Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

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 are, so you need to make them and see, and taste these Instant Pot Ribs for yourself!

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 9 months out of the year. Sometimes it feels like more! But I’m used to it, being born and raised here. It’s all about workarounds. So what do I do when I want some smokey, tender, juicy, meaty Baby Back Ribs and it’s raining out? No worries, I just cook them in my Instant Pot! Okay, even if it’s not raining, because it is so easy, and the ribs turn out awesome!

Electric pressure cooking makes the meat tender, but even in the Instant Pot, 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 at least 10 minutes before you release the remaining pressure and open the lid. It’s much like letting the meat rest so it retains the juices. I usually rest my Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs for 15 minutes.

I can fit 2 racks of baby back ribs in my 6 qt Instant Pot, but 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!

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5 from 3 votes

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Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

32 mins

Total Time

47 mins

 

Who cares what the weather is doing out there. You can make smokey, tender, juicy, meaty Baby Back Ribs in your Instant Pot indoors, in any weather, in about an hour!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sandy Clifton - Simply Happy Foodie

Ingredients

For the Instant Pot

• 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. Add to the water.

For the Ribs

• 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.

Instructions

Prepare the Instant Pot

1. Put a trivet in the inner pot of your IP. Add the water or juice, liquid smoke, and ACV to the inner pot of your IP. Press the Sauté button to start warming up the water.

Prepare the Ribs

1. Lay out the rack of ribs, meaty side down, on a baking sheet. Remove the thin membrane (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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Put the lid on the IP and close it, turning the venting knob to the sealing position.

5. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to cancel the sauté mode. Press the Manual button and then the + or - button to choose 25 minutes.

6. The IP 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.

7. 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 drops, indicating it is safe to open the lid.

8. Remove the rack of ribs using tongs, and place on a baking sheet.

9. OPTIONAL: Turn your oven to BROIL at 400 degrees and set the rack to 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.

10. Pour your BBQ sauce on the hot ribs and use a brush or a spatula to cover them completely and generously.

11. 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 This Recipe and More

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Instant Pot Ultra 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker