These Instant Pot Country Style Ribs are the way to go for tender, juicy ribs that are practically falling off the bone. You can then put them under the broiler or on the grill to finish them.
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Whenever I made ribs, I do them in the Instant Pot. There is just no better way to do it. One of the things that the Instant Pot does really well is break down meat to really tender in a short amount of time. This isn’t something you can do on the grill without hours worth of cooking.
So we put our ribs in the Instant Pot to get them super tender, then we take them out and put them on the grill a few minutes before we’re ready to serve to baste with BBQ sauce and get a nice char on them. This is the absolute best way to make country style ribs.
Why Use An Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you don’t have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot for more information.
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- Learn some great Instant Pot Tips & Tricks.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients You Need
- Country style pork ribs – These ribs tend to have the bone on and they are rather large ribs. The meat does cook down a little bit, but you can expect them to turn out much larger than a baby back rib.
- Seasoning – We make a dry rub with paprika, brown sugar, salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili powder, garlic and onion powders.
- Apple cider vinegar – This adds a bit of acid that will help break down the meat and give it flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – The salty umami flavor of this sauce boosts the flavor of the meat.
- Water – You’ll need a cup of water for the 6-quart pot, or 1 1/2 cups water for the 8-quart pot.
- BBQ Sauce – Use any BBQ sauce you like – we use Sweet Baby Rays – or a homemade one like this Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
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How to Make Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Step One
Mix together all seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the ribs and pat it so it sticks to the meat. If you have time, allow the flavor of the rub to set in and form a bit of a crust on the meat. It’s great if you can put them in fridge for about 2 hours. But it’s okay if you don’t have the time.
Step Two
Pour the apple cider vinegar, water, and Worcestershire sauce into the Instant Pot. Set the ribs inside. Pour 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce directly over the ribs.
Step Three
Close and lock the lid. Set to cook for 25 minutes on high pressure, then allow a natural release of pressure. I’ve found that this can take quite a while, like 25 minutes, for the pin to drop. But after about 15 minutes there is very little steam left. So it’s fine to release the steam after 15 minutes, if you’re in a hurry.
Step Four
Open the lid and remove the ribs from the pot. You’ll need to be careful doing this because the ribs are very tender and will usually start to come right off the bone.
Glaze the ribs with the remaining BBQ sauce. You can serve them just like this. But I like to put them on the grill for about 5-8 minutes over direct flames to get a little bit of that grill char on them. That’s up to you.
What Are Country Style Ribs?
Country style ribs come from the shoulder area of the pig. It’s a fatty, muscular section of the shoulder blade near the loin. Mostly these style of ribs will come boneless, but sometimes they have a piece of bone attached.
When country-style ribs have the bone left in, that doesn’t meat isn’t a rib bone. In fact the bone is from the the scapula or shoulder blade. So this is actually a cut of pork shoulder.
They make great “ribs” even if only in name, especially when they are slow cooked to make the meat super tender and delicious. Sometimes these country-style ribs contain a lot of fat, which you might want to trim before cooking. It really depends on what you’re able to purchase.
Tips & Suggestions
- Try to find country-style ribs that have good marbling to the meat and not ones with a huge chunk of fat all in one spot. The marbling will help them become super juicy and not dried out.
- If you want to add more flavor, put the ribs on the grill after cooking in the Instant Pot and glaze a few times with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- These are great to make ahead. If you’re having a party, you can make a huge batch of ribs in the Instant Pot and have them ready to go on the grill. They will take WAY less time this way.
More Instant Pot Ribs To Try
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Cook Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs From Frozen?
You can make these country-style ribs in the Instant Pot from frozen. It will just take longer for them to cook, and they won’t have as much flavor due to not being able to put on the dry rub.
You’ll need to add an additional 20 minutes to the cook time when using frozen country-style ribs. If the ribs are stuck together in one big clump, you will likely need to add 25 minutes instead to make up for the solid block.
I would recommend placing the frozen ribs into the Instant Pot, then sprinkling them with the rub as well as you can.
Can I Skip Natural Pressure Release?
It can be a bit frustrating to have to wait the entire 25 minutes it takes to naturally release the pressure from the Instant Pot. However, when cooking meat that you want to be tender, it’s better to allow the pressure to naturally release.
This is because the meat needs a resting period to relax and rest. If you’re really strapped for time, you can cut down the pressure release time to 15 minutes and it won’t negatively affect the outcome.
What Should I Serve Ribs With?
You can serve this dish with any side dish you like. That’s the best part – they go with everything.
Try serving them with these sides that you can also make in the Instant Pot:
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Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds country style ribs
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder mild
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Mix together all seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the ribs and pat it so it sticks to the meat.
- Pour the apple cider vinegar, water, and Worcestershire sauce into the Instant Pot. Set the ribs inside. Pour 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce directly over the ribs.
- Close and lock the lid. Set to cook for 25 minutes on high pressure, then allow a natural release of pressure.
- Open the lid and remove the ribs from the pot. Glaze with remaining BBQ sauce. Serve hot.
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
Wow! This is a great recipe!! We love pork ribs, but I never cook them because of the mess. This recipe is easy, tasty, and minimum messy. I added one teaspoon of Liquid Smoke and used smokey paprika, because we like a smokey taste to ribs. These ribs came out falling off the bone tender and juicy. Thank you for sharing this-it will be my go to rib recipe.
Adding the liquid smoke and smoked paprika is a great idea. So glad you liked them Tena!