instant pot ribs

Oh my gosh! I was soooooooooo intimidated the first time we tried to make ribs at home.

But I’m soooooooooooo glad we did! It’s so much cheaper than going out for them, annnnnnnnnd we can control the quality of our ingredients, so…score!!!

In case you also find the idea intimidating, I’ve included LOTS of photos at the end of this post, so you will feel like you know what you’re doing. Ha!

Oh, and we use a 6-quart Instant Pot, so be sure to adjust this recipe if you have a different size.

This recipe takes a total of about an hour in the Instant Pot (including pressurizing and releasing time), and then we like to throw the ribs on the outdoor grill for a bit to brown them up, too! Totally worth it!!! Yum!!!

Ready….set….cook!!!!

Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

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INGREDIENTS:

2.5 lbs pork loin back ribs

Homemade Dry Rub:
2 TBSP Paprika
1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper
1 TBSP sea salt
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 TBSP garlic granules
1/2 TBSP onion granules
1/2 TBSP cayenne pepper (reduce or eliminate this if you don’t like spiciness)

1 cup water (for a 6-qt Instant Pot)
1 batch of our homemade BBQ Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Mix dry rub ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot, and place the metal trivet in the pot.
Rinse the ribs to remove any debris.
Remove the thin membrane on the back (bony) side of the ribs by peeling up one edge and slowly pulling it down the entire length of the rack. Discard membrane in the trash.
Rub both sides (and all edges) of the ribs generously with the dry rub. It’s a LOT of seasoning mix, but you should definitely use it ALL.
Curl the rack of ribs on its side (as shown in the photos below), and place it in the pot on the trivet.
Shut the lid, and set it for High pressure for 25 minutes. (It will take about 15 minutes to get to pressure. Then, the 25 minutes will start counting down.)
Allow pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the homemade BBQ sauce if you don’t already have it on hand.
Preheat an outdoor grill to High heat. Lay the ribs on the grill. Baste one side of the ribs with BBQ sauce, and grill for a few minutes. Flip the ribs over, and repeat on the other side. Repeat this process once more, if necessary, basting each time. We use about half of the batch of BBQ sauce during cooking. Then, we use the rest for dipping when we eat!
Let the ribs rest, uncovered, for about 10 minutes to cool down before serving. Serve with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.