Instant Pot BBQ Ribs -The Instant Pot is one of the most popular cooking appliances on the market today. It’s no wonder–it can cook food in much less time than a traditional oven or stovetop, and it also frees up space for other dishes to be put into the oven. One dish that cooks well in an Instant Pot is BBQ ribs.

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

It’s BBQ season, and you know what that means: ribs! If you’re like me, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of BBQ ribs is a pile of succulent pork dripping with sweet sauce and tender enough to cut with a fork.

But how do we get those perfect rib bones? It’s not as easy as it may seem. There are many different ways to prepare these summertime classics, but one way stands out: Instant Pot Cooking! Cooking them under pressure until they’re fall-off-the-bone tender.

This recipe is for BBQ ribs that are cooked in an Instant Pot. The pot has a sauté function, which you can use to brown the meat before adding your favorite barbecue sauce for simmering. It also has a steam-cook feature, so you don’t have to dirty up another pan or dish!

They come out fall off the bone tender!

Absolute Delicious!

And the recipe is so, so easy! So, if you are looking for some great Easy and Delicious Instant Pot Recipes, some of my other favorites are INSTANT POT HOT DOGS, INSTANT POT SALSA CHICKEN, INSTANT POT BEEF STEW, and INSTANT POT PUMPKIN BUTTER.

How to Make the Best Instant Pot Ribs

Instant Pot Ribs are fast, easy to make and fall off the bone tender. Compared with other ways to cook ribs that require hours of tending to the grill, oven, or crockpot. This method is hands-free, leaving you to prepare the side dishes or relax!

For cooking ribs in the Instant Pot, you can either use a dry rub or finish it with homemade or bottled BBQ sauce. The decision is completely yours!

My favorite and the best Barbecue Dry Rub Recipes are found here: It contains basic ingredients such as brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, ground cumin, ginger, and cayenne pepper.

Ingredients Needed For Instant Pot Ribs

Ingredients Needed For Instant Pot Ribs
  • Baby Back Ribs
  • Water
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Liquid Smoke
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Brown Sugar
  • Garlic Powder
  • Chili POwder
  • Onion POwder
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Paprika
  • Ground Cumin
  • Ginger
  • Cayenne Pepper

How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Peel the membrane off the back of the ribs. In a small bowl, mix all of your dry rub ingredients. Massage the dry ingredients to the top layer of your ribs.

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Pour your apple cider vinegar, water, and liquid smoke, to the bottom of your instant pot. Place the trigger inside. Place your ribs inside the instant pot.

Close the lid on your instant pot and close the sealing valve. So your instant pot to high pressure for 20 minutes.

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Once your instant pot is done cooking, allow it to release for 15 minutes naturally. After the 15 minutes, manually released by opening the sealing valve and releasing the pressure.

Remove your ribs to a cookie sheet. Add your desired amount of barbecue sauce to the top of the ribs over the rub.

Broil in the oven for about five minutes or until your barbecue sauce is bubbly.

Allow the ribs to cool for a couple more minutes, cut into sections, and enjoy! You can top it with more barbecue sauce if you like.

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

What Ribs To Use:

A question that is always asked is, what type of ribs to use? There are a few types of ribs available, and each one has different uses.

The first type is baby back ribs which come from the loin section and can be cooked whole or cut into individual bones.

Next, we have spareribs that come from the belly region and should be trimmed before cooking. Finally, beef short ribs come from the rib area and should also be trimmed before cooking.

The time will vary based on what type of ribs that you use. Typically, we usually use either Spare Ribs or Baby Back Ribs for making ribs in the Instant Pot.

How Long to Cook Ribs in the Instant Pot

The average time for each rib to cook in the Instant Pot is below. The Ninja Foodi will work the same, with similar cooking times.

Baby Back Ribs: 20 Minutes on Manual High Pressure, with 7 minutes on natural release. Then follow that with a quick release.

Spare Ribs: 35 minutes, with a natural release.

Broil for Bonus Flavor

After your Instant Pot Ribs are done, I always lathered on the BBQ sauce and then broiled them for a few minutes until the sauces become thickened.

It’s so good!

If you have an Air Fryer, you can also add them and cook at 400 degrees F for a few minutes.

What To Serve With Instant Pot Ribs:

The question of what to serve with ribs is asked constantly. The options are endless, but some of my favorite suggestions below will help you narrow the choices to four delicious dishes that work well as side dishes for ribs. If you’re looking for a tasty way to round out your meal, then these recipes are just what you need!

Yield: 4 Servings

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs -The Instant Pot is one of the most popular cooking appliances on the market today. It’s no wonder–it can cook food in much less time than a traditional oven or stovetop, and it also frees up space for other dishes to be put into the oven. One dish that cooks well in an Instant Pot is BBQ ribs.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Ribs:

  • 2 pounds baby back ribs or spare ribs
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought

Dry Rub:

  • 1/8 cup of brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons of chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons of onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of paprika
  • 2 teaspoons of cumin
  • 2 teaspoons of ginger
  • 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Peel the membrane off the back of the ribs. In a small bowl, mix all of your dry rub ingredients. Massage the dry ingredients to the top layer of your ribs.
  2. Pour your apple cider vinegar, water, and liquid smoke, to the bottom of your instant pot. Place the trigger inside. Place your ribs inside the Instant Pot.
  3. Close the lid on your instant pot and close the sealing valve. So your instant pot to high pressure for 20 minutes.
  4. Once your instant pot is done cooking, allow it to release for 15 minutes naturally. After the 15 minutes, manually released by opening the sealing valve and releasing the pressure.
  5. Remove your ribs to a cookie sheet. Add your desired amount of barbecue sauce to the top of the ribs over the rub.
  6. Broil in the oven for about five minutes or until your barbecue sauce is bubbly.
  7. Allow the ribs to cool for a couple more minutes, cut into sections, and enjoy! You can top it with more barbecue sauce if you like.
  8. Plate, serve, and enjoY!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 926Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 213mgSodium: 2152mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 3gSugar: 32gProtein: 57g

ForkToSpoon.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although we try to attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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Instant Pot BBQ Ribs