Baby back ribs, seasoned with a flavorful rub, placed over a rack, steamed with stock and apple juice in the Instant Pot and finished with a caramelizing pass under the broiler or on a hot grill.
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Ribs. More specifically, baby back ribs. So good and delicious!
We love them about any way they come really, but one of my top favorite ways to make them quite frankly, is in the oven. They are so tender and delicious and despite what the pro-Q'ers say, The Cajun and I love them that way.
Even still, that low and slow method does take time.
Enter, the Instant Pot! And y'all, it does a terrific job too.
You're probably skeptical about that and I admit. I was very skeptical too. A pressure cooker could certainly make a tasty tender rib, sure. But just how could a pressure cooker make ribs that, well, also looked appetizing?
One key is to wait to apply any sauce until after they come out of the pot.A liquid base in the bottom of the pot - here I'm using a mix of chicken stock and apple juice - provides plenty of moisture, and a good rub provides plenty of flavor, so you don't really need to cook them in the sauce for flavor.
The biggest secret though, is to give them a pass across a hot grill or under the oven broiler after they cook, to give them a caramelized finish!We absolutely love them and I think you will too. I challenge you to keep an open mind, give them a try and see what you think!
Here's how to make them.
As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below.
First, gather some good rub ingredients. I'm using brown sugar, paprika, onion and garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, dried thyme and black pepper.
Combine all of the dry seasonings.
Massage rub all over the ribs on both sides.
Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and apple juice to the bottom of the Instant Pot and place a low trivet in the pot. If you don't have a trivet, ball up enough aluminum foil to elevate the ribs over the liquid.
Place ribs vertically in the pot, larger cut bone side down, and wrapping around trivet, away from sides. You can easily fit two racks in a 6-quart Instant Pot, but since it's just the two of us, I just wrote this for a single rack. Just increase the rub (but not the liquids) and place the larger end of the ribs into the center of the first rack, intertwining the second rack around the smaller end of the first rack, leaving some space in between the two racks.
Seal and set for high pressure for 28 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes; manually release any remaining pressure.
Carefully remove ribs from cooker and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. They will be tender, but should hold together if removed with care.
Preheat broiler. Dab sauce all over ribs and brush in.
Place under broiler until sauce caramelizes. May also pass on a hot grill to finish.
Slice into individual ribs and transfer to a platter or individual plates and offer additional sauce at the table.
For more of my favorite Instant Pot recipes, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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