You might not believe it, but yes you can make perfect pork ribs in an Instant Pot! I love my Instant Pot. It prepares amazing dishes in about half the time of an ordinary appliance. For example, I’ve made some of the best curry beef stew using shockingly easy preparations. It makes fall-apart meat with little time and effort, like the Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Chinese Oxtail Soup, and Instant Pot Bolognese (Hong Kong Style). But you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that it even has the capability to make amazing pork ribs! I always thought you had to have a massive oven, or an outdoor grill, and loads of time to make glossy fall-off-the-bone barbecue pork ribs. These Instant Pot pork ribs take less than half an hour to reach perfection. Amazing, right!?
Why this recipe
Make tender juicy pork ribs in less than 30 minutes. The cooking process is extremely hands-off. You need 10 minutes to set things up and that’s it. The oven finish-up gives the ribs a glossy glaze so the result is like properly barbequed pork! The recipe includes a simple dry rub. The burst of Sichuan peppercorns, chili flakes, and ginger add a lovely Asian feel to this classic North American dish. But you can use your own favorite dry rub to make this dish as well.
Cooking process & notes
Cooking Instant Pot pork ribs only involves two steps, both of them super easy. (1) Coat the pork ribs with the dry rub. Cook it in the Instant Pot until tender. To cook ribs in an Instant Pot, the best way is to use the steaming rack that comes with the pot. Simply add water to the pot, place the rack into it, and let the ribs “stand” on the rack in a circle. The best thing about this method is, you don’t need to cut the ribs and you can cook two racks of ribs at a time. I find that adding a splash of liquid smoke into the water also works wonders with the Instant Pot method, adding a musky wood flavor to this addictive centerpiece. (2) Brush the cooked ribs with BBQ sauce and broil until glossy The Instant Pot cooked pork ribs will be tender and flavorful, but they will get so much better after this step. The surface will be lightly charred and coated with a glossy sauce, just like the real-deal BBQ ribs. For the full Chinese BBQ pork rib experience, check out my Chinese BBQ sauce recipe and use it to glaze the pork. Of course, you can use your own favorite BBQ sauce to make this recipe as well.
More delicious Instant Pot recipes
Pressure Cooker Curry Beef Stew (An Instant Pot Recipe) Instant Pot Eggs (Perfect Hard-Boiled & Soft-Boiled Eggs) Asian Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (A Pressure Cooker Recipe) Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Asian Instant Pot Chicken and Rice (A Pressure Cooker Recipe)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
