30 Minute Pressure Cooker Ribs in Your Instant Pot
Mouthwatering BBQ ribs that literally fall off the bone are made in UNDER one hour by using an electric pressure cooker and this tasty smoky & sweet rub seasoning recipe! If you think these ribs look amazing, they taste even better and are so easy to make!
Have you ever cooked with a pressure cooker?
A pressure cooker is an airtight pot in which food can be cooked quickly under steam pressure. Although it looks like a slow cooker, it actually functions in the exact opposite way since it cooks food very quickly. For instance, I can use my pressure cooker to cook a pot roast in just 35-40 minutes, chicken breasts in 8-10 minutes, white rice in 8 minutes, dried beans in 30 minutes, and corn on the cob in 3-4 minutes. Isn’t that amazing? 🙂
On a personal note – I’m fairly new to pressure cooking so I have been researching different ways to fully use my 6 Quart Instant-Pot Pressure Cooker. I like that my pressure cooker has a slow cooker setting as well so it can completely replace my slow cooker meaning less clutter in the kitchen! I’m looking forward to trying out more recipes and sharing what I learn here on Hip2Save.
30 Minute Pressure Cooker BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs
- Smoky & Sweet BBQ Rub (see recipe below or use your favorite BBQ Seasoning Blend)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ Sauce
Directions
1
Season both sides of ribs with the smoky & sweet BBQ Rub. Cut rack of ribs in half or in thirds so you can stack in pressure cooker.
2
Add 1/2 cup of water to pot. Close lid and cook for 25-30 minutes depending on how tender you like your ribs. If you are also using the Insta-Pot, use the meat setting which is HIGH pressure.
3
When finished, release pressure from pot according to manual instructions and remove top.
4
Transfer ribs to a large pan and brush with BBQ sauce. Finish ribs on an outdoor grill or in oven (using broiler setting) for a few minutes on each side. The last step is optional but so worth it for that tasty caramelized texture!
Alternative Slow Cooker Directions:
Use the same method and ingredients as stated above except cook ribs in your slow cooker for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW. Finish in the broiler or on the grill. This is how I’ve made ribs in the past and they turn out awesome as well!
This is by far the best BBQ seasoning I’ve ever made! It will make your food burst with flavor and is perfect for all your summer BBQ needs! I typically double the recipe as I use it all the time to season chicken, pork loin, and veggies AND it makes the BEST roasted seasoned potatoes! Yum!! Feel free to adapt to your taste (i.e. if you don’t like anything spicy, decrease or omit cayenne pepper).
I’m new to a pressure cooker as well. My husband surprised me for Mother’s Day with one. He got brownie points for doing the deal that Collin posted and saved some money! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Would this be a quick release of pressure or the natural release?
I used the quick release.
THANK YOU! love this 🙂
I just want to say that before you toss out your slow cooker, try making something thicker in the Instant pot with the slow cook feature. The Instant Pot heats from the bottom, the slow cooker heats around the pot. I tried to make a potato gratin in the instant pot on the slow cook feature and it burned the bottom and never cooked the potatoes. I later found many others with the same issue.
Needless to say, I had to rebuy a slow cooker because I gave away my other one too soon.
Interesting -thanks for that great feedback! I haven’t tried it yet but thought it interesting it has that setting. I love my slow cooker too 😀
I just rec’d the Instant pot one as well and I cooked ribs in for 20 minutes I think next time i’ll do a little longer they were quite meaty so I think they need extra time, my hubby loved them, i’m new to this as well I want to find some recipes for ham & beans
Nice! I just joined the instant pot Facebook group to get more ideas 😀
I just purchased a pressure cooker thanks to your recipe…can’t wait to try it…
hope you keep on posting !! loved all your other recipes…
Yay! Yes –let’s stay connected and do this together! 😀
I noticed you are using dollar tree spices, i tried ones and didn’t like it. what is your opinion on dollar tree or store brand seasoning or spices as a great cook? I always go with best brand, but wondering if i am waisting money instead of buying cheap brands. thanks
You may want to check out Penzey.com as the spices from them are wonderful,fresh and they have blends that you cannot get in the supermarket.
I buy my spices at trader Joe’s.
The pricing is excellent, and the spices are QUALITY!
Most are priced 1.99
Do you add BBQ sauce in instant pot or just to ribs after they are cooked? Thanks in advance!
I add a dry rub – then after cooking add sauce – hope that helps 👍🏻
Do place the ribs in the bottom of the pot directly or in the rack the instant pot cane with?
I am a regular instant pot user and after following this recipe, I would strongly reccomend cooking your ribs for at least 15 to 20 minutes longer on high pressure and not to stack your rib sections on top of each other but rather on thier sides. 25 – 30 minute cook time will result in tough, uncooked ribs.
Do i cook e steam open or close for ribs
I tried your recipe, and found that by stacking the ribs, they were not consistently cooked. The ribs on top were not nearly as tender as those on the bottom. MY son recommended coiling the ribs in a circular way around the pot. Depending on the size of your pot, you can coil multiple racks of ribs in it. They cook more evenly and are perfectly (and consistently) tender.