Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs recipe. Fork tender pork country ribs with apple cider and mustard - a hearty meal from the pressure cooker.
After my country or western ribs rant last week, the least I could do is write you a country ribs recipe.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Jump to:
I went with one of my favorite flavor profiles - pork and cider. In France, they would make the recipe with hard cider (preferably from Normandy) and Dijon mustard; here in America, cider is really taking off in popularity, but if you can't find it, go ahead and use regular apple cider. I stick with the Dijon mustard - Grey Poupon, but of course - but go ahead and use any grainy mustard you happen to have on hand. (Ballpark yellow mustard doesn't work…unless you're from Northeastern Ohio and can get Cleveland Stadium's Ball Park Mustard.
From my recipe testing, the only real difference between pork country-style ribs and western ribs is that the country-style ribs are cut from right next to the loin, and have a some loin meat on them. The loin meat dries out if you cook it too long. My shoulder rib testing gave me good results between 45 minutes and an hour, depending on how shreddable I wanted the meat. For country ribs, 45 minutes is the max; after that, they start to dry out.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds pork country-style ribs (or pork shoulder western ribs)
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup hard cider (or apple cider)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
How to make Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Brown the ribs
Season the pork country ribs with 1½ teaspoons of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. (In an electric pressure cooker, use saute mode adjusted to high or browning mode.) Brown the ribs in 2 batches: Put half the ribs in the pot and brown them on one side for about 4 minutes. Remove the browned ribs to a bowl and add the rest of the ribs, browning them on one side, for about 4 more minutes. Add the second batch of ribs to the bowl.
Saute the aromatics
Add the onion and garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with the thyme and ½ teaspoon of salt. Saute until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen up any browned bits of pork. Add the cider to the pot, bring to a simmer, then stir in the Dijon mustard. Stack the ribs loosely in the pot - I had to do this in 2 levels - and pour any pork juices into the pot.
Pressure cook the country ribs for 45 minutes with a natural release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an electric PC or 40 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes.
Serve
Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker and move the ribs to a platter. Pour the liquid from the pot into a fat separator and rest for ten minutes. Pour a few tablespoons of defatted sauce over the ribs, then pass the rest of the sauce at the table.
Substitutions
Country Style Pork Ribs vs. Pork Shoulder ribs vs. Boneless Pork Ribs vs. Pork Shoulder Chops
All of these cuts are from the shoulder part of the pig, and work well with this recipe. I prefer bone-in country style ribs when I can find them, because I like having the rib bones to chew on. If I can't find country-style ribs, my second favorite choice is ribs cut from the shoulder blade roast, which are called "Western Ribs" in my local grocery store.
Hard Cider Substitutes
If you can't find hard cider, or don't want any alcohol, you can substitute regular apple cider. Or, use 1 cup of apple juice plus 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. (Or you can substitute chicken broth or beef broth for the cider.)
What to serve with this country style rib recipe
I think mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to smother with the pot liquid. (Try my Instant Pot Smashed Red Skin Potatoes, for example.) Potato salad is another good choice for a side. I also like to serve it with a braised green, like collard greens, turnip greens, or kale.
Storing leftovers
Leftover pork country ribs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or frozen in their pot liquid for up to six months. I like to shred the pork before I freeze it, so it is completely covered in liquid, which protects it from freezer burn.
Print
Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Country Style Ribs with Cider and Mustard recipe. Fork tender pork with apples and cider make a hearty meal from the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds pork country-style ribs (or pork shoulder western ribs)
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup hard cider (or apple cider)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Brown the ribs: Season the pork country ribs with the 1½ teaspoons of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. (In an electric pressure cooker, use saute mode adjusted to high or browning mode.) Brown the ribs in 2 batches: Put half the ribs in the pot and brown them on one side, about 4 minutes. Remove the browned ribs to a bowl and add the rest of the ribs, browning them on one side, about 4 more minutes. Add the second batch of ribs to the bowl.
- Saute the aromatics: Add the onion and garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with the thyme and ½ teaspoon of salt. Saute until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen up any browned bits of pork. Add the cider to the pot, bring to a simmer, then stir in the Dijon mustard. Stack the ribs loosely in the pot - I had to do this in 2 levels - and pour any pork juices into the pot.
- Pressure cook the country ribs for 45 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an electric PC or 40 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes.
- Serve: Remove the ribs to a platter. Pour the liquid from the pot into a fat separator and rest for ten minutes. Pour a few tablespoons of defatted sauce over the ribs, then pass the rest of the sauce at the table.
Notes
If you're in a hurry, you can skip the browning and defatting steps. That said, they both add flavor to the recipe; the browning step in particular adds a lot of flavor to the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rib
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 495.2 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.1 g
- Protein: 26.8 g
- Cholesterol: 94.4 mg
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Pork Western Shoulder Ribs with Barbecue Rub and Sauce
Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Pressure Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut
Country Ribs vs Western Ribs - Dad Cooks Dinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.
Barb says
Fork tender. Had no cider so used a Modelo.
Diana S Solymossy says
Thanks, Mike, I find your website so helpful, friendly and practical. Your explanations are always very clear and help us see that these recipes are very do-able. Made this recipe and it was very good! Again, thanks.