Skip to Content

Easy, Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs

These Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs are the best, quick and easy pressure cooker recipe for grilled pork or beef ribs. These ribs are marinated with pork rub and are so juicy, they literally fall off the bone. Feel free to use spare, country-style, or frozen ribs if desired.

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.

This post was originally published on April 14, 2018. It has since been updated.

Be sure to check out my Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken, too!

I decided to give my Instant Pot a try at baby back ribs. The Instant Pot is really the king when it comes to producing juicy, succulent meat that falls off the bone. You should definitely check out my Tuscan Chicken Thighs and Chicken and Rice Drumsticks

Now…before you comment and yell that ribs and BBQ have to be grilled, trust me I KNOW all about BBQ. I live in Kansas City. We have the best BBQ on this earth. I even used my favorite local marinade and sauce in this recipe.

kansas city gates bbq marinade

How to Make and Cook Baby Back Ribs in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

  1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
  2. Place the ribs in the Instant Pot with a trivet, onions, and water.
  3. Pressure cook.

kansas city gates bbq sauce

How Long to Cook Baby Back Ribs in Instant Pot

Cook the ribs for 25 minutes, with a 10-minute natural release of steam instead of the quick release.

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

Do You Have to Grill or Bake Instant Pot Pot Ribs?

After the Instant Pot you can grill or bake the ribs. Grilling these ribs yields amazing results and will also really give them that BBQ taste, but baking works just fine too! If you use Liquid Smoke and a BBQ marinade (I love McCormick’s Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning) you will get some of the BBQ flavor. 

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

How to Make Spare or Country-Style Ribs Using the Instant Pot

Spare ribs will need more time to cook. Cook spare ribs for 45 minutes with 10-15 minutes of natural release of steam.

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

How to Cook Frozen Ribs in the Instant Pot

If using frozen ribs, cook them for 32 minutes.

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate

Feel free to add as much BBQ sauce as you want. Sometimes, I eat ribs without the sauce.  I believe the BBQ marinade should be so good, that BBQ sauce is optional.

instant pot baby back ribs with bread

one baby back rib held in a hand

Does it look like the meat is falling off the bone to you? I paired these with white bread (a BBQ staple), potato salad, and baked beans. It was scrumptious!

Pair these ribs with Instant Pot Potato Salad, Instant Pot Southern Green Beans, or Keto Coleslaw.

You may also enjoy my Air Fryer Ribs , Traeger Smoked Ribs (3-2-1 Method), and How to Grill the Best Burgers, and Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipes.

Pin this recipe for later here.

instant pot baby back ribs on a white plate
Print Pin
4.93 from 13 votes

Instant Pot Fall Off the Bone BBQ Baby Back Ribs

These Instant Pot Fall Off the Bone BBQ Baby Back Ribs are a pressure cooker recipe for grilled pork ribs. These ribs are quick and easy to make and can be baked or grilled. These ribs are marinated with a pork rub and then drizzled in Kansas City Gates' BBQ sauce.
Save this recipe here.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American, bbq
Keyword instant pot baby back ribs, instant pot bbq ribs, instant pot pork ribs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
natural release steam 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 590kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds rack of baby back ribs
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 2-3 tablespoons pork rub I used Kansas City Gate's classic BBQ rub or McCormick's Grill Mates Pork Rub is another option
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce Use as much sauce as you prefer

Instructions

  • Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. (Refer to video). This is a thin layer that can be tough to remove. Sometimes it will peel right off. You can also cut it, and pull it off. 
  • Drizzle the liquid smoke over both side of the ribs.
  • Season both sides of the ribs with the pork rub, salt, and pepper to taste.
  • Pour the cup of water in the Instant Pot.
  • Place the trivet in the Instant Pot. This is the metal basket that comes with the machine. This will keep the ribs from touching the bottom of the pot as they cook.
  • Place the onion and the seasoned ribs on the trivet.
  • Place the lid on the pot and seal. Cook for 25 minutes on Manual > High-Pressure Cooking.
  • When the Instant Pot indicates it has finished, allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes instead of quick release.
  • If you choose to bake the ribs, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Remove the ribs from the pot. Brush the BBQ sauce onto the ribs.
  • Bake or grill the ribs for 10 minutes.
  • Remove and serve!

Video

Notes

You can make your own pork rub using 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon BBQ seasoning (I like McCormick's Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 -1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon chili powder.
Recipe Tools Used in this RecipeAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Calories: 590kcal
Tried this recipe? Mention @Stay_Snatched or tag #StaySnatched! The recipe instructions noted here are the property of Stay Snatched and subject to copyright. Please do not screenshot and share this recipe on social.
Subscribe to our YouTube ChannelCheck out our YouTube Channel!
Join our Air Fryer and Instant Pot Facebook GroupClick here to join our Facebook Group!
Join our Keto Recipes Facebook GroupClick here to join our Facebook Group!
Nutrition DataMacros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Save This Recipe Form

Want to save this recipe in your inbox?

Enter your email below & we'll send it directly to you! Plus you’ll get new recipes, tips, and tricks from us every week!

Recipe Rating




Michele

Thursday 4th of November 2021

On the recipe can I double the ribs or do I cook 2 batches

staysnatched

Friday 5th of November 2021

Sure, if you can get them to fit.

Melissa

Tuesday 11th of May 2021

This will be in my summertime rotation! I haven’t made ribs in so long and this was so incredibly easy. I bought St. Louis spare ribs because that’s what I can find and I followed the notes for spare ribs. I couldn’t find the pork rib so I used her BBQ seasoning recipe. Finished them in the oven. Fall off the bone and so flavorful.

staysnatched

Thursday 20th of May 2021

Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed them.

Sabrina Boucher

Monday 15th of March 2021

Thank you for these! Lol I live in an apartment so unfortunately I do not get to grill pretty much ever but we love BBQ food. I made these a few times now and they are great, they legit fall off the bone and are really easy to make.

staysnatched

Monday 15th of March 2021

Awesome! I'm glad these worked for you.

Tiffany Bundy

Wednesday 20th of January 2021

Oh. My. Gawd. Freaking amazing. Ribs in under an hour? Yes!!!! You have to try them. I do wish I had a dry rub that I’d used, as the recipe instructs. I used sweet baby Ray’s. Cus it’s what I had. Added garlic and pepper. Phenomenal! You have to try them! And yes I did bake them also. So incredibly good

staysnatched

Thursday 21st of January 2021

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed these.

Jaye

Friday 15th of January 2021

Made this tonight with the low carb creamed spinach and low carb cornbread. Super easy and delish keto meal. My boyfriend discouraged using the instant pot for the ribs, because he feared they would taste like boiled meat. But Brandi has this recipe down perfect. The ribs were tender, flavorful, and yes, my boyfriend was begging for more.

staysnatched

Thursday 21st of January 2021

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.