With just 3-ingredients, you can have fall-off-the-bone ribs in minutes using your pressure cooker.
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I remember feeling the same way when I got mine and now that I’ve been enjoying it for the last few months, I can honestly say that it has saved us a bundle on dining out thanks to its speedy cooking.
In fact, it has helped me feel more confident taking on dishes that I normally would never try, whether it is because of time constraints or complete intimidation, allowing for a lot more variety in our rather tired menu plan that had I had been executing month after month.
Of all the dishes that we have made in our pressure cooker, I must say that the biggest hit has been these easy 3-ingredient ribs that you can make in your Instant Pot.
That’s right, you can cook pork ribs right in your Instant Pot.
Can you believe it?
Ribs are something I have often thought of adding to our menu plan, but I just didn’t think they could ever taste as good as what we would get out in restaurants especially on a busy weeknight.
I must say though, these ribs are BETTER than many restaurants we have been to and are fall-off-the-bone tender every single time.
I have done a rack of Baby Back Ribs in my 6-quart Instant Pot and I have even been able to fit up to two racks in this size cooker without any trouble, although it is a much tighter squeeze than a single rack.
3-Ingredient Instant Pot Ribs Recipe
First, remove the membrane (or the silverskin, as the fancy folks like to call it!) from the meat.
Here are a few answers to some frequently asked questions about cooking ribs in your pressure cooker.
How do I Remove the Membrane From Pork Ribs?
Haven’t done this before?
Well, I hadn’t either.
I actually had NO IDEA that you were supposed to do this.
At some point, I will go back and fix the error of my ways, on these images, but for now you can imagine the pork without this on it.
Looking for a tutorial on this?
You weren’t the only one!
Here is a great tutorial to help you learn how to do this, easily and safely.
How Can I Fit a Rack of Pork Ribs in My Instant Pot?
Cut your ribs into thirds so you can fit them in comfortably.
Add a cup of beef broth in your cooker and put your steaming rack inside (that little rack that came with your cooker!).
Can I Fit Two Racks of Pork Ribs in My Instant Pot?
I have only attempted this one time and had no issues adding two racks of ribs in my pressure cooker. Some people say you can fit three racks of ribs in the Instant Pot, but I find two is challenging enough.
Were you good at Tetris?
Maybe you can pull it off!
How Do I Spice Up Pressure Cooked Ribs?
Season your ribs generously with salt and pepper and place these on top of the steaming rack.
Want to add another layer of flavor to these to spice them up even more? Consider adding your favorite spice rub. You can find a lot of fun dry rubs here.
Of course that would be four ingredients (one more than showcased here!)
Lock that baby up, press the meat button on the front of the pressure cooker, and adjust the timer to 30 minutes of high pressure.
If you don’t have a Meat button on your pressure cooker, just cook ribs on HIGH Manual Pressure.
While the ribs are cooking, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, pour in your favorite barbecue sauce for brushing.
This barbecue sauce is always a Clark favorite from the supermarket, but I’d love to hear if you think there are any others we should try!
After the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick release on that valve on the top.
Don’t know what a quick release is?
No problem!
This just means that you are going to move your valve from Sealed to Venting and allow all that steam to come out quickly instead of letting it release pressure on its own.
It is going to REALLY steam so make sure you are prepared for that and keep it away from your cabinets, face, and hands.
Also don’t scream because you will want to the first time.
It’s terrifying.
Almost all the recipes I do usually say to do this Quick Release pressure cook method, rather than a natural release.
The big difference between natural and quick release?
Natural Release is when you sit around just waiting and letting that pressure to come down on its own which can take up to 25 minutes!
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
We already had to wait for the pressure to build, people, we can’t sit around waiting for the pressure in this gadget to subside.
We are BUSY!
After the pressure has released, remove the lid and carefully take out those ribs with a pair of tongs and place them on your lined cookie sheet.
Starting with the back of the rib, brush them each generously with sauce.
Turn on your broiler on your oven and slide the ribs in for 3-4 minutes, watching them carefully so they don’t burn.
Flip them over, and repeat with the other side of the ribs.
Finish by cutting them into sections and serving with additional barbecue sauce.
HELLO, HEAVEN! These are SUCH A HIT at our house and I’m guessing they will be a hit at yours too.
Keep in mind, if you are new to the Instant Pot cult (totally a thing!), that it takes awhile for these to come to pressure so give yourself a 20-25 minute allowance before that stated 30-minute cooking time I’m sharing.
We have loved these so much that they have become the new birthday request and we even took a couple of racks of these and my Instant Pot on vacation so we could enjoy this yummy treat while we were renting our beach house on break.
I now make it a regular habit to keep my eyes peeled in our grocery flier for any sales on racks of ribs to keep stocked in our freezer.
I hope to share many more recipes in the upcoming weeks with you! If you are on the hunt for great cookbooks to make the most of your Instant Pot this one, this one, and this one are all excellent books for a newbie Instant Pot cult member (totally a thing- I’m serious!).
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these 3-ingredient Instant Pot Ribs!
Be sure to SCROLL DOWN for more Instant Pot recipes. I have you covered!!
3-Ingredient Instant Pot Ribs
Recipe Type: Instant Pot
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6 servings
These ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and can be prepared with your favorite barbecue sauce. These are just one (of many) reasons to get an Instant Pot.
- 1 or 2 racks of pork baby back ribs
- 1 cup beef broth
- Barbecue Sauce
- Cut the racks of ribs into thirds and season generously with salt and pepper. (Note- if you prefer to add a rub on your ribs, this is where you would do that!)
- Pour beef broth in the bottom of the pot, place the steaming rack inside, and put the seasoned ribs on top.
- Lock the lid, select the Meat function, and set timer for 30 minutes.
- Quick release your valve after the timer beeps and remove the ribs from the cooker. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet (prepared with cooking spray) and brush on your barbecue sauce on the back side of the ribs.
- Broil the ribs for 3-4 minutes (watching carefully to prevent charring), flip the ribs over and brush the other side with barbecue sauce. Broil that side again for 3-4 minutes. Place on platter and serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.
3.4.3177
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