribs on a cutting board, season generously with the dry rub on both sides and use your hand to rub it all over the ribs.

Cooking the Ribs:

1. Add juice, apple cider and liquid smoke to the Instant Pot, stir to combine. Add bay leaves.

2. Add a small legged trivet to the Instant Pot (optional, but I prefer to keep the ribs out of the liquid as much as possible).
3. Place the ribs inside the Instant Pot, standing and pressing on the sides of the Instant Pot. If needed trim the ribs, also make sure you don't go over the Max fill line.
4. Secure the Instant Pot lid, close and point the valve to Sealed.

5. Cook on Manual, for 35 minutes on HP for thicker ribs if you want them to still have a slight pull when biting and be able to brown them on the grill or broil the rack without meat falling off the bone. You can do 40 minutes for extra tender, almost fall of the bone ribs.

6. Once the Instant Pot beeps, do a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release. Unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.

Homemade BBQ Sauce (optional):

1. While the ribs are cooking prepare the BBQ sauce.
2. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir and set aside.
3. Or just use about 2 cups of store-bought BBQ sauce.

Broiling the ribs:

1. Preheat oven on the Broiler setting.
2. Carefully remove the ribs from the Instant Pot and place them onto a prepared baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
3. Brush the ribs generously with either homemade BBQ sauce or store-bought BBQ sauce on both sides.
4. Place under the broiler for about 6-10 minutes. Leave the light on, and keep a close eye on the ribs because they could burn quickly.
5. Serve immediately with extra BBQ sauce.

Recipe Notes

*I used a 6 quarts Instant Pot and the 3lbs baby back ribs rack are too large for it, use 2lbs baby baby ribs racks.

Calories: 654, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 111mg, Sodium: 2313mg, Potassium: 988mg, Carbohydrates: 91g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 81g, Protein: 31g, Vitamin A: 42.3%, Vitamin C: 6.6%, Calcium: 12.8%, Iron: 18.6%

Author: Catalina Castravet

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Instant Pot Ribs

All images and text © for Peas and Peonies, LLC.

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