Description
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs with Memphis Dry Rub. Pressure cooker baby back ribs, Memphis style, with a spice rub and no sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 slab baby back ribs
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)
Memphis Dry Rub (or substitute 3 tablespoons of your favorite rub)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the ribs: On the bone side of the ribs, work a butter knife between the membrane and the bone, then grab with a paper towel and pull the membrane off of the ribs. (If it tears while you’re pulling, work the knife under the remaining pieces and pull them off as well.)
- Mix the Memphis rub: In a small bowl, stir the Memphis Dry Rub ingredients, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the dry rub.
- Season the ribs and put them in the pot: Sprinkle both sides of the ribs with the remaining rub (about 2 tablespoons). Cut the rib rack into 4 pieces, cutting between every third bone. Pour a cup of water and the liquid smoke into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then add the pressure cooker rack. Stack the ribs loosely on top of the rack.
- Pressure cook the ribs for 30 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 24 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes.
- Second seasoning: Gently lift the ribs out of the pressure cooker and put them on a rimmed baking sheet, bone side down. Sprinkle the meaty side of the ribs with the remaining tablespoon of Memphis rub. You can serve the ribs as-is, or brown the ribs with an extra step…
- Broil the ribs (Optional): Put the baking sheet of ribs under a broiler set to high, and broil the ribs until they start to brown, about 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Remove the ribs from the broiler, serve, and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Don’t have a pressure cooker rack? That’s OK - just stack the ribs, bony side down, in the pressure cooker pot. The parts of the ribs that wind up in the water will be extra tender, but still good.
- Can’t live without BBQ sauce? It’s not very Memphis of you, but if you insist, brush a layer of sauce on the ribs after adding cooking, and adding the remaining tablespoon of rub. (Or, use one of my with-sauce recipes in the Related Posts section, below.)
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American