The Best Instant Pot Pork Ribs

We have tried ribs on the grill and even the 12 hour sous vide technique and we were still searching for the best way to make the perfect rack of BBQ ribs. A lot of rumblings recently about how amazing the Instant Pot is and how ribs under 30 minutes fall off the bone. We ended up biting the bullet and purchased the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus as a Christmas gift and so far it had been the most incredible kitchen appliance we own, except for maybe the Breville Espresso Machine, but that’s a different topic 😉

The Perfect Recipe

John found the recipe below online and we decided ribs would be our first meal in the Instant Pot. We purchased pork spare ribs at Costco and cooked one rack to test the recipe. The dry rub consisted of ingredients we had in our pantry, so that was a win. We carefully read the instructions so we don’t blow a hole in the roof and carefully waited. Since we were cooking spare ribs we cooked them a little longer. After 30 minutes we let the machine naturally release for 15 minutes. When we took the lid off, John carefully pulled the rack out and the meat was falling off the bone.

We smothered BBQ sauce to the top of the ribs, placed them on a baking sheet under the broiler for 5 minutes. I’m not even kidding these were the best ribs EVER. A week later during thunderstorms and even tornado sirens at the last minute we made the second rack of ribs and stood by the kitchen counter to devour them.

Where to buy the best ribs?

We are believers and have truly fallen in love with the Instant Pot. I’m a huge Costco fan and the best part they remove the membrane for you. So when you buy a couple racks of ribs in a package the hard work is already taken care of. We learned this lesson the hard way 🙂

Costco typically packages three racks in a package, and the 6 quart machine will hold no more than two racks. So freeze the third rack and you have dinner ready for the following week.

Instant Pot Pork Ribs

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Serves: 3 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes 45 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon light drown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 rack pork ribs (Coscto removes the membranes for you)

Instructions

1. Remove membranes from back of ribs
2. Combine first 6 ingredients, this is your seasoning rub. Spread it all over your rack- front and back
3. Place wire trivet on the bottom of the Instant Pot, add water, apple cider vinegar and liquid smoke.
4. Place ribs upright with the meat side facing the edge of the pot.
5. Secure lid, close vent, press "manual" or "pressure cook" and cook on high for 25 minutes. (spare ribs add an extra 5-10 min)
6. When finished cooking allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes, then turn valve to quick release.
7. Ribs should be falling off the bone, place the rack on a foiled baking pan and add your favorite BBQ all over the top.
8. Broil them in the oven for roughly 5 minutes until the sauce begins to turn color and caramelize.