Instant Pot Pork Ribs (Chinese-Style)

You might not believe it, but yes you can make perfect pork ribs in an Instant Pot!

I love my Instant Pot. It prepares amazing dishes in about half the time of an ordinary appliance. For example, I’ve made some of the best curry beef stew using shockingly easy preparations. It makes fall-apart meat with little time and effort, like the Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Chinese Oxtail Soup, and Instant Pot Bolognese (Hong Kong Style).

But you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that it even has the capability to make amazing pork ribs! I always thought you had to have a massive oven, or an outdoor grill, and loads of time to make glossy fall-off-the-bone barbecue pork ribs. These Instant Pot pork ribs take less than half an hour to reach perfection. Amazing, right!?

Why this recipe

• Make tender juicy pork ribs in less than 30 minutes.
• The cooking process is extremely hands-off. You need 10 minutes to set things up and that’s it.
• The oven finish-up gives the ribs a glossy glaze so the result is like properly barbequed pork!
• The recipe includes a simple dry rub. The burst of Sichuan peppercorns, chili flakes, and ginger add a lovely Asian feel to this classic North American dish. But you can use your own favorite dry rub to make this dish as well.

Cooking process & notes

Cooking Instant Pot pork ribs only involves two steps, both of them super easy.

(1) Coat the pork ribs with the dry rub. Cook it in the Instant Pot until tender.

To cook ribs in an Instant Pot, the best way is to use the steaming rack that comes with the pot. Simply add water to the pot, place the rack into it, and let the ribs “stand” on the rack in a circle. The best thing about this method is, you don’t need to cut the ribs and you can cook two racks of ribs at a time.

I find that adding a splash of liquid smoke into the water also works wonders with the Instant Pot method, adding a musky wood flavor to this addictive centerpiece.

(2) Brush the cooked ribs with BBQ sauce and broil until glossy

The Instant Pot cooked pork ribs will be tender and flavorful, but they will get so much better after this step. The surface will be lightly charred and coated with a glossy sauce, just like the real-deal BBQ ribs.

For the full Chinese BBQ pork rib experience, check out my Chinese BBQ sauce recipe and use it to glaze the pork. Of course, you can use your own favorite BBQ sauce to make this recipe as well.

More delicious Instant Pot recipes

• Pressure Cooker Curry Beef Stew (An Instant Pot Recipe)
• Instant Pot Eggs (Perfect Hard-Boiled & Soft-Boiled Eggs)
• Asian Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (A Pressure Cooker Recipe)
• Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap
• Asian Instant Pot Chicken and Rice (A Pressure Cooker Recipe)

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

Instant Pot Pork Ribs (Chinese-Style)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 7 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Adding pressure: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

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A super easy Instant Pot pork ribs recipe that produces juicy tender pork with a sticky glossy glaze just like real-deal barbeque pork. It takes merely 10 minutes to set it up, and your dinner will be done in 30 minutes. An Asian style dry rub and BBQ sauce are included, but you can use your own favorite seasonings in this recipe as well. {Gluten-Free}

Ingredients 

• 1 rack (2 to 2.5 lbs / 1 kg) baby back ribs , or spare ribs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (Optional)
• 1/4 cup Homemade Chinese Barbecue Sauce (or store bought char siu sauce, or your favorite BBQ sauce)

Dry rub

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese chili flakes (or paprika powder for a non-spicy dish)
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons ginger powder
• 4 teaspoons freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns (or ground black pepper)
• 2 teaspoons salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to mix well.
• Rub the dry mix over the ribs, coating all sides.
• Place the steaming rack (the one that came with the Instant Pot) in the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) Instant Pot. Add water and liquid smoke (if using). Place the ribs in a standing-up position onto the steaming rack, so the side is on the rack and the ribs form a circle in the pot (see the picture above in the blog post). You can cook more ribs (2 to 3 slabs) by letting them stand up in the same position.
• Cover the Instant Pot and seal the valve. For baby back ribs, cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. For spare ribs, cook on high pressure for 28 minutes.
• Turn on the broiler of your oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or tin foil).
• Once done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then use quick release using a long spatula to carefully move the valve to the open position. Be careful of the hot steam coming out of the valve.
• Carefully transfer the ribs onto the lined baking sheet. Brush both sides with BBQ sauce. Cook under the broiler for 2 minutes. Check on the ribs. The sauce should char slightly. Broil for another 2 minutes if needed.
• Serve hot as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 477kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 56.9g, Fat: 22.1g, Saturated Fat: 7.3g, Cholesterol: 191mg, Sodium: 352mg, Potassium: 839mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 4.8g, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg

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