Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

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Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy in about an hour from start to finish! This super easy, foolproof method of cooking ribs will give you succulent, mouthwatering results every time. The sweet and smoky BBQ rub gives the ribs that outdoor smoked flavor.

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Oven Time12

Total Time52

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back ribs recipe, bbq baby back ribs, instant pot bbq ribs

Servings: servings

Ingredients

2 & 1/2 pounds rack baby back ribs
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 cup water
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup sweet barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Remove membrane from the back of the rack of ribs, if intact: Place the rack meat side down on a cutting board or sheet pan, laying it horizontally in front of you. Starting about 2 bones in from the left end of the rack, run a long skinny knife under the membrane and slide the knife left toward the end of the rack. Now firmly grasp the piece of membrane you’ve lifted, and pull it to the right, stripping the membrane from the rest of the rack. (Grip it with a disposable latex glove or paper towel if you’re having trouble hanging onto it.)
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and mustard powder. Rub both sides of the rib rack very generously with the mixture.
Place the rack in the pressure cooker on the trivet. Pour the water and liquid smoke in the bottom of the insert. Secure the lid, and if your Instant Pot has a floating valve, turn it to the ‘sealing’ position. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes, press ‘cancel’ when the time is up, and allow it to naturally pressure release for 10-12 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Place ribs on the sheet pan and brush with the cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker (loads of flavor in that liquid). Mix the barbecue sauce with the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, brush both sides of the rack generously.
Bake ribs in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes to caramelize the barbecue sauce. Alternately, you can put the ribs under the broiler on high until they are caramelized to your liking - do not put parchment paper under the broiler, use foil.
Brush with more sauce just before serving, cut between each bone to portion. Serve immediately with more sauce if desired.

Notes

Pressure cook time. 25 minutes will result in super tender ribs that will fall off the bone with a bit of a pull. For an even softer pull texture, add 4 or 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time, and 5 to 10 minutes to the natural release time.

Weight of your ribs. Note that this recipe was developed using a 6 quart Instant Pot and a 2 & 1/2 pound rack of ribs. Anything over 3 pounds will need another 5 minutes of pressure time (30 minutes total) and about 20 minutes to naturally pressure release.

Nutrition