My husband loves spare ribs. He’s also the world’s worst grill chef and everything he tries to grill comes out charred beyond recognition. Seriously. It’s a running joke with our friends. So cooking ribs on the grill wasn’t going to happen for us. Even cooking them in the oven at home long and slow enough to get that falling-off-the-bone tender finish was a long tedious messy process. So hubs rarely got to enjoy this favorite meal at home. Then along came my Instant Pot. This is a game-changer. I started a rack of ribs at 5 p.m. tonight and we were enjoying them by 6. Tender and delicious. And cleanup was a breeze. No more excuses. The man can have ribs for dinner any time he wants. The only negative is that you can only cook a single rack at a time, which is fine if you are feeding 2 to 4 people. But if you’re cooking for a crowd you’ll have to do the ribs in batches, with each batch taking about 45 minutes.
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
By Yvonne Martin of The White Oak InnIngredients:
- 1 rack of baby back ribs - 3 to 5 lbs. weight
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup apple juice, white wine or beer
- 2 tablespoons rib rub
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- Ingredients for rib rub (Makes more than you need - store excess in a jar to use another time)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoky paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Put rib rub in a jar and shake well.
This is a method as much as a recipe. First you need a nice rack of ribs - 3 to 5 lbs, cut into 4 pieces.
You'll also need a good dry rub. You can buy rib rubs ready-made, follow my recipe, or make up your own combination. Rub the ribs with a little olive oil, then 1 to 2 teaspoons of dry rub per section.
Put your stock and juice in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Put the trivet in the pot and stack the ribs in a "teepee" like arrangement.
Close and seal the pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes. While ribs are cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
When cooking is done, do a 10 minute natural release. Remove ribs from the Instant pot and transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil.
Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and finish in the hot oven for 10 minutes.