Our quick and easy Instant Pot Ribs Recipe is the EASIEST way to make ribs EVER! Fall-off-the-bone ribs that are ready in a fraction of the time! Perfect for making the best baby back ribs for dinner tonight.
The Best Instant Pot Ribs Recipe
You guys know we are huge fans of smoked meats (like our Smoked Pork Shoulder and Smoked Baby Back Ribs), but sometimes you don’t have all day to mess around with a smoker. Believe me, we totally get it! This recipe combines the tenderness that you will get from cooking meat in an Instant Pot® (here is the one I use – I LOVE it!), but then we recommend you finish them on the gas grill for a few minutes, so the BBQ sauce gets nice and tacky! It’s the best of both worlds. Our whole family loves enjoying these Instant Pot baby back ribs, they are finger licking good!
Looking for another rib recipe? We have the best recipe for Grilled Ribs!
What You Will Need
- pork ribs – just pick-up two full racks of ribs from your local grocery store or butcher shop.
- liquid smoke – rub on the entire outside of the ribs to get that smoky flavor.
- yellow mustard – also covers the outside of the ribs to add flavor and keeps them juicy.
- dry rub – feel free to make our homemade rib rub recipe or use your favorite store-bought spice rub.
- chicken broth & apple cider vinegar – added to the large pot in the Instant Pot for moisture and flavor to create the best, tender ribs. You always need at least one cup of liquid when pressure cooking.
- favorite barbecue sauce – we used all the best flavor in our homemade BBQ sauce but any variety will work!
How To Make Instant Pot Ribs
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to prep the ribs. Begin by removing any membrane skin or connective tissue. Then cut the whole racks into half racks. Option to pat dry with a paper towel, if needed.
How To Remove The Membrane From A Rack Of Ribs
A lot of pre-packaged ribs already have the thin layer of membranes removed, but if you bought your ribs straight from a butcher, it might still be attached. The membrane is the thin layer on the back of the ribs that is white(ish) in color. Simply take the tip of a butter knife, lift off the corner, and slowly pull it off! Easy!
Now rub down the outside of the ribs with liquid smoke and then yellow mustard.
Put all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and then coat every nook and cranny of the ribs.
Pour the chicken broth & apple cider vinegar in the large pot of the Instant Pot® and place the trivet in the bottom. Set the ribs vertically on top of the trivet. Seal the lid on top and cook on High Pressure for 24 minutes; allow to natural release for 5 minutes or so and then quick release the remaining pressure.
Finally, set the cooked ribs on a sheet pan and brush with BBQ sauce and then finish on a hot grill (or in oven).
Best Way To Serve Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
There are a variety of ways to serve this main dish! We have so many side dish recipes that are perfect for enjoying with these juicy ribs. A few favorite recipes are our Purple Cabbage Coleslaw, Slow Cooker Baked Beans, and Cornbread! Also, cooked ribs can easily be wrapped in aluminum foil to keep warm while you finish prepping any sides. Perfect for feeding a crowd at your next family gathering!
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Just increase the cooking time by 10 minutes (more if they are bigger than normal). But definitely make sure they are fully prepped before you freeze them (already cut in half and already have the rub on them – once they are frozen the rub won’t stick to them!)
BBQ ribs are a family favorite around here and we have used many different rib cooking methods! Check out our recipes for Smoked Ribs, Oven Baked Ribs, & Grilled Ribs.
Make the best ribs and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like
Instant Pot Ribs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 44 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our Instant Pot Ribs recipe is the easiest way to make ribs EVER! Fall-off-the-bone ribs ready in a fraction of the time!
Ingredients
- (2) full rack of baby back ribs
- liquid smoke
- yellow mustard
- 1 batch of Homemade Rib Dry Rub
- 1 cup chicken broth (water will work too)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- your favorite BBQ Sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Prep Dry Rub: Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Prep Ribs: Cut the rack of ribs in half and if the ribs have a membrane, pull to remove it. Place ribs on a baking sheet. Pour a little liquid smoke, one half section of ribs at a time, and rub all over to thinly coat. Repeat with yellow mustard (use enough to leave a good coating on the ribs). Take the dry rub and rub all over each section.
- Instant Pot: Add the broth and apple cider vinegar to the Instant Pot. Place the trivet inside. Set ribs on top of the trivet so the ribs are vertical.
- Cook Ribs: Secure the lid to the Instant Pot on top. Cook on High Pressure for 24 minutes (add 2-3 minutes if the ribs are bigger than normal). Let Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes and then manually release according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Barbecue Sauce + Finish: Preheat your outdoor grill to 300 degrees F. While that heats remove ribs from Instant Pot and place on a sheet pan, meat side up. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce to coat. Place on hot grill grates for 3 minutes per side or under your oven broiler (set to High) for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Spare Ribs: You can actually use spare ribs if you want; they aren’t as good (in my opinion), but they definitely still work. Spare ribs tend to be bigger than baby back ribs, so I would suggest increasing the cook time by 3 minutes.
- Finish in Oven: You can also finish off in the oven – once ribs come out of the Instant Pot simply place them on a cookie sheet, brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and then broil on high for 4-5 minutes – or until sauce has started to just barely caramelize.
- Frozen: You can cook ribs from frozen, just ensure they are fully prepped beforehand (rub with liquid smoke, mustard, and dry rub + cut into half racks) and then cook for an additional 10 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Trev says
These are amazing!
Erin says
Yay!! Glad you like them!!