BBQ ribs will forever remind me of my little sister, who when other 5-year-olds were ordering mac n’ cheese off the kids’ menu at restaurants, would order a big ol’ rack of ribs. Can’t blame the kid; everyone loves a good plate of saucy ribs. For me, ribs have always been a special occasion food. My favorite way to cook them was long and slow in the crockpot and then charred on the grill or under the broiler, like this popular recipe that many of you love. However after pulling out my pressure cooker, I made a dangerous discovery: you can make tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone ribs pretty much every night of the week in under an hour.
With only 30 minutes of pressure-cooking time, the meat is so tender and the sauce so flavorful, you will be amazed. And then you will make ribs 3 times a week and not even feel a tiny bit bad about it.
Start with a sweet and savory dry rub of smoked paprika, brown sugar, chili powder and a little salt and pepper and rub it all in.
You’ll build your sauce right in the pressure cooker. Start with a little oil- I’m using our Bacon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is pretty much made for this recipe.
It adds a really nice, subtle smoky flavor here.
Next goes in: ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce (sidenote: I’ve literally never correctly spelled that word in my life. I always just spit out a bunch of semi-related letters and hope that spellcheck picks it up), apple cider vinegar (use a good one- I recommend Bragg’s), dry mustard, and kosher salt.
Stir the sauce all together and then add a few ribs at at time and gently coat them in the sauce and then arrange them upright with the meat-side facing out, like this:
If you can reach down to the bottom of the pot with a spoon, grab some of the sauce and pour it on top of the ribs. Then secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Take the ribs out and then turn the saute feature back on your pot and bring the sauce to a simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken, if needed.
If you like, you can place your ribs under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and char the tops a bit.
Because the meat cooks IN the bbq sauce, the sauce becomes super flavorful.
Serve any extra sauce on the side, but make sure to slather lots on top!
This is the pressure cooker I have, and I love it! —> Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
Pressure Cooker BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs about 1.5-2lbs each
Rub
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
BBQ Sauce
- 1.5 cups ketchup
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet or cutting board with foil (for easy clean-up). Cut ribs into 2-rib sections and lay out on foil.
- Combine all rub ingredients and sprinkle over ribs. Use hands to rub into both sides of meat. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together ketchup, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder and 3/4 teaspoons salt. Heat pressure cooker to saute function and add oil and onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring often. Add the ketchup mixture and stir to combine. Add a few ribs at a time and use tongs to gently coat them in sauce. Then arrange ribs standing upright with meat-side facing outward (see blog post for visual).
- Secure lid on pressure cooker and set to high pressure for 30 minutes cook time.
- When finished, turn pressure cooker off (or remove stovetop pressure cooker from heat) and let naturally release pressure for 15 minutes. Manually release any remaining pressure and then open pot. Place ribs on platter and coat with sauce.
- Optional: Arrange cooked ribs meat-side up on baking sheet and broil for charred exterior.
Questions & Reviews
Has anyone ever tried cooking them while frozen?…instructions?
Cooked this last night, these were amazing! To die for taste and the cause was the best I’ve ever had. I did use 1 tblsp of brown sugar and 1/2 a lime. I was also our of katchup and used a can of diced tomatoes. the onion was a whole one which got olive oil drizzled over it after it was cut up in a bowl and then tossed. They carmilized better and easier in the pressure cooker, I was shocked and how much better they cooked up. I think next time I’ll cut the ribs up into singles. I finished on the outdoor gas grill, 2 minutes on each side at 400. The smoky taste and slight char was the just perfect. They were a big hit.
I finally got to try this recipe on Mother’s Day. I had a different experience and I just wanted to ask a question too. I used a traditional (old, Presto) pressure cooker. I recently had the seal replaced, so I thought it was not leaky. Whenever I have used it in the past, I put water with whatever was cooking, and usually quite a bit of water. So this recipe, with only the sauce made me wonder. I did do half the recipe to try it, and although I only cooked them 20 minutes, and let the pressure come down naturally, the sauce burned badly to the pot. The ribs, themselves, were really good, but the pot was pretty well ruined. Is an Instant Pot different than a regular pressure cooker? This recipe looks so, so good that I was sadly disappointed, but figure it had to do with my pressure cooker. I had never cooked anything in it that did not have water added. Please let me know what you think…I’d like to know before trying again in a new pressure cooker! Thanks!
Sorry I’m late to reply on this comment! So I’m not sure- I’ve only made this recipe in my electric pressure cooker, but electric and stove-top do differ. I would add some extra broth to your pot next time, maybe a cup or so. Since the pot is directly on the heat, you get more close contact like that.
These look amazing. I own 2 Instant Pots and have done ribs many times. I always cook them for 15 minutes only, let the pressure come down naturally, and wrap them stacked in foil 45min to an hour, until I’m ready to finish them off under the broiler. I’ve tried cooking longer, and they fall off the bone when lifted, which we don’t like 🙂
Thanks for that tip. I too find most pressure cooker recipes cook until the meat if falling off bone. I like there to be some bite when eating ribs!? I am cooking a rack of ribs tonight, and will implement your modifications. Thanks!
We used to buy BBQ from the store here.. I never tried bbq recipes ..Thanks for the idea..??
I agree with the other ladies! I would love some more Instant Pot recipes from you guy’s! I trust all your other recipes so I know I’ll trust any instant pot recipe you make.
Just made these tonight. SOOOO delicious! It’s the first time I’ve made ribs that actually had the glossy, thick sauce that the photos always have. I did boil the sauce for a few minutes to get it thick after the pressure cooking part like you suggested. Also, I used St. Louis cut ribs and they could have used just a few more minutes of pressure cooking. So next time I’ll just use baby back ribs like you said. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Can I use a conventional pressure cooker for this recipe? Would I need to make changes?
I made these ribs for dinner tonight in my new Instant Pot. This was the first time I have made dinner with the Instant Pot- but it turned out perfect thanks to the great instructions. Mine even looked like the pictures. The family loved them and said this recipe was a definite “make again” and that they liked this recipe better than our old rib recipe.
Thank you for the Instant Pot recipes!
I am excited that you can do ribs in the pressure cooker! I have my fingers crossed that I will get one for Mother’s Day (now if only Amazon will comply with a killer markdown!). Please keep the ideas coming!
Hope you got in on the recent Daily Deal for Instant Pot on Amazon. I think mine was $69.99. I absolutely LOVE it. Got some ribs today to try in the IP, and I’m looking for just the right recipe to try tomorrow.