Beer-braised Instant Pot Ribs

Name: Beer-braised Instant Pot Ribs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2-3 pounds st. louis spare ribs or baby back ribs, on the bone; 8 oz beer; to taste spice rub; 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

December 05, 2018

Beer braised ribs are made super quick with the use of a pressure cooker. After just 20 minutes of pressure cooking, the meat should be “fall-off-the-bone” tender. The broiling step is optional but a great way to get the beautiful, browned color and slightly crispy, sticky texture that sticks to your fingers.

Cooking the ribs on the trivet instead of in the liquid keeps the fat from melting off the ribs and keeps them tender and juicy.

If you don’t have beer you can use water, but I feel like the beer gives the ribs a more robust flavor.

This recipe is a modification of the recipe provided by the official Instant Pot website for Easy BBQ Instant Pot Ribs, but I’ve incorporated my favorite bbq spot’s spice rub mix, and some suggestions from the kitchn.

8 servings

5 mins

25 mins

30 mins

Ingredients

2-3 pounds st. louis spare ribs or baby back ribs, on the bone
8 oz beer
to taste spice rub
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Equipment

Instructions

Roll the rack of St. Louis spare ribs (or baby back ribs) over so the bone side is up. Use a sharp knife to help lift the edge of the translucent membrane on the back of the bones and peel it off.
Season the ribs liberally on all sides with the spice rub. You can use a premade spice rub, or make your own by mixing garlic powder, salt, brown sugar, mustard powder, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne.
Place the steaming trivet into the Instant Pot and pour the beer into the bottom.
Coil the rack of ribs and place it on the trivet, with the thicker side facing down.
Set the pressure cooker to pressure cook for 20 minutes on high. Quick release the pressure when the time is up.
Transfer to a lined baking sheet with tongs, with the bone side down.
Use a brush to evenly distribute barbecue sauce on the top of the ribs.
Broil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the sauce on top is browned and sticky.
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Cut between the ribs in either 1 rib or 2 rib segments. Serve immediately.