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Instant Pot Ribs

Food· Instant Pot· Lunch· Main Dishes

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Instant Pot Ribs are the most delicious fall off the bone ribs you’ll ever make using your Instant Pot.

The St.Louis Style Ribs are super easy and quick to make.

Slather on some homemade rub and some sweet sticky barbecue sauce for the BEST finger-licking good barbecue ribs ever!

Instant Pot Ribs

My husband was a bit skeptical at first about me cooking the ribs in the Instant Pot.

He prides himself about being the KING of the grill, so he thought I lost my mind when I mentioned cooking the spare ribs in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Ribs

Of course, I made a believer out of my husband once he tasted how juicy and tender the ribs were.

Plus, he couldn’t get over the fact that my ribs took less than 45 minutes to cook compared to his slow-cooked ribs that usually take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours.

Also, the ribs pair perfectly with Instant Pot Corn on the Cob and my Homemade Creamy Coleslaw recipe.

Instant Pot Ribs

We used St. Louis Style ribs for this recipe although you could use baby back.

Spare ribs have more meat and a higher fat content than baby back ribs.

The fat content in the spare ribs gives them a great flavor as the fat cooks and melts away.

Instant Pot Ribs

Don’t worry these ribs aren’t tough at all. The meat literally falls off the bones.

Also, my homemade rub and Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce makes these ribs LIP SMACKING GOOD!!!

Of course, you can use any barbecue sauce but, we prefer this brand.

Instant Pot Ribs

How to Make Instant Pot Ribs

First, rinse off your ribs and pat dry. Next, remove the membrane on the back of the ribs with a knife.

Also, remove as much fat as you like from the ribs.

Second, place your ribs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and rub seasoning of your choice on both sides of the spare ribs or use my homemade dry rub (directions below on recipe card).

Third, pour liquid in the bottom of the inner pot. We used apple juice, though you could use water, broth, beer, pineapple juice, orange juice, Coke, or Dr.Pepper.

Don’t forget to add some liquid smoke in the inner pot too.

The liquid smoke will make the ribs taste like grilled ribs. Next, place your ribs in a circle on the trivet.

Instant Pot St.Louis Style

Fourth, place the lid on the pressure cooker, turn the knob to the sealing position.

Press the manual button and set for 25 minutes. Once, cook time has elapsed let naturally release for 5 minutes then turn the knob to venting.

After the valve goes down carefully open the lid and remove the ribs.

Last, turn the broiler on in the oven. Place the spare ribs on a pan lined with foil and slather on your favorite barbecue sauce.

Put your barbecue sauced ribs under the broiler on low heat for 8-10 minutes to let ribs caramelize.

Next, carefully remove the spare ribs from the oven and serve with your favorite side dish like this Coleslaw recipe or a dessert like these Instant Pot Baked Apples.

How many ribs can be used for Instant Pot Ribs?

In an 8 quart Instant Pot, you can cook two slabs of ribs depending on the size and kind you’re cooking.

St. Louis Style ribs (Spare ribs) tend to be bigger than baby back (Lion-back) ribs.

Additionally, in a 6 quart, I suggest 1 to 1 1/2 slabs depending on the size of the ribs.

Need a dessert? Check out a few of my dessert recipes.

More instant Pot Recipes

Also you may like my other Instant Pot recipes here.

Instant Pot Ribs

Instant Pot Ribs

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Instant Pot Ribs are the most delicious fall off the bone ribs you'll ever make using your pressure cooker.

Ingredients

For Dry Rub:

  • 1/3 cup chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 3 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white pepper
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

For Ribs:

  • 1 rack of ribs 2-4 pounds, rinse & dried  (we used St. Louis Style ribs) 
  • 2 cups Apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke ( you can omit liquid smoke if you want)
  •  

Instructions

For Dry Rub 

  1. Mix all the seasonings and brown sugar together in a bowl and set aside. 

For Ribs

  1. Using a knife remove membrane from back of ribs. Next, rinse and pat ribs dry.
  2. Pour Apple juice and liquid smoke into inner pot. 
  3. Rub dry rub all over the ribs. Place the ribs in a circle in the Instant Pot on a trivet.
  4. Press manual and set Instant Pot for 25 minutes high pressure. Close lid, turn knob to sealing. 
  5. Once, cook time has elapsed let naturally release for 5 minutes, then turn knob to venting. After the valve goes down carefully open the lid and remove the ribs.
  6. Turn broiler on oven to low heat. Place the ribs on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Slather on your favorite barbecue sauce, broil for 8-10 minutes. Make sure not to let the ribs burn. 
  7. Remove ribs from oven and enjoy! 

Notes

  • You can use St.Louis Style Ribs or Baby Back Ribs for this recipe. 
  • If you don't care for liquid smoke you can omit it and use smoked paprika instead or omit this step altogether. 

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 223Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 1918mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 5gSugar: 35gProtein: 4g

For more about our Nutritional Disclaimer: https://www.thisolemom.com/nutritional-disclaimer/

© Kim Seghers
Cuisine: Barbecue/ American / Category: Dinner

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Instant Pot Ribs

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matthew says

    Wow, I must say these ribs were amazing. I was skeptical about ribs in an instant pot since I’m used to smoking them for hours, but after making them the first time I’m definitely a believer. The texture was perfect just slight pull to come clean off the bone. The flavor was amazing. I used pineapple juice instead of apple and black pepper instead of white. Me and my boys loved them. My wife and daughter are vegan so they missed out on this one. If you have any vegan recipes please share. Maybe I can make my girls something special!!! Thanks again

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Aww thank you Matthew I glad you and your boys enjoyed the ribs. My husband usually smokes his ribs too but loves this recipe. Unfortunately I don’t have many recipes on my site besides a few side dishes. Also, I love pineapple juice with the ribs too. Thanks for the great feedback, Kim

      Reply

  2. John says

    Your posts are extremely cool. I am glad to be here. I enjoyed reading your articles and I would like to bookmark your posts.

    Reply

  3. Cheryl Dipper says

    WOW!!! They came out amazing! This was my first time making ribs in the Instant Pot. I’m sooo glad I chose your recipe to follow! Thank you for posting your recipe. The ribs came out perfectly! My husband and I absolutely loved them!!

    Reply

  4. Barb says

    Can you use black pepper instead of the white? I never heard if white pepper. Also would you use the same amount of black pepper?

    Reply

  5. Deanna says

    Wow, wow, wow!! I made these tonight. I followed your recipe exactly. I used pork back ribs. I am kind of a rib freak! My old (because I will never use it again) recipe took low and slow braising in the oven for hours. Then on the grill to finish. I took before and after pics and sent them to my fellow instant pot lover daughter, and I promised I would make them for her. Thank you for this delicious rib recipe!!

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Thank you so much Deanna for letting me know how much you liked my rib recipe! You made my night! I’m so happy you found my recipe to be delicious! Thank you for taking he time to let me know how much you liked it and for leaving such wonderful feedback! Enjoy your week! Kim

      Reply

  6. shari wheeler says

    I made this exactly as the recipe stated with no substitutions or variations and they were better than I could have imagined. This will be our go-to ribs recipe from here on out!

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Shari- your comment made my day!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how you enjoyed my recipe, I really appreciate it!! Have great weekend , Kim

      Reply

  7. Grape says

    Have only had my Instant Pot since Christmas and made this the other night—it came out great! Thank you for writing this up. The only thing I would change is that I had a HUGE 5-lb slab and I should have cut it in half before putting it into the pot. Pulling it out after when it was ready to fall of the bone was tricky!
    P.S. When making the rub, I was about to switch to my teaspoon to measure out the salt when I realized I could continue using my tablespoon since 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Thank you so much for all the great feedback and tips. It can be tricky removing the ribs from the Instant Pot. That’s the reason I love my silicone gloves. Also, using two large spatulas help too. Ha! Yep, I should have wrote 1- tablespoon. I was doing the recipe as I was cooking it. LOL! Anyways thanks for the lovely comment! Have a great rest of the week, Kim

      Reply

  8. Corinna Anderson says

    I made this tonight omg thank you it was so good ! The hubby was very happy. Was fall off the bone
    I was worried at 1st because I only had reg brown sugar handy but still came out yummy

    Reply

      • Kim Seghers says

        Corinna! I’m so happy that you chose my recipe has the first one to make in your Instant Pot I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. You made my day! Thank you for taking the time to leave me feedback! Hope you have AMAZING week,Kim

        Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Hi Corinna, I’m so glad your hubby enjoyed the ribs. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know how the recipe turned out for you. It makes me happy to hear how people enjoy my recipes. I have a huge smile on my face now!!! Thanks again for taking the time to let me know how you enjoyed the recipe. Have a great day, Kim!

      Reply

  9. Angie says

    I feel like the last person that hasn’t made ribs in my instant pot! I’ve got to make them, these look so perfect.

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Hi Catalina! Yes summer easy to make using the Instant Pot when you don’t have to grill or smoke them. Great for camping too. Enjoy your weekend, Kim

      Reply

  12. Shannon Graham says

    Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce is the only sauce I use when cooking. Gosh, these ribs look like perfection!

    Reply

  16. Amy Smith says

    Ok. I need an insta-pot… like yesterday! These ribs look amazing and super easy to make!

    Reply

  20. Momi Berlin says

    That looks really good. I looked at the recipe and noticed that you cook ribs in a different way with different ingredients unlike most Pot Ribs. That must be the reason why your ribs is special. I will try the recipe!

    Reply

  22. kumamonjeng says

    I love pork ribs and usually ordered them from the western restaurant over here. Glad to learn the recipe here. I didn’t aware you use apple juice!

    Reply

  24. Stacie says

    That looks really good. I love the idea of making ribs in the Instant Pot. That pressure and steam is going to make them soooo tender. I can’t wait!

    Reply

    • Kim Seghers says

      Hi Stacie, Thank you so much! The ribs tasted so good and I put them under the broiler for 10 minutes and they were perfect. I hope you get a chance to try them. Have a nice evening, Kim

      Reply

  25. Chad says

    omg stop it!!! I am literally drooling, this is too much. Too much deliciousness. I will cook this soon for sure. Thank you so so much.

    Reply

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