Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Instant Pot Ribs Are The Quickest Way To Get The Most Tender Ribs

Almost nothing beats a meaty, perfectly cooked rack of baby back ribs. Sometimes you just want them, and you want the now. Except, they take at least 2 hours to make in the oven and you don’t want to wait quite that long.

While we can’t promise they’re exactly instant (no Instant Pot recipes truly are – it’s a misnomer), these Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs are the best way we know of to get them done as fast as possible without sacrificing quality.

They’re fall-off-the-bone tender, flavorful and incredibly easy. Your pressure cooker does all the work for you, in half the time or less of an oven or slow cooker. Finish them under the broiler or on the grill for some sticky caramelized bits that will make everybody think you worked on them all day.

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• baby back ribs – the star of the show! You can fit up to 2 racks (about 4 1/2 pounds) in a standard 6-quart Instant Pot. Or, you can do just one rack if you don’t need that much.
• dry rub for ribs – use our homemade Dry Rub For Ribs recipe or a comparable store-bought barbecue seasoning rub. The combination of salt, chili powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, onion powder, paprika, cumin, ground mustard, black pepper and cayenne pepper gives the ribs in Instant Pot big flavor and helps create a nice crust.
• apple juice – this serves as the flavorful liquid that will help tenderize the meat and prevent it from drying out as it cooks. You can also use apple juice or beer.
• barbecue sauce – prepared, store-bought barbecue sauce is easiest, and there are some great varieties available these days. We like Sweet Baby Ray’s, but whatever you have on hand is what’s best. The sauce will finish the ribs with a tangy and sweet glaze.

How To Make Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

1. PREP. Use a paper towel to remove the silver skin membrane from the ribs, if needed. Then, place the ribs on a baking sheet and rub them all over with the dry rub, then let them sit 15 minutes.

2. COOK. Add the juice to the Instant Pot, then place a trivet or steam rack in the bottom of the pot. Curl the rib racks in half circles (meat side out) and place them standing upright in the pot, on the trivet. Seal the lid and cook 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally 10 minutes, then vent the remaining steam.

3. FINISH. If desired, finish the ribs on the grill or under the broiler (more on this below).

Optional: Finish The Instant Pot Ribs With The Grill Or Broiler

You don’t HAVE to finish the Instant Pot ribs on the grill or under the broiler, but we highly recommend it! The grill or broiler chars them in spots and really gives the ribs some smokiness and crusty bits that are so yummy.

To grill them, just before the Instant Pot cooking time is up, preheat your grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Brush the ribs with a little bit of barbecue sauce and transfer them to the grill. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly charred and crusty in some spots, turning once.

To broil them, just before the Instant Pot cooking time is up, preheat your broiler to high. Sauce the ribs, then pop them under the broiler for a few minutes, watching them very carefully. Move them around as they broil so they evenly char a little bit.

How To Store

If you have leftover ribs, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or on a grill until warmed through.