I have always loved BBQ ribs, and grew up eating country style ribs that were boiled and finished with BBQ sauce in the oven. Sounds delicious, no? LOL. At the time, it seemed very fancy, and required some planning since the ribs had to cook for a couple of hours. This was my requested birthday meal with twice baked potatoes and french silk pie every year until I was in my 20s, and still a very nostalgic meal for me.
However, as I’ve gotten older, I have come to appreciate “real” ribs – spare or baby back. When they are on sale at the store, I tend to grab a couple packs as I know my boys will be excited. But I am not a huge fan of the time and attention that ribs require on the grill…unless my neighbor Jeremy has his Traeger out. I keep telling him I will happily buy the meat if he will grill for me!
This recipe will have fall-apart ribs on your table in under 45 minutes. No special ingredients needed, the dry rub is mainly pantry staples, and the liquid smoke is completely optional. The spice rub is amazing and you can sauce these and put them under the broiler for a few minutes if that’s your jam. I hope you love them as much as we do.
- Baby back ribs are smaller and more tender. They are my favorite and the ones you’ll see in the photo above.
- Spare ribs are larger, meatier, and fattier. Also delicious! Will require another 10 minutes of cooking time in the IP.
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Ingredients
2 racks of your favorite ribs – see note above ~ 1.5 – 2 pounds each. Membranes removed.
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
Directions
- Rinse the ribs and pat them dry. If your ribs still have the thin, shiny membrane on the back, remove it – it’s not hard! Flip the ribs over, meat-side down. Wiggle a knife between the membrane and the ribs to loosen it. With a paper towel, grip the membrane and pull it away, then throw it in the garbage!
- Mix brown sugar, chili powder, parsley, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cumin, onion powder, and paprika in a bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of the ribs.
- Place a trivet from the Insta Pot. Pour water and cider vinegar into the bottom of the pot. Lower ribs into the pot by curving them around the edge. Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure/manual setting for 25 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
- Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove lid.
- Preheat your broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; place ribs on the foil. Top with barbecue sauce and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.