This is the EASIEST recipe for delicious Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs. Who cares what the weather is doing out there, you can make ribs indoors, in about an hour! I don’t even know how to tell you how good these pressure cooker ribs are, so you need to make them and see, and taste these Instant Pot Ribs for yourself!
Originally published 7/6/17
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
We love to grill here at Foodie Central. That being said, we also live in Western Washington, where rain is the name of the game something like 8 months out of the year. Sometimes it feels like more! I’m used to it. It’s all about workarounds.
So what do I do when I want some smoky, tender, juicy, meaty Baby Back Ribs and it’s raining out. Or I want them fast? No worries, I just cook them in my Instant Pot! Okay, even if it’s not raining, because it is so easy, super fast, and the ribs turn out awesome!
Cooking ribs in the Instant Pot makes the meat tender, but even in the pressure cooker you can overcook. Don’t confuse falling apart dry meat with falling apart juicy meat.
The trick is to cook for the amount of time the recipe calls for, and when the cooking cycle ends, let the meat sit in the pressure cooker for a little while before you release the remaining pressure and open the lid (called Natural Release).
It’s much like letting the meat rest so it retains the juices. I usually rest my Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs for 10-15 minutes.
How many ribs can I cook in the Instant Pot?
I can fit 2 racks of baby back ribs in my 6 qt Instant Pot. If you cut the rack into sections you can likely fit more in the pot.
I find myself cooking only 1 most of the time. Bryen just learned to drive so I hardly ever see him these days! He can pretty much eat a whole rack of Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs by himself!
I shudder to think what he’s eating out there in the wild. Is it just me, or are all moms a little nervous when their kids are finally able to drive?
So, now that you know my secret, that you can make Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs any time, any weather, and in about an hour, have you jumped in the car and headed to the grocery store to buy your ribs yet?
If you see Bryen, tell him to call his mother!
P.S., Here is the recipe for my Ribs Spice Rub!
Watch the Video
Watch the video of me making ribs in the Instant Pot! I’m not the best videographer, but it might help the newer IP users out there!
Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Instant Pot Turkey Meatloaf
Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles
Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
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Who cares what the weather is doing out there. You can make smokey, tender, juicy, meaty Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs indoors, in any weather, in about an hour!
- 1 1/2 cups Water (or Apple Juice/Cider)
- 2-3 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke (goes right in the water)
- 1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (adds a nice hint of apple and tanginess)
- 1-2 racks Baby Back Ribs (you can use other pork ribs, I get what's on sale)
- 1/2 - 1 cup Dry Spice Rub Use your favorite, or make a batch of my Rib Spice Rub
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce I like to use one with a smoky flavor.
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Put a trivet in the inner liner pot of your pot. Add the water or juice, liquid smoke, and ACV to the inner liner pot.
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Lay out the rack of ribs, meaty side down, on a baking sheet. Remove the thin membrane (also called silver skin, if it's still on there) by grasping it with your bare hands, or a paper towel, and pulling down the length of the rack. It should come off pretty easily.
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Sprinkle dry spice rub liberally over the ribs and gently rub it in. Flip the rack over and do the same to the other side.
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Carefully roll the rack into a "C" shape and put it in the pot sideways (the meaty side will face the outside of the pot. You can also cut the rack into a few pieces and stack it in the pot.
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Put the lid on the pot and close it, turning the venting knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook (Manual) button or dial, and then the +/- button or dial to choose 25 minutes.
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The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure, and will begin the cook time when pressure is reached. After cook time ends, and the unit beeps, just leave it alone as it will enter the NPR, or Natural Pressure Release phase. The display time will begin counting up.
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Let it NPR for 10 minutes. Then use a wood spoon or something to carefully turn the knob to venting and release the rest of the pressure until the pin in the lid drops, indicating it is safe to open the lid.
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Remove the rack of ribs using tongs, and place on a baking sheet.
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OPTIONAL: Turn your oven to BROIL at 400° and set the oven rack about 8-10 inches from element. If it is hot in the kitchen I don't do this step, but on a cool day I don't mind the oven being on for a few minutes.
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Pour your BBQ sauce on the hot ribs and use a brush or a spatula to cover them completely and generously.
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Put the pan under the broiler for a few minutes, until the sauce gets bubbly. Be careful not to leave them in there too long as they might dry out. No one wants dry ribs! Enjoy!
Resources to Make Instant Pot Ribs Recipe and More
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Denise
VERY new to this do bear with me!
Do you think I could use my broil setting in my Instant Pot? I have only made Cheesecake so I haven’t used most of the settings.
Thanks for your help
Sandy
I’m not familiar with the broil setting on the IP. Do you mean the air fryer setting? For finishing after pressure cooking you could.
Brooke
Could this be done as a slow cooker recipe?
Sandy
Yes, I also have these Slow Cooker Ribs
Heather
I got my Duo Gourmet 6 qt IP 3 days ago. Last night I made pea soup and it was absolutely incredibly delicious. And SO easy. Tonight I jumped into the fire and using your recipe, I made ribs. I was SO nervous but WOW! They were better than my “spend all day cooking ribs” recipe that my family loves…used to love. This has now become their favorite (as was evident by how fast they wolfed them down). Thank you for sending this recipe to me. I can’t wait to try others.
Lina
I just bought an IP and really want to try this recipe. But I’m confused about the part on the trivet? Plus I’m a visual person. Do you have a picture of how and where to place a trivet? Also what type of trivet? Ty!!
Sandy
Watch this. It’s a little long, but you can skip through if you want: Instant Pot Ribs
Ian Schafer
OKAY !!! You have my attention now !!!
I was beginning to think that the instant pot I bought was a waste of space, that you could only cook soups & stews in it !!!
Now BBQ Pork spareribs that’s what I want to cook
Sandy
Go for it! They are so delicious!
Kimberly Duffrin
So Delicious and So Easy! Love that you explained using different Rib meats and Slow Cooker OR Instan t Pot. Will try slow cooker next time.
I am very confused what you mean…after NPR.
” use a wood spoon or something to carefully turn the knob to venting and release the rest of the pressure until the pin in the lid drops…”
What knob am I turning? I did NPR. Then just slid a knob from seal to vent, with only my bare finger? Not sure about wood spoon idea? I always just move the knob.
Sandy
Lol, this is an older post from when people were scared of the steam release. Using a wood spoon instead of a bare hand was a safety thing. As long as you are careful, either way works. NPR stands for Natural Pressure Release. That’s the amount of time the pot sits undisturbed right after the pressure cooking has ended, before venting. Sounds like you did great, thank you for your comment!