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–+ servings
Close up of baby back ribs on a chopping board

Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

mylifeinbalancegroup.com/instant-pot-baby-back-ribs/
BBQ baby back ribs that are fall-off-the-bone tender thanks to the Instant Pot. Versatile, flavorful, delicious - and that's coming from a Memphian!
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Total 1 hour 10 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 6 servings

Equipment

  • Small bowl
  • Spoon
  • Cutting board
  • butter knife
  • Instant Pot
  • Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
  • Broiler
  • Tongs
  • baking sheet
  • immersion blender optional
  • Basting Brush optional

Ingredients

For the Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

  • 3 pounds pork baby back ribs (cut in half)
  • ¼ cup dry rub (store-bought, or made from recipe below)
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce (store-bought, or made from recipe below)

For the Homemade Dry Rub (Optional)

For the Homemade BBQ Sauce (Optional)

Instructions

For the Homemade Dry Rub (Optional)

  • Add 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to small bowl. Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

To Prepare Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

  • Place 3 pounds pork baby back ribs on cutting board with meaty-side facing down. Use butter knife and fingers to separate and remove transparent membrane from back of bones and rib meat. Discard membrane.
  • Sprinkle ¼ cup dry rub (store-bought or homemade) evenly over all sides of ribs and gently massage dry rub into meat.

If Using Homemade BBQ Sauce

  • Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. When Instant Pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to insert. Heat oil until hot and shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add 1 cup minced sweet onion. Sauté onions, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are softened and translucent.
  • Once softened, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and stir to incorporate. Sauté garlic 30 to 60 seconds or until just fragrant. Stir constantly to prevent sticking or burning.
  • Once garlic is fragrant, add ¼ cup honey, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 4 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 6-ounce can tomato paste, ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock, and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Stir ingredients together until fully incorporated into smooth mixture. To prevent burn notice, make sure to scrape up any bits of onion or garlic that may be stuck to bottom of insert.

If Using Store-bought BBQ Sauce

  • Add 1 cup BBQ sauce directly to Instant Pot insert.

To Cook Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

  • Add seasoned ribs to Instant Pot, placing ribs in semicircle around inside of Instant Pot insert. Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position.
  • Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and set cook time to 40 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then 40-minute cook time will begin.
  • When cook time ends, carefully Quick Release pressure from Instant Pot. Use caution as any escaping steam will be incredibly hot. Remove lid from Instant Pot and set aside.
  • Preheat broiler on HIGH. Use tongs to carefully remove ribs from Instant Pot and transfer ribs to large baking sheet. Note: ribs will be incredibly tender and may fall apart.
  • Optional: If using homemade BBQ sauce, insert immersion blender into Instant Pot and blend remaining BBQ sauce until completely smooth. Alternately, transfer remaining BBQ sauce to standard blender, let cool slightly, then blend until smooth.
  • When broiler is ready, place baking sheet under preheated broiler. Broil ribs 1 to 3 minutes or as needed until ribs are just browned.
  • Carefully remove baking sheet from oven and set aside to rest 2 to 3 minutes.

To Serve Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

  • Transfer ribs to serving platter or plates. Spoon or brush remaining BBQ sauce onto ribs, then serve ribs immediately with preferred sides and additional BBQ sauce if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • You may have to squeeze the ribs in the Instant Pot so they fit - that is fine.
  • Make it Whole30: Replace honey with coconut aminos, or use 2 cups of my Whole BBQ sauce instead of following the sauce recipe included here.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 439calProtein: 30gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 819mgTotal Carbs: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gNet Carbs: 20gVitamin A: 2287IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 3mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://mylifeinbalancegroup.com/instant-pot-baby-back-ribs/