A slab of glazed pressure cooker ribs with a knife cutting between two ribs

These pressure cooker ribs, which are easy and ideal for the Instant Pot, are finished in the oven with a brown sugar and Dijon glaze. It's a super-fast method for knee-wobbling, lip-smacking, fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

A slab of glazed pressure cooker ribs with a knife cutting between two ribs

We confess that until we tried this pressure cooker ribs recipe, we'd always been a little leary of pressure cookers. We'd just never imagined you could turn out anything like ribs that are fall-off-the-bone tender in 30 minutes or less. We were wrong. So spectacularly wrong. This pressure cooker ribs recipe made believers out of us. One taste and it'll convert you, too.–Renee Schettler

Pressure Cooker Ribs FAQs

How do you remove the membrane from ribs before cooking?

To remove the membrane or silver skin from a rack of ribs, use the tip of a small knife to loosen a corner and then grab the membrane with a paper towel and slowly pull it of

Pressure Cooker Ribs

A slab of glazed pressure cooker ribs with a knife cutting between two ribs

These pressure cooker ribs, which are easy and ideal for the Instant Pot, are finished in the oven with a brown sugar and Dijon glaze. It's a super-fast method for knee-wobbling, lip-smacking, fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

Janet A. Zimmerman

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Total 1 hr

  • 1/2 (3-pound) rack spare ribs* membranes removed (see * above)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup Beef Stock or low-sodium broth
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

  • Cut your 1/2 rack of spare ribs into 2 or 3 pieces so all the ribs will fit in the pressure cooker. Sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the kosher salt and season with pepper. Pour the beef stock into the pressure cooker and place the steamer insert in the cooker. Place the ribs on the steamer insert. Rather than stacking sections of ribs, place the rib sections on end and sort of curl them around the pot so the pieces aren't touching to ensure even cooking.

  • Lock the lid in place and bring the pot to high pressure (15 psi for stove top or 9 to 11 psi for electric).

    If using a stove-top pressure cooker, maintain the pressure for 20 minutes for tender ribs or, if you prefer that the ribs be falling-off-the-bone tender, cook for 30 minutes, adjusting the burner as necessary.

    If using an electric pressure cooker, such as an Instant Pot, cook at high pressure for 20 minutes for tender ribs or, if you prefer ribs that are falling-off-the-bone tender, cook for up to 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the cooker off. Do not let the pressure cooker automatically switch to the "warm" setting.

  • Use the natural method to release the pressure in the cooker. Unlock and remove the lid. Using tongs, move the ribs, bone-side up, to a rack placed on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan. Let the cooking liquid in the pressure cooker rest for several minutes to allow the fat to rise to the surface.

  • Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and adjust an oven rack to the top or second position.

  • While the broiler heats, spoon off and discard the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Place the stove-top cooker over medium heat or turn the electric cooker to "brown" or "saute" and bring the stock to a vigorous simmer. Cook until the stock is reduced to 1/3 of the original volume, 8 to 10 minutes.

  • Stir in the mustard and brown sugar, and continue simmering for 6 to 8 minutes more, or until the sauce resembles a thick syrup. Remove from the heat.

  • Baste the bone side of the ribs with some of the mustard sauce. Slide the ribs under the broiler until the sauce is bubbling, about 4 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, turn the ribs over, and baste with the remaining glaze. Return to the broiler until warmed through, about 6 minutes. Cut the ribs into 1- or 2-rib sections and serve.

Serving: 1 portion Calories: 1034 kcal (52%) Carbohydrates: 19 g (6%) Protein: 55 g (110%) Fat: 81 g (125%) Saturated Fat: 26 g (163%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 14 g Monounsaturated Fat: 30 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 272 mg (91%) Sodium: 2145 mg (93%) Potassium: 943 mg (27%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 18 g (20%) Vitamin A: 16 IU Vitamin C: 1 mg (1%) Calcium: 87 mg (9%) Iron: 4 mg (22%)

David Says

David Leite caricature

I am not an Instant Pot fan. I've made a couple of Insta-Recipes, and they were disasters. The meat tasted bland and boiled and felt waterlogged. The third time, The One just stared at me, giving me his why-do-you-always-have-to-buy-every-gadget-you-see look. (Yes, that is an actual expression brought on by the junk heap of discarded appliances, tools, implements, and doodads in the basement.) After I washed the Instant Pot after that last experiment, I stuffed it with its manuals, little red silicone gloves, and plastic spoon and tossed it on the heap, where I was certain it would stay until the basement grew so overwhelmingly stuffed we'd be eligible to star in an episode of "Hoarding: Buried Alive, Culinary Edition."

Since the New Year, though, we've been Inventory Eating to empty out the fridge, pantry, and freezer. Yesterday we were rummaging through our serial-murderer freezer (you know, the long chest kind), and in among the chickens, ground beef, fatback that I will never use, and the crystalized shrimp and lobster shells was a frozen rack of ribs.

"What can we do with it?" The One asked.

"Not a lot today." The temperature was hovering at near zero, so grilling was out of the question. Then I remembered this recipe. "Well, there is a pressure cooker ribs recipe on the site," I added.

"Is that the crazy Instant Pot thing?"

"Yes."

"Are you kidding? More boiled meat? What are we? British?"

When I told him he could make dinner if he was so offended, he suddenly expressed his undying affection "for a good boiled joint followed by a Spotted Dick."

I followed the recipe exactly. I cut the ribs into three sections, laying them on top of one another like a pile of books, which was I discovered was wrong. Even 25 minutes of high pressure couldn't cook that meat stack all the way through. So I put them back in for 5 minutes standing on end, and they cooked--I freaking hate to say it--perfectly.

All that was left was to baste them with the glaze and broil them. Apparently, I've had bad broiler mojo, too, because I burned one side. Luckily, it was the underside, so there wasn't too much damage. (Note to self: Learn the difference between low, medium, and high broil on the wall oven.) I hovered at the oven while the meaty side turned from gray to tan to a burnished terra cotta.

"These are amazing," said The One.

"I know, right?" Who knew pressurized meat could be so good.

I don't know if our success was due to Janet Zimmerman's excellent directions (other pressure cookbooks, especially Instant Pot tomes, have proven a bust for me), or perhaps I'm starting to get a handle on this Instant Pot headache contraption. Or a little bit of both.

As of now, this jury is still out on Instant Pot. But this recipe? Not guilty by reasons of insane deliciousness.

Recipe Testers' Reviews

Originally published December 4, 2015

Recipe © 2015 Janet A. Zimmerman. Photo © 2015 Silvio Knezevic. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.

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