Instant Pot Ribs are no longer a rare luxury. The pressure cooker makes tender, juicy ribs possible any night of the week! Great for entertaining and showing off the capabilities of your pressure cooker.
I've really been enjoying the new Camp Chef Pellet Grill I got for myself . . . er . . . for my husband for Father's Day. Well . . . how bout' I just call it both of ours (as my twin boys often say).
On a good day, I prep the grill food, then pass it off to my Moto stunt man/husband/Brock to cook outside while I enjoy an air-conditioned home.
On a rough day, I'm running in and out of the house cooking something on multiple appliances, cursing the hot sun, and texting Brock to get his buns home and be the man of the grill.
Today's Instant Pot Chipotle Peach BBQ Ribs are the ticket to getting him to the grill every time. Oh my goodness! I had high expectations since I really love the Jerk Barbecue Pork Ribs from my cookbook Master the Electric Pressure Cooker, but these flavors exceeded those expectations 1000 times!
The biggest shocker though – my father in law said these ribs, with Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread and Salt Potatoes, were one of his “Favorite Meals Ever”!
I made a winning meal for the meat king himself! What the!? Me! The 90% vegetarian, made a bomber meat lovin' meal! I was floating on cloud nine for the rest of the day.
If that still doesn't have you convinced to make these ribs, there's this – I made myself a gigantic spinach and kale salad with strawberries, avocados, cashews, sweet corn, and blue cheese expecting that I'd be good with a single rib.
Welp, that incredible salad got the cold shoulder because I was too busy standing over the pan of ribs filling up on all the yummy charred bites of juicy, smoky meat.
I know, I know. Everybody hates that person that sneaks the best parts of a dish. On the other hand, everyone wants to be that person, so . . .
One more thing, if you're not convinced. This Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce! With only 2 – 4 tablespoons of natural sweetener in the entire batch, it is still sweet (because of the peaches), smoky (chipotle peppers), and addictive. I couldn't decide if I kept going back for charred crispy pork or for something, ANYTHING to eat more of that BBQ sauce on.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT RIBS – MY TOP TIPS
Let's do this.
1) SEASON TO THE MAX:
Ribs love seasoning! These ribs get a generous dusting of a Chipotle Spice Rub and they aren't sad about it.
2) PATIENCE:
Letting the ribs soak up that spice rub overnight really does add a little sumpin' if you get the chance to plan ahead. But I've done it both ways and you'll be happy with both results.
3) RENDER THE FAT:
My father-in-law actually schooled me on this. He says the trick with ribs is getting all the fat rendered off so they are even edible. Luckily the pressure cooker does this part for you. Your pressure cooker will have quite a bit of oily liquid in the bottom of your pot after it cooks. It feels so good to discard that instead of feeding it to my arteries.
4) WRAP OR STACK:
I like to wrap the entire rack of ribs around the pot as shown in this picture below. First wrap one around the outer edge, then curl the second rack inside it.
Another option is to cut the rack into small 3 rib racks and stack them on top of a trivet.
5) SAUCE IT UP:
Brush this Instant Pot Honey Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce good and thick all over the ribs. Nuff' said.
6) SEAR AND CARAMELIZE:
My favorite, FAVORITE part of these ribs is the crispy charred pieces you can only get from a good hot sear on a grill. I just couldn't stop picking at the pan of ribs. If a grill isn't an option (or you want an easier alternative) throw them under the oven broiler. You won't get those magical charred bits, but it will caramelize the BBQ sauce – which is next level ribs for sure.
7) USE A FORK AND KNIFE:
My daddy told me I was a princess and princesses can't be gnawing on ribs getting their pretty fingers and faces stained, so fork and knife it is for me. My husband strongly disagrees (about the fork, not about the fact that I'm a princess).
WHAT TO SERVE WITH INSTANT POT RIBS
My favorite sides to ribs are Whole Grain Crusty Bread or Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread, grilled peaches (heaven!), a big spinach and kale salad, and Salt Potatoes.
With Father's Day coming up, allow me a moment to praise the father of my children. He's full of joy, adventure, and spontaneity and shows us all a side of the world that I would never discover without him. He's an amazing example of one who has dreams and chases them with vigor. My kids are so lucky to have a daddy who truly loves to be a kid himself and plays with them in the dirt. Happy Father's Day my love! Thanks for allowing me to share your new Father's Day grill and for grilling up all the food I hand over to you as I sit in the cool house.
Also to my Daddy in heaven who has watched over me every single day since he passed when I was 14 years old. He set an example of hard work and perseverance that has had a permanent effect on all of his children. He's remembered by so many as being a joyful and inspirational human being and is still talked about 20 years later. Love you dad!
Now I highly suggest you blow everyone away this weekend with these amazing Chipotle Peach BBQ Ribs. Jaws will drop.
Enjoy!
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHIPOTLE PEACH BBQ RIBS
- Instant Pot
- Camp Chef Woodwind Pellet Grill
- Silicone Basting Brush
- Short Trivet (should have had one come with your Instant Pot)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (my favorite!)
Instant Pot Chipotle Peach BBQ Ribs
Sweet, smoky, tender baby back pork ribs with a chipotle peach BBQ sauce to keep you comin' back for more! Ribs have never been easier!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chipotle Spice Rub
- 3 tablespoons chipotle chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 2 pounds per rack)
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- Instant Pot Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Combine Chipotle Spice Rub ingredients in a small mason jar or bowl.
- Place each rack of ribs (bony side up) on a piece of tinfoil large enough to wrap the ribs completely. Remove the membrane from the bony side of the ribs if needed (see video for demo).
- Sprinkle the Rub generously over the ribs, flip them over to sprinkle on the meaty side of the ribs. Press rub into the meat with your hand.
- Wrap tightly with foil and allow to rest in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. (Ribs can be cooked immediately if needed, but will be more flavorful if the spices are allowed to absorb).
- Add apple juice and apple cider vinegar to the pressure cooker pot and place a short trivet inside. Arrange the first rack of ribs vertically around the sides of the pot. Arrange the second rack vertically on the inside of the first rack. The racks can also be cut into 3 pieces each and placed inside the pot on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 25-30 minutes (depending on how large the racks are).
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Preheat outdoor grill to 300 – 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (If grilling isn’t an option, see the alternative method in the next step)
- Cover a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and place ribs on it. Brush barbecue sauce generously over both sides of the ribs, reserving extra for serving and dipping.
- Spray or rub oil over the grilling grates to prevent sticking and place ribs meaty side down. Allow meat to sear without moving for 3 – 4 minutes until there are dark grill marks. Flip the ribs over and sear for another 3 minutes.
- Alternative: Place ribs (meaty side up) under the oven broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. You won’t get the crispy seared bites like on a grill, but broiling still takes the flavor of the BBQ sauce to a whole new level.
- Cut between the bones to separate the individual ribs and serve with extra barbecue sauce for dipping. Grilled peaches are delicious served alongside to complement the peach flavor in the BBQ sauce (see note)
Freezer Instructions
- Coat ribs with Chipotle Spice Rub as in step 1. Label a large ziplock bag with the recipe, date, and contents. Place bag inside a pressure cooker pot. Arrange ribs inside as in step 5. Seal bag and freeze inside pot until solid; remove the bag from the pot and place back in the freezer until ready to use.
- When ready to cook, add apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and trivet to the pressure cooker pot. Cut down the sides of the ziplock bag and place frozen ingredients in the pot.
- Cook for 40 minutes then proceed with the rest of the instructions in step 5.
Notes
- There will be leftover Chipotle Spice Rub. Store it in a resealable container (like a mason jar) and use it on other meat, vegetables, or even on grilled fruit like pineapple.
- To grill peaches, cut peaches in half, and remove the stones. Brush with oil and grill face down next to ribs for about 2 minutes, or until they have grill marks. This makes them gloriously juicy, warm, and smoky.
- To make this a one pot dinner, wrap small to medium size russet or sweet potatoes in tinfoil and set inside the middle of the uncooked ribs. The potatoes will be infused with the flavor of the ribs!
Keywords: instant pot, electric pressure cooker, ribs, Barbecue ribs, BBQ
Nutrition facts only include the ribs, not the sauce.
Can you do this with beef ribs? Ive had some in my freezer and need yo use them!
Jade, I’ve never tried, but yes, I suspect they would taste great!
removed the membrane your way. WHAT A BREEZE! So I passed that info onto my daughter and she said why do you have to remove the membrane? I had no answer! Please enlighten us
Barb, Yay! I’m glad it was easy for you! The membrane doesn’t break down well when cooked so it ends up being a bit chewy after it’s cooked. It’s much tastier to have it removed from the get-go. It allows the seasonings to make contact with the meat too.
What adjustments would I do for boneless ribs? I have several pounds in my freezer that I need to use! Thank you! This looks amazing!
Cara, I’ve never done it myself, but my sister does it this way and she says she cooks pork ribs for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release. I need to try this soon myself!
Are these fall off the bone ribs? I want to do them so they are not…still have bite thanks.
Jane, They definitely come right off the bone when you bite it, but there is still chew to them. They don’t shred exactly like pulled pork though.