In celebration of National BBQ Day we are grilling up some delicious grilled BBQ ribs!
It was a good thing that we bought a nice rack of pork ribs last week at the Farmer’s Market because there were “slim pickings” this week. With this being such a beautiful weekend and the pandemic-induced popularity of local farmers, our usual suppliers were sold out by the time we got there. How wonderful that people are buying local! Oh – and these pigs are pasture-raised in the hills of East Tennessee, so what better way to recycle than to feed them moonshine mash??!! Yep – these ribs are from seriously happy pigs
I love some good, juicy, fall-off-the bone ribs! But – they require a whole lot of love to get that tenderness. This usually means hours and hours of slow roasting, but most of us don’t have that much time to spend in meal prep. So bring out the Instant Pot (or whatever brand you have). Cooking the ribs ahead of time using pressure will give that tenderness without the hours of prep.
In this recipe I just used the small rack of ribs I got at the market and cut it into 3 pieces before placing it in the pressure cooker. You can also leave it in one piece and just curl it up to fit. Use whatever rub you like. I happened to hav some “Butt Rub” on hand which is a combination of spices that works great on any meat. If you don’t have a prepared rub mix, just use some salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and add some heat with cayenne if you like it hot!
Once they are out of the pressure cooker, just put them on the grill or under the broiler just to add some caramelization. If you are adding some BBQ sauce, make sure to brush it on for just the last few minutes of cooking because it will burn due to the sugar content of the sauce – trust me on this one – I have made that mistake!
Be careful with your BBQ sauce. Most are loaded with added sugar. Of course it is best to make your own but, if you don’t, make sure to read the label and check the ingredients!
Instant Pot BBQ Pork Ribs
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork ribs
- 1 can beer
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp meat rub
- 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the bottom of the rib rack by lifting the edge with a knife and then use a paper towel to grab it and pull it off. There may not be a membrane but be sure to remove it if there is.
- Season the ribs with salt and pepper on both sides and then apply the rub.
- Place ribs on their side on the metal rack in the Instant Pot. Add the can of beer and the liquid smoke to the bottom of the pot.
- Set on high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. This will usually take about 10 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the Instant Pot and place on a medium-hot grill. Cook about 5 minutes on each side to brown. If desired, brush with some BBQ sauce and cook for another few minutes on each side until caramelized. Watch carefully so they don't burn!
Notes
- Nutritional values will vary depending on the size of the rib rack – these are meant as a general guide.
- The beer (even though I used a low-carb beer) is not included in the nutritional information since it is only used as a liquid in the bottom of the pot.
- The ribs can be pre-cooked ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Just take them out and throw them on the grill for a quick meal!
- Be very careful not to burn the BBQ sauce!
