Made with a homemade dry rub and then cooked to tender perfection, Instant Pot Ribs are one of the easiest, tastiest ways to enjoy ribs ever!
While it may seem impossible, with a few "secret" ingredients, you can make delicious BBQ ribs that are more tender and just as delicious as smoked ribs--in UNDER an hour using the Instant Pot. Just like Instant Pot Pulled Pork and Instant Pot Carnitas, the instant pot works its magic to deliver, tender, juicy, flavorful, perfectly cooked pork.
Why Instant Pot Ribs are the BEST
While I love smoked or barbecued ribs, I have to say that the Instant Pot makes the MOST tender ribs ever.
I was skeptical at first that the instant pot would be able to rival smoked ribs, but Instant Pot Ribs are incredible! We are talking, fall-off-the-bone tender meat that is perfectly seasoned.
My secret for making the best ribs without a smoker comes down to using the Instant Pot and the cooking liquid.
The Instant Pot makes quick work of cooking the ribs, while the cooking liquid infuses the ribs with flavor. I opt to use a combination of apple juice and liquid smoke, which mimics the results of smoking on applewood. That coupled with the slightly sweet dry rub, these ribs are out of this world delicious!
Instant Pot Ribs rival those that are smoked all day long--without the effort or expense that comes along with smoking ribs.
Key Ingredients
- Ribs: Use baby back or spare pork ribs for this recipe. Just be sure to remove the white membrane from the ribs, as this helps the ribs to get tender.
- Seasoning Rub: The spice rub is made up of brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. It is smokey, sweet, and savory all at once.
- Apple Juice: As mentioned above, apple juice helps to flavor the meat as it cooks. You can opt to use water, but the results will not be the same.
- Liquid Smoke: While optional, the liquid smoke will add a hint of smokiness to your ribs, replicating the effect of smoking on a smoker or grilling.
- BBQ Sauce: Finish the ribs with your favorite store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce.
How To Make Instant Pot Ribs
- Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane from the ribs. At one end of the rack, slide a dinner knife under the membrane (the white layer) and over a bone then lift until the membrane loosens. Grab the edge of the membrane and pull it off--it may come off in several pieces.
- Prepare the rub by mixing together the brown sugar with the spices.
- Generously rub the spice blend over the entire surface of the ribs.
- Place a trivet or rack inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the inner pot, along with the liquid smoke, if using.
- Gently roll the ribs into a circle and place on a trivet in a pressure cooker.
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and be sure vent knob is sealed.
- Cook ribs on High Pressure. For Baby Back Ribs the cooking time is 25 minutes. For Spare Ribs, the cooking time is 35 minutes.
- Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. This is SO IMPORTANT to help keep the meat tender.
- Place the cooked ribs onto a sheet pan or broiler pan and brush with your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Broil under high heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the ribs, brush with additional BBQ sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
Spare Ribs VS Baby Back Ribs
Spare ribs are taken from the bottom of the ribs and are bigger, meatier, albeit a slightly tougher cut of meat. Baby back ribs are taken from the top of the rib cage and are smaller and more tender than spare ribs.
Both spare ribs and baby back ribs can be prepared using this method in the Instant Pot and both are delicious. However, the cooking time is different. For Baby Back Ribs the cooking time is 25 minutes. For Spare Ribs, the cooking time is 35 minutes.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Store leftover ribs in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat under the broiler for the best results.
- Do you have to use liquid smoke? No! Skip it if you don't have it but I like the additional flavor it imparts to the meat.
- No Apple Juice? Use water, beer, or chicken stock.
- Do you have to broil the ribs? No. I like the broiled crispy texture broiling provides, but it is not necessary.
- Feel free to make 2 racks of ribs. Simply place both racks of ribs on the trivet and cook as directed (cook time does not change).
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
I hope you give these ribs a try and enjoy the ease of making the ribs in the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack ribs spare ribs or baby back ribs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or additional paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup apple juice
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Mix together brown sugar, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- Remove the membrane from the ribs. At one end of the rack, slide a dinner knife under the membrane and over a bone then lift until the membrane loosens. Grab the edge of the membrane and pull it off--it may come off in several pieces.
- Generously rub the spice blend over the entire surface of the ribs.
- Place trivet in the pressure cooker. Pour in apple juice into the bottom of the inner pot. Add liquid smoke. Roll ribs in a circle and place on the trivet in the pressure cooker. Place lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed.
- Cook ribs on High Pressure. For Baby Back Ribs set cook time to 25 minutes. For Spare Ribs set cook time for 35 minutes. To set cook time, hit manual or pressure cook and use +/- buttons to adjust cook time.
- Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
- Optional Step: Place cooked ribs on sheet/broiler pan. Brush with your favorite barbecue sauce. Broil under high heat for 3-4 minutes. Flip, brush with more BBQ sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes on other side.
CAROL POLLARD
YUMMMMMM ... TRY USING PICKLING SPICE IN YOUR APPLE JUICE... GIVES IT A NICE FLAVOR..... LOVE RIBS ... AND THEN BROIL IN THE TOASTER OVEN
Kristen Chidsey
What a great idea!
Margie Skubic
I'm going to try this recipe over the weekend. It lucks really good and easy to prepare. I've a question for you; currently I have apple cider on hand, will that work in this recipe or will I need to buy some apple juice?
Kristen Chidsey
Apple cider will be great Margie. As long as it is Apple Cider and not apple cider VINEGAR it will be great.
Kim
These look amazing! What if my instant pot doesn’t have a trivet?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kim! You can make a foil rack, by rolling several layers together that will lift the ribs out of the liquid, but I would strongly suggest investing in a rack--they are less than $10.
kim
I haven't tried yet, but I'm going to this week! What brand of liquid smoke did you use?
Kristen Chidsey
I use Colgin Liquid Smoke. Enjoy!
Heidi
I have some boneless country style pork ribs; do you think this recipe would work with these and how long would I cook them for? Thanks for your great recipes.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heidi! Yes, this recipe would work for boneless pork ribs. I would still cook for 40 minutes on high pressure, even without the bones. Enjoy!
Phyllis
Do I need to change any of the ingredient amounts if I am cooking 2 racks of ribs in my 6 qt. Instant Pot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Phyllis, you will just need to increase the dry rub, but the apple juice and cook time will remain the same. Enjoy!
Julie
25 Minutes was too long as the meat fell off the bones, so I need to adjust the time but the ribs are amazing
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed the flavor Julie! I wonder if your ribs were less meaty than typical. In the future adjust the time for 20-22 minutes to see if that helps.
Chris
Probably some of the best home cooked ribs I've ever had, amazing how tender they are with such a short cook time.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Chris! I am so glad you had the same success I find when making these ribs! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Vicki
What if I use fresh cabbage instead of sauerkraut with the country rib recipe?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Vicki! I am not sure how it would turn out without testing myself. I would suggest you use my recipe for Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkruat and cook for 35 minutes and use cabbage instead of sauerkraut.
Lmt2020
Have you ever used the cooking liquid as the base for bbq sauce? I usually put apple cider vinegar and water in the instant pot for the cooking liquid (and also use similar in my bbq sauce). But I’ve never seen anyone recommend using that leftover liquid for bbq sauce. Just curious.
Kristen Chidsey
I love making my own BBQ sauce. You certainly could use that liquid. I would saute after the meat cooks with brown sugar or maple syrup, honey, and apple cider vinegar. I would have to experiment to know amounts, but certainly worth a try!