Instant Pot Ribs

This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.

Baby back ribs are one of these things that most people just can’t be bothered to make at home. However, with the use of an Instant Pot, it is easier than ever to make supple, tender ribs all on your own!

Don’t forget to make Homemade BBQ Sauce to use in this recipe! You could also learn How to Make Crock Pot Bone Broth to use in place of the instant stuff!

Instant Pot Ribs

There are a variety of different foods out there that most people will consider to be too difficult to consider making themselves at home.

From pizza to beef wellington, there are just some things that seem too far out of reach to make yourself.

Barbecue falls into this category for most people, as the idea of setting up a huge amount of smoking and general barbecue equipment just doesn’t seem worth it.

However, with the use of a handy Instant Pot, tasty and incredibly tender baby back ribs can be only a couple of hours away!   

How To Prepare Your Ribs Before Cooking

Before sticking your ribs into your Instant Pot and leaving it to cook, one of the things that you need to consider is how to prepare your ribs first.

Most baby back ribs will come from the butcher without any significant trimming or portioning, though a particularly friendly butcher might be able to do all of this for you.

The most important thing to do is to remove the thin membrane that clings to the underside of the ribs. This thin membrane won’t break down in the Instant Pot no matter how long you cook it, and it feels really gross if you tried to bite into it.

Remove it by sliding any knife just under the membrane and then peeling it back and away from the meat, either with your fingers or a paper towel.

From there, you just need to cut your rack of ribs into equal portions, or slicing each individual rib away from the cluster, so as to end up with however many individual ribs your butcher gave you.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Liquid Smoke?

A lot of people consider liquid smoke to be some kind of heinous cheating ingredient that no good home chef would ever use.

However, liquid smoke isn’t some kind of evil chemical; it really is just actual smoke, condensed down into a concentrated liquid.

Everyone knows that smoked ribs are the best for flavor and texture, and one big problem with cooking these ribs in an Instant Pot is that there is basically no way to get that smoky flavor into your ribs unless you use liquid smoke.

A little dash of liquid smoke not only gives everything that slightly smoky taste and flavor, but it also makes the ribs taste more genuine and like the real thing.

While you shouldn’t feel as if you have to go out and get it just for this recipe, if you happen to have some on hand, it is definitely worthwhile to use it here.

What Are The Benefits Of Cooking Ribs In An Instant Pot?

For a lot of people, the Instant Pot is nothing more than a passing fad that isn’t useful as a real home appliance.

However, the main benefit of an Instant Pot, besides its convenient little size, is the fact that it is incredibly quick at turning anything into a complete meal in record time.

While it is a little inconvenient that you have to use an oven in the final steps of this recipe to get that same level of browning and deep flavor that you would get with conventionally cooked ribs, the Instant Pot is so incredibly useful for this recipe because of its speed.

The Instant Pot cooks your ribs super quick, while also imbuing them with tons of intense and delicious flavor thanks to the pressure exerted on the ribs as they cook.

While you could certainly cook ribs any other way, the Instant Pot is easily the most convenient.

The Best Sides To Serve With Ribs

There is no way around it; you have to eat ribs with your hands and no matter how hard you try, you are going to get messy. When eating ribs you just have to embrace the mess – it is part of the fun after all.

However, it does mean that you want to avoid sides that require a knife and fork to eat. Stick with sides that you can also eat with your hands and you won’t even have to think about the mess until you’re done!

• Cornbread

A classic Southern option, cornbread is a wonderful side dish for any kind of barbecue. Starchy and satisfying, cornbread is a great way to round out any meat-forward dish like this.

• Fries

Another classic, some good French fries are a great way to add a little bit of carby crunch to your meal. Whether you fry them yourself or get them frozen, some French fries work perfectly alongside some ribs.

• Corn On The Cob

Instead of cornbread, why not just eat the corn itself? Corn on the cob is a great way to add a little of sweetness and crunch to your meal without having to worry about any intricate cooking process.

• Loaded Potato Skins

Perhaps the most involved out of all of them, loaded potato skins are basically cheese, sour cream and bacon packed into a sliced potato; they should be crispy, fatty, and starchy all in one.

If you feel like really putting some effort in, you should definitely give these a try.

Looking for more delicious Instant Pot recipes? Try these out:

• Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

• Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

• Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

PIN THIS RECIPE to your INSTANT POT AND DINNER RECIPE Boards and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!