Make dinner extra easy with these Instant Pot ribs! They're fall off the bone tender, sticky, and best of all-- ready in under an hour! We include directions for using an air fryer lid if you have one, or to broil to finish the ribs off.
The Instant Pot can significantly cut down the cook time for numerous meals, including pulled pork and bone broth. Another quick one? Pork ribs!
Not only is this a time saving recipe, but you don't even need to turn on your grill or your oven. We show you how to use an air fryer lid to finish your ribs off. These guys would be perfect served with grilled potatoes and a summery salad like this green apple slaw.
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Reasons you’ll ♡ this recipe
- your ribs are cooked through and ready for the table in under an hour
- we include directions for using an air fryer lid, avoiding turning the oven or grill on
- they are fall-off the bone tender, sticky, and so flavorful!
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how I made ribs in the Instant Pot! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient notes
- ribs- we tested this recipe using both back and side ribs, and they both came out great! Spare ribs are a larger cut and would likely require 5-10 extra minutes at high pressure.
- BBQ sauce- you can use your favorite! I always go back to Sweet Baby Ray's 🙂
- brown sugar- yes, you could leave this out. It's only a few teaspoons and helps round out all the flavors. You might also try swapping for monk fruit or a low carb sweetener.
Step by step directions
1. Rub- in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, chili powder, ground cumin, black pepper and salt until no clumps remain.
2. Remove silver skin- The silver skin is a tough membrane that runs along the back of the ribs, and taking the time to remove it yields significantly more tender ribs. Start by using a dull knife to loosen the membrane, then grip it with a paper towel, and carefully pull it off.
TIP- sometimes the silver skin will pull off in one clean piece, other times (as pictured above), you will have to work in 2-3 strips. It's well worth the effort!
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3. Apply rub- sprinkle the rub evenly over the ribs, then use your hands to rub it in. Flip the ribs over and coat both sides.
TIP- arranging the ribs on a rimmed baking dish can cut down on the mess.
4. Prepare Instant Pot- place 1 cup (for 6 quart Instant Pots) or 1.5 cups water (for 8 quart Instant Pots) into the stainless steel insert. Arrange the trivet on top, and wrap the ribs around on top of the trivet so that they are touching the side of the pot as little as possible.
TIP- if you have two racks of ribs, position them with as much space between them as you can, wrapping one inside the other. It's OK if they touch! They seem to fit better in an 8 quart pot.
5. Cook- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. When the cooking cycle completes, allow for a 10 minute natural pressure release. At this point, you can release any remaining pressure (the pin may have already dropped).
6. BBQ sauce- Brush Instant Pot ribs with BBQ sauce to coat, then cook:
- air fryer lid- set to 400°F and cook for 5-7 minutes, until lightly charred on edges and sauce caramelizes
- broiler- line a baking sheet with foil and set your broiler to high. Broil for 5-10 minutes, until sauce caramelizes
TIP- this is the Instant Pot air fryer lid I have!
FAQ
You can squeeze 2 racks of ribs into a 6 quart; you could probably fit up to 3 racks into the 8 quart.
It's not required, but this step makes concentrates the BBQ sauce and makes it nice and thick. It's definitely worth the effort!
No, you can finish the ribs under the broiler if you don't have the lid.
If your ribs are not fall off the bone tender, you may not have cooked them for long enough. Try pressure cooking for another 5- 10 minutes.
Storage & reheating
Cool Instant Pot ribs completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat at 350°F in the oven (10-15 min) or air fryer (5 min), until warmed through. You might want to brush on some more BBQ sauce before reheating!
More Instant Pot faves
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Instant Pot Ribs (+/- air fryer lid directions)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork ribs 900 g; see note 1
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- ¾ tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Rub- in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, chili powder, ground cumin, black pepper and salt until no clumps remain.
- Remove silver skin- The silver skin is a tough membrane that runs along the back of the ribs, and taking the time to remove it yields significantly more tender ribs. Start by using a dull knife to loosen the membrane, then grip it with a paper towel, and carefully pull it off.
- Apply rub- sprinkle the rub evenly over the ribs, then use your hands to rub it in. Flip the ribs over and coat both sides.
- Prepare Instant Pot- place 1 cup (for 6 quart Instant Pots) or 1.5 cups water (for 8 quart Instant Pots) into the stainless steel insert. Arrange the trivet on top, and wrap the ribs around on top of the trivet so that they are touching the side of the pot as little as possible. see note 2
- Cook- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. When the cooking cycle completes, allow for a 10 minute natural pressure release. At this point, you can release any remaining pressure (the pin may have already dropped).
- BBQ sauce- Brush ribs with BBQ sauce to coat, then cook:air fryer lid- set to 400°F and cook for 5-7 minutes, until lightly charred on edges and sauce caramelizesbroiler- line a baking sheet with foil and set your broiler to high. Broil for 5-10 minutes, until sauce caramelizes
- Slice- Cut the ribs up, and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
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