Instant Pot Ribs

4.50 from 6 votes

These Instant Pot BBQ Ribs will easily become a family favorite meal! The ribs cook in the Instant Pot for about 30-40 minutes. In less than an hour you've got fall-off-the-bone ribs! This is a no-fail Instant Pot recipe!

Prep Time5

Cook Time50

Additional Time8

Total Time1 3

Course: Instant Pot Pork Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back ribs vs. spare ribs, how to cook baby back ribs, instant pot baby back ribs, instant pot ribs

Servings:

Calories: 149kcal

Author: Lisa Childs

Equipment

Ingredients

one rack of ribs
your favorite bbq sauce
1/2 cup of your favorite dry rub or my homemade rub below

Dry Rub

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Liquid Ingredients

1 cup apple juice (1 1/2 cups for 8 quart Instant Pot)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke or bbq sauce

Instructions

Marinated Ribs (Preferred Method)

Combine all liquid and dry ingredients in a gallon sized Ziploc bag.
Add cleaned and washed ribs (with membrane removed) into the bag and squish all over.
Let marinade in the refrigerator overnight or at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
When ready to cook, add the trivet to the Instant Pot and dump the entire bag into the Instant Pot.
Stack the ribs on the trivet to allow as much circulation as possible. You can stand them up, or stack on top of one another.
Lock the lid, and turn the knob to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 40-45 minutes.
Allow at least 10 minutes for a natural pressure release. Arrange ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle additional dry rub along with a smear of your favorite bbq sauce. Broil for 5-8 minutes to get nice and caramelized.

Quick Method

Clean and wash ribs, then pat dry.
Turn the ribs over and peel the shiny membrane off the bottom side of the ribs. Find a corner of it on the edge and grab it with a paper towel and pull. I've found that the ones I get at a normal grocery store always have the membrane, but the ones I got at Costco already had it removed. This is a super tough part that won't cook down, so it's important to take it off.
Sprinkle liberally with dry rub.
Cut the rack of ribs in half, or quarters, if you like. You can leave the rack whole as well.
In the pot, combine liquid ingredients.
Stack the ribs on the trivet to allow as much circulation as possible. You can stand them up, or stack on top of one another.
Lock the lid, and turn the knob to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 40-45 minutes.
Allow at least 10 minutes for a natural pressure release. Arrange ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle additional dry rub along with a smear of your favorite bbq sauce. Broil for 5-8 minutes to get nice and caramelized.

Notes

This recipe can be doubled or tripled (I can fit about 3 racks of ribs in my 8 quart). The liquid ingredients and quantity stays the same, the rub recipe may be doubled, and the time stays the same.

I usually serve 1/2 rack of ribs per person as a main dish, or 1/4 rack of ribs if there are a lot of sides or other main proteins. The smaller racks of ribs I buy at the grocery store usually feed two, but the large racks of ribs I get at Costco serve 4.

This recipe freezes very well. Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag and freeze the bag in the Instant Pot liner so it keeps its shape. Once frozen, you can remove from the liner and store in the freezer. When ready to cook, run the bag under warm running water to easily remove it from the bag. Add 1/2 cup of water to the Instant Pot, along with the frozen ribs and sauce and cook for 45 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.

Nutrition