Instant Pot Cajun Ribs. Baby back ribs come out of the pressure cooker fall-apart-tender with about an hour of total cooking time. I sprinkled a slab of ribs with my homemade Cajun spice rub, pressure cooked them for 30 minutes (with a natural release of about 20 minutes), then glazed them with some barbecue sauce and ran them under the broiler to brown them. They're fantastic!
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One of my favorite things to cook in my Instant Pot is baby back ribs. (Or any ribs, really). Now, I am a fan of real BBQ ribs, and the BBQ purists are not going to be happy with me about this recipe. "That's not barbecue, that's baked ribs!" they will say. And they're right. There's nothing better than low-and-slow, smoked, real-deal ribs. But...that doesn't mean these ribs aren't great. And they are a lot easier, ready in about an hour, without spending all day hovering over a smoker in your backyard.
Ingredient Notes
- Types of ribs: Baby back ribs are my favorites for this recipe, but St. Louis cut ribs are an excellent substitute, and the recipe works as written. If you have a whole slab of spare ribs, increase the cooking time to 35 minutes under pressure.
- Store-bought rubs and BBQ Sauce: There are lots of store-bought Cajun spice rubs, and any of them will work on this recipe. The same goes for BBQ sauce; if you have a favorite brand, go ahead and get it, it will work fine.
- Liquid smoke: Liquid smoke sounds like cheating. And it is, sort of. Liquid smoke is a natural product that has been used for centuries and is made by distilling water from smoldering wood. (It was called "Smoke Vinegar" back in the day.) The smoke-infused steam trapped in the pressure cooker will give the ribs just a hint of smoky flavor from the liquid smoke in the water. You can skip it, but I like the extra depth it gives the recipe.
Step by Step Pictures of Instant Pot Ribs
Season the ribs
Sprinkle the ribs all over with the Cajun Rub (in the recipe, or substitute your favorite store-bought Cajun spice rub).
Ribs into the pot
Cut the ribs into 4 pieces (between every third rib), put a rack in your Instant Pot, pour in a cup of water and the liquid smoke, and stack the ribs loosely in the pot, bone-side down.
Pressure cook for 30 minutes
Set your Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, and cook the ribs with a Natural Pressure Release
Sauce the ribs
Brush the ribs with the BBQ Sauce (in the recipe, or use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce)
Broil the ribs and add a second layer of sauce (optional)
To brown the ribs and tighten the sauce, run them under a broiler set on high until the sauce is bubbling and starting to brown.
Second layer of sauce (optional)
After broiling, brush the ribs with another layer of sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Removing the membrane from the ribs: I know this is a hassle, and you can skip it if you want, but the membrane never tenderizes during cooking, so it will be chewy on the back of the ribs. If you're OK with that, don't bother removing the membrane.
- No 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.
- Want extra-tender ribs? These ribs have just a little bit of chew to them, but if you want your ribs extra soft, cook them for 35 minutes under pressure.
Instant Pot Cajun Ribs
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 slab of ribs 1x
Description
Instant Pot Cajun Ribs. Baby back ribs come out of the pressure cooker fall-apart-tender with about an hour of total cooking time.
Ingredients
- 1 slab baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)
Cajun Rub (or use your favorite store-bought Cajun spice blend)
(NOTE: This is 2 tablespoons of my Cajun Rub Recipe plus 2 teaspoons of salt)
- 1 ½ teaspoons of paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Barbecue sauce (1 cup of my Easy BBQ Sauce), or use your favorite store-bought sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or cheap yellow mustard)
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco
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 the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off the ribs. (If it tears while you're pulling, work the knife under the remaining pieces and pull them off as well.)
- Mix the Cajun rub and BBQ Sauce: In a small bowl, stir the Cajun rub ingredients, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar with your fingers.
- Season the ribs and put them in the pot: Sprinkle both sides of the ribs with the remaining rub (about 3 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, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes.
- Sauce the ribs, then (optional) broil and sauce again: Gently lift the ribs out of the pressure cooker and put them on a rimmed baking sheet, bone side down. Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce and put the sheet under a broiler set to high. Broil the ribs until the sauce is bubbling and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes (depends on your broiler). Remove the pan from the broiler and brush the ribs with another layer of sauce. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Cajun
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 bones
- Calories: 694
- Sugar: 20.9 g
- Sodium: 1500.5 mg
- Fat: 33.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.1 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 71.9 g
- Cholesterol: 225.7 mg
Related Posts
If you're looking for homemade barbecue sauce recipes for these ribs, try my BBQ Sauce Recipe or
Espresso Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.
For other rib recipes, try my Instant Pot Spare Ribs with BBQ Rub and Sauce, Instant Pot Boneless Pork Ribs (Country Style Shoulder Ribs), or Instant Pot Beef Ribs (Texas BBQ Style).
To branch out from ribs, check out my Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs, Instant Pot BBQ Braised Short Ribs, Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs with Memphis Dry Rub, or Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.
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