Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs – fall off the bone ribs! These are the most tender ribs I’ve ever eaten! Baby backs rubbed in yellow mustard and a homemade BBQ rub. Cook in the pressure cooker and then brush with BBQ sauce and put under the broiler or on the grill. Cooks in under 30 minutes! Great for when you don’t have all day to wait for ribs. Better than any BBQ joint!!
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The 4th of July is coming up. I know some of you don’t own a grill (or don’t like to grill), SO I’m sharing my recipe for Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs. The ribs are super tender and cook in a fraction of the time in the Instant Pot. They are fall off the bone delicious and stupid easy to make. I’ll never make ribs any other way. This has quickly become one of our favorite instant pot recipes.
What is an Instant Pot?
- Instant Pot is a name brand of electric pressure cookers. Depending on the model, the Instant Pot can also be used as a slow-cooker, rice cooker, and yogurt maker.
- What is a pressure cooker? A pressure cooker is a sealed pot with a lot of steam inside that builds up high pressure and helps food cook faster.
- The high pressure helps force liquid and moisture into the food quickly.
- Food cooks faster in high pressure.
- The extra liquid and moisture that the pressure adds helps tough cuts of meat get very tender very quickly.
How to Make Baby Back Ribs in the Instant Pot
These ribs are easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. The method for cooking ribs in the Instant Pot is basically the same as you will find all over the internet. What makes these ribs special is the spice RUB! In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, and onion powder.
Remove the membrane from the racks of ribs. Spread yellow mustard all over the front and back of the ribs. Sprinkle the homemade dry rub on both sides of the ribs. Place the wire rack in the bottom of the instant pot. Place the rack of ribs on the rack.
Pour water and apple cider vinegar into the pot. Cover the pot and lock the lid in place. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Natural release pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick pressure release of any remaining pressure. Remove the ribs from the instant pot and place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. Place the ribs under the oven broiler and cook until the BBQ sauce starts to caramelize. Place the ribs on a cutting board cut into individual ribs and serve.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- It is very important to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. The membrane does not soften when it’s cooked. It just comes out tough and chewy.
- To remove the membrane, slide a dinner knife under the membrane and over a bone on the back of the rack of ribs. Lift and loosen the membrane until it tears. Grab the edge of the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off.
- I bought my ribs at Costco, and they come with the membrane already removed. That is a huge timesaver for me!
- My favorite store-bought BBQ sauces are G. Hughes, Sweet Baby Rays, Stubbs, and Williamson Brothers.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade BBQ Sauce: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-bbq-sauce/
- Add a little bit of liquid smoke to the pressure cooker to give the ribs a nice grilled flavor.
- We like our ribs to be super tender and almost fall off the bone. That is about 20 minutes of cooking time. If you like more of a bite to your ribs, reduce the cook times by about 4 or 5 minutes.
- Feel free to use any cooking liquid you prefer – water, apple juice, Coke, Dr Pepper, or beef broth are all great.
- Can Instant Pot Ribs be made in advance? Yes! You can rub the ribs with the spice mixture, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Baby Back Ribs
This is a great recipe for any upcoming bbq parties. The ribs are fall off the bone tender and delicious. This instant pot ribs recipe is the only way we make ribs now! We like to serve these ribs with some baked beans, slaw, and biscuits. Add this recipe to your menu asap! The whole family is sure to enjoy these yummy ribs!
Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with these tender BBQ ribs:
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Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 rack baby back ribs, membrane removed
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions:
- Spread yellow mustard on both sides of ribs.
- Combine brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle over both sides of ribs.
- Place rack in bottom of Instant Pot. Place ribs on top of rack.
- Pour water and cider vinegar into pot. Cover and lock lid.
- Cook on manual for 20 minutes. Turn off and let steam release naturally for 5 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove ribs from Instant Pot. Place on baking sheet.
- Brush ribs with BBQ sauce.
- Turn on oven broiler. Place ribs under broiler and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until sauce starts to caramelize.
- Cut into individual ribs and serve with additional BBQ sauce.
Notes:
My favorite BBQ sauces are G. Hughes, Sweet Baby Rays, Stubbs, and Williamson Brothers.Steph
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Can you fit both racks of ribs in the instant pot at the same time?
The recipe is for one rack of ribs. You would need to repeat the process for 2 racks.
Yellow mustard?? Not a fan of mustard. Can you taste the mustard? Is there any other ingredient I can use besides mustard? Or do you need any? Can’t wait to try it!
You can make this any way you want. It is your kitchen.
So I have mine in there 20 minutes and let it naturally steam afterwards wish me luck
Your Fall Off The Bone ribs are a bbq go to and boy are they delish! In fact I have never been disappointed with a recipe of yours Stephanie!! Anxious to give these a try when less time is a factor. Thanks!
Thank you, Dorothy!! Hope you enjoy these ribs!
Can you do these ribs in a slow cooker and how long would it take to cook them?
Wondering the same thing as I don't have an "Instant Pot"
I made these yesterday! What a hit. I have a multipot from amazon that I used and the settings work pretty much the same. I def need to get more ribs next time haha
I'm eager to try these! You didn't even have to chop the ribs into sections to place onto the trivet?
I just curled the rack into a circle. You can cut them and stand them on their sides if that is easier.
Hello
Were's is the recipe to your homemade BBQ RUB?
I think i see the ingredents but doesn't show how much of the product to make it.
Best Regards
God Bless !!
David
The rub I used is in the ingredients.