Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

These delicious and Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs are both savoury and sweet and full of flavour!

These delicious Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs are juicy, bright and flavourful. They have all the taste of amazing barbeque without an actual barbeque. They are cooked using the Instant Pot and a standard oven, but if you wanted to avoid the oven entirely you can do that at well.

Ribs can often be time consuming and messy. If you want a truly tender rib, people often remove the membrane then bake for hours in the oven, or smoke for hours on end. I’ve even had one friend mention par boiling the meat to ensure it will be tender before putting it on the barbeque! Now please don’t get me wrong, nothing can compare to a beautifully wood smoked rib from a traditional barbeque joint, but in terms of a juicy, flavourful, fall off the bone rib, this recipe will satisfy that craving.

These Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs are both savoury and sweet. They have a good amount of bright acidity from the tomato paste, passata, lemon, and vinegar, as well as some savoury sweetness from two kinds of sugar. A healthy dose of seasonings rounds out the flavour, while Worcestershire adds an umami hit. The result is beautifully caramelized fall off the bone ribs in under two hours, without ever having to turn on your barbeque!

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 5 minutes
• Cooking Time -1 hour 52 minutes
• Total Time – 1 hour 57 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR EASY INSTANT POT BBQ RIBS

All these ingredients are easy to source from any local grocer.

Barbeque Sauce

• 2 1/2 cups Passata
• 1/2 cup Tomato Paste
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp White Sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 pinch White Pepper
• 1 pinch Black Pepper

Ribs

• 5 lbs Bone In Pork Ribs
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BACK AND SPARE RIBS?

The Spruce Eats gives a great summary of all different cuts of pork. Back ribs are meaty and tender, while spare ribs are less meaty, but also contain less fat. Because they have less fat, spare ribs are better after being slow cooked. This recipe will work with both kinds of ribs.

WHAT IS PASSATA?

Passata is crushed, strained, tomatoes. There are many brands of passata, and it is easy to find in most grocery stores. I like to buy Mutti which is bottled in Italy. It is smooth and brightly flavoured with fresh tomatoes. If possible, buy passata that has no spices or herbs so that you can season your sauce to your own tastes. Passata will give you a deliciously smooth barbeque sauce with a fresh flavour.

WHAT IS TOMATO PASTE?

Tomato paste is a very concentrated tomato product. It is made by crushing and heating the tomatoes, thus reducing them and remove the excess water content. The result is a strongly flavoured paste which adds a lot of flavour to this dish.

CAN I JUST USE MY INSTANT POT TO MAKE THIS?

Yes! You could make your sauce in the Instant Pot using the sautee function, then set it aside in a heat proof bowl. Then you could sear the ribs using the sautee high heat function on your Instant Pot instead of in the oven. You wouldn’t be able to finish the ribs at a broil to char them, but they would still be juicy and flavourful.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS FOR INSTANT POT BBQ RIBS

CAN I USE WHITE VINEGAR INSTEAD OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR?

If you don’t have access to apple cider vinegar, white vinegar will work in a pinch. However, apple cider vinegar has an added sweetness that works better with this recipe.

HELP! I’M ALLERGIC TO FISH AND CAN’T EAT WORCESTERSHIRE!

Part of what gives Worcestershire it’s umami taste is the addition of anchovies. This same umami flavour can be obtained by using a one to one substitution of soy sauce in this recipe.

I DON’T EAT PORK, CAN I SUBSTITUTE BEEF RIBS?

Absolutely. If you don’t eat pork, you can easily substitute beef back ribs in this recipe.

CAN I USE ALL WHITE SUGAR INSTEAD OF BROWN AND WHITE?

Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in. It has a deeper flavour akin to caramel that works beautifully in this recipe. I strongly recommend using a combination of both.

EQUIPMENT FOR EASY INSTANT POT BBQ RIBS

Cooking With Carbs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but all of the equipment listed on this site is recommended without incentive and are products I strongly believe in.

Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make these Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs:

• Instant Pot – I find the Instant Pot to be a wonderful tool for the preparation of braised meats. It allows me to walk away while they are cooking without concern, and it reduces the cooking time for a deeply flavourful sauce exponentially . I highly recommend purchasing this tool if you like to make braised meats that need to cook for long periods of time.

• Cutting Board

• Kitchen Knife – A sharp knife is key to making these ribs easily without cutting yourself. This Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.

• Parchment Paper

• Small Sauce Pan

COOKING DIRECTIONS FOR EASY INSTANT POT BBQ RIBS

The key to making delicious and flavourful Instant Pot BBQ Ribs can be narrowed down to a few important things:

1. Sear your meat before adding the sauce. This adds flavour to your ribs, caramelizes the fat, and begins to build flavour.
2. Don’t skimp on the seasoning! It may look like a lot of different spices are in this sauce, but they all add to the delicious flavour.
3. Braise your ribs after they are finished in the Instant Pot. This will add a beautiful caramelized finish to your ribs similar to a barbeque.

Follow the steps above to make the most delicious Instant BBQ Ribs!

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE FOR BBQ RIBS

The Barbeque Sauce can be made the night before if you wish.

These Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs can keep in the fridge for up to four days, and freeze beautifully in an airtight container.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy these delicious Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs!

OTHER MEAT DISHES

Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket

Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

OTHER INSTANT POT DISHES

Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Cauliflower

Instant Pot Lemon Saffron Risotto

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.

Pin the image below if you would like to make this recipe later!

Did you make these Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs? Let us know in the comments below!