Instant Pot Country Style Ribs in BBQ Sauce are rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. So aromatic and flavorful thanks to the homemade Barbecue Sauce. Ready in the pressure cooker in just under 45 minutes, these tender ribs are perfect for busy weeknights!
I’ve made them all in the instant pot! Instant Pot Pork Chops, Pork Stroganoff and now please welcome the most amazing Instant Pot Country Style Ribs!
You don’t need to fire up the BBQ in order to have melt-in-your-mouth BBQ ribs. And you don’t even need any spice rub. These easy to make ribs are pressure cooked assuring the juiciest and most tender ribs. They are ideal for big celebrations or busy week dinners. Or, basically anytime you want insanely good BBQ ribs! These fall off the bone ribs are also flavorful and tender. They are perfect as is or, you can serve them over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!
What are Country Style Pork Ribs
Country-style ribs are cut from the blade end of the loin close to the pork shoulder. They have a very similar taste and texture to traditional ribs. But they are meatier than other rib cuts, emphasis on the meatier part. And you will get a lot of meat out of them! Country style pork ribs also have enough fat to keep the meat moist, unlike leaner cuts like tenderloin or loin.
By the way, you can find them sold as bone-in or boneless. Either one will work. I actually made both of them in this easy dinner recipe. While I took pictures with bone-in country style ribs, my video shows boneless country style pork ribs.
Can I use frozen ribs?
Yes! Also, cooking time for frozen country style ribs stays the same as for fresh ribs. You will still pressure cook them for 35 minutes plus Natural Release. But coming-to-pressure time will be longer.
If you bought frozen ribs, remember that the cooking time doesn’t start until the pot reaches pressure. Therefore, if ribs are frozen it will take longer to reach pressure. And the pot will take longer to become hot enough to reach pressure. As a result, overall cooking time including coming to pressure will be longer for frozen ribs. However, it does not change cooking time!
How do I make homemade BBQ sauce
- I made my homemade barbecue sauce with some basic ingredients. They include ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and brown sugar. I also added mustard, black pepper and vinegar. It’s such a crowd pleaser! So many layers of flavor there.
- By the way, you can use a variety of vinegars for Instant Pot Country Style Ribs. For example, you can use distilled, red wine or apple cider. I used apple cider vinegar.
Tips on making country style ribs in the Instant Pot
- First of all, you will place Country Style Pork Ribs inside the pot. Right on top of the homemade barbecue sauce.
- If your ribs have any fat layer on them, make sure to put them with the fat layer on top. Or, used trivet. Otherwise, before the pot comes to pressure, you might get a “Burn” warning since fat will start cooking off.
- If that happens, you should open the pot. Then flip the ribs – that’s all! As a bonus, you might get a nice sear on that side. Once the ribs are in the pot, you will season them generously with salt and pepper.
- You will pour some of the sauce on top of the meat to coat the top part of the ribs.
Should I use trivet ?
Yes, you can use a trivet and not worry about fat layer at all! I cooked it both ways. With and without trivet.
How to thicken BBQ Sauce after Pressure Cooking
This is an optional step. If you desire to thicken the sauce a bit, simply add a cornstarch and water. Then Sauté the sauce until thick.
Note that I did not thicken the sauce in this recipe. After I released the pressure, a good amount of the liquid did evaporate and the sauce had thickened up.
The close-up picture below shows the sauce spooned on top of the ribs. As you can see, it’s of a pretty good consistency:
Instant Pot Tips
Are you frequently using your Instant Pot for a variety of recipes? Then it’s a good idea to have 2 different rings. One for savory recipes and the other for sweet recipes in order to avoid odor exchange. I use this Genuine Instant Pot Ring as my second ring.
Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid is a good way to help keep the food warm without using a pressure lid.
If you like cooking in your Instant Pot, you might also like these delicious recipes:
Instant Pot Country style BBQ pork ribs is a comfort food like no other, perfect for your Pressure Cooker!
Check out our video inside the recipe card for how to make Instant Pot Pork Ribs.
Instant Pot Country Style BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup Vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Mustard powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
Pork Ribs:
- 3 lb. Country Style Pork Ribs
- 1/2 Cup Beef Broth
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the ingredients of Barbecue Sauce into the Instant Pot. Mix with a wooden spoon
- Now add 1/2 cup beef broth and mix it into the sauce (this amount of liquid is needed prevent Instant Pot's "Burn" warning)
- Place ribs on top of the sauce with the fat layer on top (to prevent Burn warning). Season with salt and pepper over the ribs right in the pot.
- Using a spoon, coat the top of the ribs with the sauce.
- Close the lid, make sure it's in the "Lock" position. Turn the vent to "Sealing" position. Push "Meat/Stew" button which defaults to 35 minutes. Your pot will show On.
- Once the pressure is built up and valve pops up, the countdown will start from 35 minutes to 0.
Use Natural Release Method to release pressure:
- When pressure cooking is over and digital display reads "L0:00", the pot will start beeping. Push "Cancel" to cancel the reheat mode. The digital display will show "OFF". Now just patiently wait for the floating valve to completely drop (this will take 10 to 20 minutes).
- Now turn "Venting" knob to venting position. Turn the lid to "Open" position and open the pot. The ribs are done!
Video
Hungry for more pork? How about boneless pork chop recipes? I have several tasty and quick recipes here:
If you are looking for pork tenderloin or pork loin recipes, you might find these recipes interesting:
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Made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING!!! The meat was so tender and juicy and it definitely was a hit in our household ☺️ Thanks for sharing this recipe and giving a step by step for the IP!!!!
So glad you enjoyed the ribs Jennifer!
if you have them sealed in foodsaver bags, I would just cover them in water…. Fill the sink with water and immerse the ribs still sealed. They will thaw pretty quickly and I figure they will turn out better. I have tied this method and it has worked well for me. While I haven’t tried cooking ribs or butts from frozen, I recently read an article concerning how this practice may make for a tougher piece of meat….. so take that for what its worth, which may not be much….
How about adding some red potatoes to the pot?
I think it will worth trying!
Can I double this recipe in the instant pot?
Yes!
Gabrielle, again. Is a Hot Pot the same as a pressure cooker?
Yes. It’s a newest generation of pressure cookers.
What is a Hot Pot. Gabrielle from Sydney
My family absolutely loves this recipe!! Curious, if I wanted to use same sauce but for pulled pork with pork butt, would any of the timing or amounts change? TIA
Yes, same amount of time!
Can I use a crock pot ?
I cooked this exact recipe in the slow cooker as well. In the crock pot, cook ribs on high 4 hours or low 8 hours.