Instant Pot Beef Back Ribs

Name: Instant Pot Beef Back Ribs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 1 small Rack beef ribs (about 5-6 ribs) (($13.46)); ½ cup Water (($0.00)); ⅓ cup Apple cider vinegar (($0.21)); 1 ½ Tablespoon Salt (($0.30)); 3 Tablespoons Brown sugar (($0.19)); 1 ½ Tablespoons Paprika (($0.30)); 1 teaspoon Garlic powder (($0.10)); 1 teaspoon Onion powder (($0.10)); 1 teaspoon Black pepper (($0.10)); ¾ cup Ketchup (($0.30)); 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar (($0.15)); 1 Tablespoon Yellow mustard (($0.09)); 1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar (($0.04)); 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (($0.20)); ½ teaspoon Liquid smoke (($0.10)); 2 teaspoons Paprika (($0.20))

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Barbecue beef ribs are always a fun (and messy) dinner option! With this Instant Pot beef rib recipe, you can have fall off the bone ribs in half the time.

Waiting hours for ribs to slow cook in the oven or waiting for the rain to stop to heat up the grill aren't always worthwhile options. Especially when you're on a time crunch or find a good deal on ribs during the off-season.

While we're normally pork rib eaters, every once in a while a good deal on beef ribs comes along, and we can't help but jump for it. This week we scored ribs at 50% off! So, of course, I couldn't pass them up.

I've been cooking everything in our Instant Pot lately and these ribs are no different. With these pressure cooker beef ribs I almost don't even miss the grill....almost.

For more rib recipes, make sure to check out my Baked BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs.

Why This Recipe Works

It's fast! To go from raw to falling off the bone with only 22 minutes of cooking time is remarkable. While you do have to wait for the Instant Pot to reach pressure and release, the time needed is less than a lot of other cooking methods.
It tastes like it was grilled. The seasonings and sauce combination just really makes this taste like a bite of summer. From the liquid smoke to the oven broiled char, you can recreate the taste of the grill, from the comfort of your own home.
Simple ingredients. Besides the ribs, you'll just need some basic seasonings and sauces to create a homemade rub and barbecue sauce.

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🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment Needed
🔪 Instructions
🍴 Recipe Tips
💭 FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

Beef ribs- You will need a rack of beef ribs for this recipe.

Water- This is needed to help et the Instant Pot up to pressure so that it cooks properly.

Apple cider vinegar- This is another liquid to help the Instant Pot pressurize our food, but it also helps to tenderize the meat thanks to the acidity in the vinegar.

For the Seasoning blend, you will need:

Salt- A natural flavor enhancer. This will also help to tenderize the meat by sealing in the juices.

Brown sugar- For added sweetness, caramelization, and depth of flavor.

Seasonings- To keep things simple, we just need some Paprika, Garlic powder, Onion powder, and Black pepper.

For the Quick BBQ Sauce, you will need:

Ketchup- This is the tomato base of the recipe.

Brown sugar- For added depth of flavor.

Mustard- This will help to cut down on the sweetness.

Apple cider vinegar- For a nice tangy acidic taste, vinegar works great!

Worcestershire sauce- This is a salty sauce that adds a lot of flavor with every drop. It's a great way to make your sauce truly stand out.

Liquid smoke- Adding in some liquid smoke is a great way to bring the barbecue taste to your indoor cooking.

Paprika- For added color and flavor. You can use regular paprika or smoked paprika.

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

🍽 Equipment Needed

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🔪 Instructions

Check out how to make InstantPot beef back ribs with these simple step-by-step instructions:

In the bottom of your Instant Pot, place ½ cup of water and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar.

Combine all of the ingredients for the dry rub inside a bowl and set it aside.

aerial view of blended seasoning mixture in a bowl

Take a rack of beef ribs and slice them so that they are no more than 2 ribs per bunch. This will help them to fit inside of the Instant Pot.

Flip the ribs over to reveal their backs, and then using a sharp paring knife, make score marks down the rib bones, and on the silverskin/membrane.

showing the silverskin on the back of ribs

Smother your ribs, front and back, with the dry rub mix you made. You will not need all of it!

Stack your beef ribs so that they are offset and going in opposite directions. Place them on the trivet and lower them into your pressure cooker.

stacked seasoned ribs on trivet in instant pot liner

Close the lid and set it to High Pressure for 22 minutes. Do a Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.

instant pot cooked beef ribs in instant pot

Serve beef ribs now, or go one step further to make Instant Pot BBQ Beef Ribs.

In a bowl, mix all of the BBQ sauce ingredients until well blended.

Set your oven to High Broil. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Place the ribs on the sheet, carefully.

bbq sauce covered ribs on foil lined baking sheet

Brush the homemade BBQ sauce over the tops of the ribs and underneath.

bbq sauce covered beef ribs on foil lined baking sheet

High Broil for 5 minutes until caramelized looking.

Serve warm.

🍴 Recipe Tips

My favorite way to make the meat fall off of the bones a little easier is to trim up and slice through the silver skin on the back of the ribs. This is that chewy tendon-like bit that holds the meat on.

Silverskin doesn't melt like fat does and will actually get "tighter" as it cooks. This means meat clings even more to the bone than it did before. With beef ribs, it's not as present as it is in pork ribs, but it's still an annoyance that takes moments to fix.

While some people go the extra mile of removing it completely, I like the lazier route. Simply taking a sharp paring knife and slicing through that membrane will cause it to peel away as the ribs cook and shrink enough so that the meat falls off of the bone more easily.

You can tell if there is membrane or silverskin on ribs by flipping them over to look at the back. There will be a whiteish or silvery colored layer on the bones or even scattered around in the meat.

💭 FAQs

What temperature beef ribs?

We want these Instant Pot ribs cooked to at least 200 degrees F because that's when the meat is cooked to the point of being tender and fall-off the bone ready. 205-210 F is optimal.

What to serve with beef ribs

Some great options include creamy coleslaw, baked potatoes, or a variety of salads like potato salad, macaroni salad, or even a green salad.

What's the difference between beef ribs and pork ribs?

Besides the obvious of coming from two different animals, beef ribs are usually bigger and are cut to contain less meat than a rack of pork ribs. This often makes them cheaper as you're paying more for the weight of the bone than you are the meat. That said, both are quite tasty.

Here are some more great Instant Pot recipes to try

📖 Recipe

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5 from 2 votes