Instant Pot® Unforgettable Baby Back Ribs
First of all I need to explain why I’ve been a bit MIA lately. I’ve needed to focus on family matters including a wonderful wedding for our son. He married the most thoughtful, kind and loving girl who happens to be the mother of the cutest 4 year old you’ve ever met! We are excited to add to our growing family. I’ll update our family picture here on the blog very soon!
On to matters of good health and tasty food! While entertaining lots of family this past month, I served my Instant Pot® Baby Back Ribs and everyone called them “UNFORGETTABLE”. So I’ve renamed them appropriately! They are fantastic! Fall-off-the-bone amazing if you ask everyone who eats them. And no kidding you can have these on your plate in just over an hour! And with summer dining right around the corner, I’ve got you covered.
I admit, I’ve always been very intimidated to even try to prepare ribs. I admire all the master rib makers out there, smoking them all day in their smokers or grills and yes this is awesome and is the preferred cooking method, but I’m telling you, if I can have tender tasty pork in my mouth in about the time it takes to bake a potato, I’m all over it. Maybe I start calling myself the Instant Pot® Rib master!
It’s the rub. These 12 seasonings are the secret to these tasty ribs. Check out all the beautiful colors. Each one is important to the final result. I love this combination of spices and you likely have most of them in your spice drawer already. Dry mustard, garlic, onion (powder or minced dried), chipotle, smoke paprika and more. This rub is inspired by another Instant Pot® Rib master over at Sweet and Savory Meals. Thank you for all your knowledge and helpful tips.
Combine your spices and rub all over both sides of your rack of ribs. Fill your Instant Pot® container with apple juice, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke and bay leaves. Then place the trivet on the bottom of the container.
Arrange the ribs inside the Instant Pot® by curling them into a circle, fitting them is as needed.
Secure the lid, close and point the valve to Sealed. Cook on Manual, for 35 minutes on high pressure. Once the Instant Pot® beeps, do a 15 minute Natural Release followed by a Quick Release. Unlock and remove the lid from the Instant Pot®.
Carefully remove the ribs from the Instant Pot® and place on a baking sheet. Brush your favorite BBQ sauce like my Tangy BBQ Sauce over the top of the ribs and place under the broiler for 6 to 8 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and caramelized. Enjoy with extra sauce. I like serving with a lovely big green salad like my Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad. Perfect for outdoor dining!
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp dill seeds
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 2 lbs each)
- 2 cups unsweetened apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp liquid smoke
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- Combine the the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.
- Dry the ribs with paper towels of excess liquid or blood. Remove the thin fatty membrane on the back of the ribs and discard it. (Some brands of ribs already remove this membrane.)
- Place the ribs on a cutting board and season generously with the rub on both sides, using your hands to rub it all over the ribs.
- Combine apple juice, apple cider, liquid smoke and bay leaves in the Instant Pot®, stirring to combine.
- Add the trivet to the Instant Pot® and place the ribs inside the Instant Pot®, curling them to fit as needed. Secure the lid, close and point the valve to Sealed.
- Cook on Manual, for 35 minutes on high pressure. Once the Instant Pot® beeps, do a 15 minute Natural Release followed by a Quick Release. Unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
- Preheat oven to Broil.
- Carefully remove the ribs from the Instant Pot® and place them onto a prepared baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush the ribs generously on both sides with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Place under the broiler for about 6-8 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and caramelized.
- Serve immediately with extra BBQ sauce.
Notes
Cook time includes the 10-12 minutes required for the Instant Pot® to come to full pressure.
You might also enjoy:
Baked Chicken Meatballs with Tangy BBQ Sauce
Spicy Chipotle Grilled Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayo Spread
