Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
If you enjoy a hearty meat dish then these Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs are going to be a fast favorite recipe in your house. Full of flavor, juicy, and easy to eat they are the most tender ribs. This is one of my favorite instant pot recipes.
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Ribs are often something we enjoy when eating out in restaurants but sometimes we don't tend to enjoy them when we cook them at home. Popping ribs in the oven can be a bit of a gamble in some cases we don't cook them long enough, making them chewy. Or we overcook them and the outer part becomes burnt and bitter. Using the instant pot takes all the guesswork away and has them cooked in record time rather than hours. Using simple ingredients to boost the flavor you will have a great dish in a fraction of the time.
The dry rub is a great way to add flavor to the meat and the instant pot pressure cooking method will help to tenderize the meat so that it is juicy and comes right off the bone as you bite into it. Ribs are a great main dish to serve for adults and children. They go with a variety of side dishes and can be part of a huge main meal or enjoyed as a snack. So if you want to know how to make the instant pot baby back rib recipe then here is everything you need to know.
Ingredients needed for the Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- 3.5 pounds of baby back ribs
- ½ cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar optionally in addition to the ½ cup of water
How to make the Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Now that you have got all of the ingredients together here are the step-by-step instructions to make these easy instant pot ribs.
Step one: Preparing the flavor
The key to these baby back ribs is the preparation. First thing to do would be to gather all of your ingredients together so that you can get to work on the dry rub. To do this, you need to combine all of the spice ingredients into a small bowl and make sure they are mixed to combine all of those lovely flavors. Now get your baby back ribs and coat the ribs evenly with the spice rub.
Step two: Letting the instant pot do its thing
Now to get the Instant Pot ready. Put the trivet and the water into the bottom of the instant pot pressure cooker. You can also add the apple cider vinegar into the bottom if you are choosing to use it. Place the baby back ribs inside of your instant pot. If they are too big to fit in the pot, you can slice them in half or curve them to fit. There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as they manage to fit inside the instant pot. Now put the lid on and make sure that the knob is set to "sealed" or that the lid has locked into place, depending on what sort of instant pot you have. Choose the manual option and select high pressure. You can then set the timer for 18 minutes and let the instant pot begin the magic. Be mindful that there will be a few minutes before the count down begins as the instant pot gets up to temperature.
Step three: The final broil
Once the instant pot has finished you can do a natural release of pressure for around 10 minutes. After that, you can carefully release the remaining pressure from your instant pot before taking the lid off. Now you need to broil the ribs. Turn your oven to broil or a very high setting and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Step four: The BBQ glaze
Carefully take the ribs out of the instant pot using tongs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush your ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce making sure they are coated and then place the ribs under the broiler for 6-7 minutes. Leave them in there until you start to notice the ribs caramelizing and looking delicious. Remove them from the oven and then brush them with more barbecue sauce if you wish. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
It doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned pro in the kitchen or a novice, it is always a good idea to get some helpful hints and tips to help make things easy. No matter how simple it is there will always be some extra guidance. I have a couple of suggestions and notes that will help you when making this recipe.
- Don't worry if your Baby Back ribs are too large to fit into your Instant pot. You can cut them up into portions and then place them in there. You don't need to consider separating them, they can be stacked on top of each other a little.
- Make sure to separate them when you put them under the broiler. You want to expose the ribs to the heat to caramelize them.
- They will be tender when they are cooked, so be careful when you take them out of your instant pot.
Variations to try
Sometimes it is nice to vary things, know what you can substitute, and try new flavors. So I thought I would share with you some of the variations that you might want to try with this recipe.
- You could just season the ribs with salt and pepper if you want to keep the flavors simple but still delicious.
- If you are not a fan of barbecue sauce you could glaze them with a tomato sauce instead. You don't need to add any sauce if you want to keep them drier. Buffalo sauce also works well as an alternative.
- Apple juice is a great marinade for ribs as it can add some sweetness.
FAQs
When it comes to this recipe there will always be questions. I thought I would cover some of the most frequently asked questions here. Please feel free to get in touch if your question isn't covered in the recipe.
My ribs are tough what should I do?
If you have pulled them out of your instant pot and they seem to be a little tough then the likely reason is that they haven't been cooked for long enough. All instant pots are different and the cooking time can vary, so you just need to add them back in for a couple of minutes. They will tenderize.
How should I store any leftovers?
If you do have leftovers you will need to store them in the refrigerator and they will last for 3-4 days. You should ensure they are wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container.
I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot Babyback Ribs recipe.
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3.5 pounds of baby back ribs
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup favorite BBQ sauce
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar optionally in addition to the ½ cup of water
Instructions
- First combine all of the spice ingredients into a small bowl to make the dry rub.
- Next coat the ribs evenly with rub.
- Then put the trivet and the water and optional apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place the baby back ribs into the Instant Pot, curling it or slicing it in half so it'll fit into the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the knob is set to “sealed.” Hit "manual" then select "high" and change time to 18 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to perform a 10 minute "natural pressure release" and then carefully release the rest of the pressure.
- Next, turn your oven to broil (high). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Transfer the ribs to the baking sheet. Coat your ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. Then place the ribs under the broiler for 6-7 minutes or until the barbecue sauce starts to caramelize.
- Remove the ribs from the oven and coat with a little more BBQ sauce if desired.
Nutrition
