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    Home / Recipes / Instant Pot

    Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

    By Heather · Published: Mar 20, 2017 · Updated: Jun 19, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links · See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    These Instant Pot BBQ Ribs are the perfect recipe to make to break in your Instant Pot! They are so easy to make and taste like they've been slow-roasting for hours. Tender, fall-off-the-bone perfection! BBQ Instant Pot Ribs on a white plate

    Tender, smoked BBQ ribs that have been bathed in smoke for hours are pretty magical. Heck, I believe most all slow-smoked meats should have their place in heaven! But unless you own a BBQ restaurant, are independently wealthy, don't have children, or have a blessed BBQ pitmaster as a neighbor that will share with you, ain't nobody got time for smoking your own bbq ribs!

    Am I right?

    The beauty of Instant Pot Ribs

    This is where the Instant Pot comes in. If you’re not familiar, an Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that doubles as a slow cooker, rice and yogurt maker, and more. There’s so much you can do with it! There are lots of brands out there that make similar electric pressure cookers, but the Instant Pot is what I have and love with a big capital "L."

    Instant Pot BBQ Ribs on a white plate

    Pressure cookers work by cooking food under intense pressure, so they cook incredibly fast and do a great job of breaking down the collagen and connective tissue in meats that typically take hours to break down.

    But with the pressure cooker, making tender, fall-off-the-bone Instant Pot Ribs takes about one hour start to finish. Take a look!

    Cooking tips for these Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

    • Make sure to remove the membrane or silver skin on the back of the baby back or spare ribs before cooking. During cooking, this membrane forms a thick, leathery skin that is less than desirable and prevents the flavors from penetrating into the meat fully.
    • Root beer or Beer? Your choice! Both obviously yield different flavors, but are equally delicious!
    • My recipe below includes a super simple spice rub for the bbq ribs that is phenomenal but feel free to use your favorite homemade or store-bought dry rub. The process of cooking is the same no matter what seasoning you choose to use.

    Instant Pot BBQ Babyback Ribs with sauce on a white plate

    These Instant Pot Ribs are so tender and cooking them in either beer, or root beer gives them just a little extra punch of flavor.

    Once the ribs come out of the Instant Pot, I like to put them on a cookie sheet, brush my favorite BBQ sauce on them, and put them under the broiler for a few minutes. Doing this gives the sauce a chance to stick to the ribs and caramelize a bit, just like they were finished off on the grill!

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    BBQ ribs made in the Instant Pot on a white plate with salad

    Pin This Recipe For Later

    Want more easy BBQ recipes?

    • Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
    • BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
    • Slow Cooker Blackberry BBQ Pulled Pork

    Tools Used in making Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

    • The Instant Pot! : This is the model that I have and LOVE. It’s been with me for over a year, and I’ve definitely put it through the ringer, but still works like new! It’s changed the dinnertime routine at our house and helps me make meals in under an hour that used to take HOURS!
    • OXO Stainless Steel Tongs: These tongs take a beating in my kitchen. They go from the grill for flipping meats to the salad bowl for tossing with very little complaint. They are built like a tank and have silicone grips that make them super easy to use, even with my very small hands.
    These Instant Pot BBQ ribs are the perfect recipe to make to break in your Instant Pot! They are so easy to make and taste like they've been slow-roasting for hours. Tender, fall-off-the-bone perfection!

    Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

    These Instant Pot BBQ Ribs are the perfect recipe to make to break in your Instant Pot! They are so easy to make and taste like they've been slow-roasting for hours. Tender, fall-off-the-bone perfection! 
    By Heather Cheney
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Pressure Release TIme: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 rack pork baby back ribs
    • ¼ cup smoked paprika
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 11 ounces beer or root beer *See Notes*
    • 1 cup BBQ Sauce

    Instructions

    • Remove ribs from packaging and dry well with paper towels. Cut into sections of 3 ribs and set aside.
    • In a small bowl whisk together smoked paprika, sugar, garlic salt, and onion powder. Sprinkle all of the seasoning over the ribs and rub in with fingertips.
    • Place ribs into your Instant Pot and pour entire bottle of beer or root beer over the ribs. Close lid and set the pot to cook for 25 minutes at high pressure.
    • Preheat oven to Broil on high
    • When cooking time is up, allow pot to naturally release pressure most of the way (about 10 minutes) and then quick-release the rest.
    • Remove ribs from pot and place on a baking sheet. Brush each piece with your favorite BBQ Sauce and place under the broiler until sauce is bubbly and starting to brown and caramelize-- about 5 minutes. Just watch them closely as things go fast under the broiler!
    • Remove from oven and serve.

    Video

    Chef's Notes:

    1. Baby Back, St. Louis Style, and Pork Spare ribs will all work for this recipe. I used Baby Back for the video and pictures.
    2. Both Beer and Root Beer lend great flavor to the finished ribs-- so use what you have/want to! The end flavor will obviously be different but both are phenomenal.

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 843 kcal | Carbohydrates: 41 g | Protein: 67 g | Fat: 41 g | Saturated Fat: 8 g | Cholesterol: 251 mg | Sodium: 2700 mg | Potassium: 1422 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 30 g | Vitamin A: 3510 IU | Vitamin C: 0.4 mg | Calcium: 117 mg | Iron: 4.8 mg

    Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

    ARE WE FRIENDS ON INSTAGRAM?Tag me @heatherlikesfood and use #heatherlikesfood so I can see what you're making and enjoying!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mohit says

      April 16, 2019 at 6:40 am

      5 stars
      My Instant Pot got delivered a couple of days ago and this is the first thing I tried making in it. A great Share!

      Reply
    2. eatfrysmith says

      April 07, 2019 at 8:10 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I have all the ingredients and now I will start to cook right away

      Reply
    3. Judith Fertig says

      April 02, 2019 at 2:18 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this great recipe! I going to try it by this weekend.

      Reply
    4. Sherry L says

      March 15, 2019 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      First time user of an Instapot and dove in and made these ribs tonight in it, OMG, I hate ribs as a normal, but in like 30 mins (including the broiling for 5 mins in the oven) they were fall off the bones delish.
      Very very happy so far
      ? Definitely a keeper

      Reply
    5. Wendy says

      December 29, 2018 at 5:12 pm

      5 stars
      This was my first recipe using my new instant pot. I followed it exactly and they turned out amazing! My family LOVED these ribs. Thank you!!! I will be saving this one for sure!!!

      Reply
    6. Magge says

      December 26, 2018 at 11:56 am

      Has anyone used diet root beer and sugar free barbecue sauce??

      Reply
    7. Barbara says

      October 15, 2018 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      I made these ribs as directed and they came out just as described in the recipe! I am new to Instant Pot, so this was the second dish I made! They really were "fall off the bone" tender and flavorful. I used root beer. The only recommendation I would have is for those that like a little heat with their ribs to add a little black pepper or cayenne pepper to the spice mix. Another spice to add some additional flavor is ground mustard. I think any cola would also work well in this recipe.

      Reply
    8. Marcy says

      October 14, 2018 at 2:49 pm

      Can you make these by just using barbecue sauce in the instapot

      Reply
      • Cody says

        December 16, 2018 at 3:35 pm

        5 stars
        I've done ribs in the instapot alone before, and I felt that they were a bit too tender. The taste was great, but the meat was a bit too soft for my taste. I think most recipes call for some oven time for a reason...

        Reply
      • Heather Cheney says

        February 22, 2019 at 12:11 pm

        No, BBQ sauce doesn't have the water content to bring the Instant Pot up to pressure.

        Reply
    9. Angie says

      August 10, 2018 at 3:54 pm

      5 stars
      Just tried these and they came out great!! I did use brown sugar instead of white sugar, and I used Dr Pepper instead of root beer – because that’s what I had my house LOL and everything came out great. They’re so tender, and so good. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
    10. Dee says

      June 23, 2018 at 2:54 pm

      What do I do with all that wonderful leftover juice from the beer?

      Reply
      • Heather Cheney says

        February 22, 2019 at 11:22 am

        You could definitely make a homemade bbq sauce with it!

        Reply
    11. Leah says

      June 17, 2018 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these for my husband for Father’s Day. I was nervous because I’ve never made ribs AND I’m new to using the Instant Pot. We ALL loved them, including my 13 year old daughter! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    12. Jeanne says

      April 15, 2018 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      First time making ribs of any kind-turned out awesome!!!!!!

      Reply
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