• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

What Molly Made

Eat to Feel Good

  • About
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Christmas
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Drinks
    • Special Diet
    • Holiday
    • Cooking Method
  • Dinner
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • PCOS
      • PCOS Recipes
      • PCOS Tips + Resources
      • Clean Living
      • FREE PCOS Email Course
    • Home and Decor
    • Mom Life
  • Cookbook
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Christmas
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Special Diet
  • PCOS
  • Appetizers
  • Snacks
  • Holiday
  • Cookbook
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cooking Method » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Country Style Ribs

    Updated: June 11, 2022 | Published on: September 7, 2021 - Molly Thompson10 Comments

    Dairy Free RecipesDF
    Gluten Free RecipesGF
    Low Carb RecipesLC
    Paleo RecipesP
    Jump to Recipe

    Tender, fall-apart Instant Pot country style ribs are slathered in BBQ sauce and broiled until sweet and bubbly. This comfort recipe will be the highlight of your weeknight menu!

    two instant pot country style ribs served with sweet potatoes
    Jump to:
    • What are Country Style Ribs?
    • What's the Difference Between Spare Ribs and Country Style Ribs?
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to make Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
    • Prefer to watch instead of read?
    • Why are my ribs tough in the instant pot?
    • What to serve with country style ribs
    • Recipe

    What are Country Style Ribs?

    Country style ribs are a cut of rib that come from the shoulder area of the pig. They're essentially a large pork shoulder, like what you'd use to make pulled pork, but sliced into ribs. That's why these ribs fall apart and shred when they're slow cooked and tender.

    What's the Difference Between Spare Ribs and Country Style Ribs?

    Country style ribs come from the pork's shoulder while spare ribs come from an area near the breast bone. There will be a lot more meat on the bone of country style ribs. They have more muscle to them and do better cooked low and slow.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Spice rub: smoked paprika, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, blacker pepper and oregano
    • Country style ribs: these typically come boneless, but some groceries carry them with the bone in. This is totally fine! Some packages even come mixed with some bone-in and boneless.
    • Water: this is necessary for the Instant Pot to steam and come to pressure. The ribs won't ever touch the water because we're using the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
    • Garlic: these cloves help infuse the ribs with garlic flavor and aroma.
    • BBQ Sauce: use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce (we like to use a sugar free or paleo-friendly sauce) to lather and broil.
    ingredients for instant pot country style ribs measured out on a table

    How to make Instant Pot Country Style Ribs

    1. Dry rub: mix all of the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Pat the country style ribs dry then generously coat the sides of each with the rub. Use your fingers to massage the rub into the meat until it sinks in and becomes a deep red color.
    2. Pressure cook: set the metal trivet in the bottom of a 6 qt Instant Pot. Pour the water or beef broth in the bottom then arrange the ribs evenly without overlapping. Add the garlic on top of the ribs, close the lid and pressure cook for 40 minutes then allow it to naturally release (do nothing) for 15 minutes.
    3. Broil: use tongs to carefully remove the country style ribs from the Insant Pot and transfer them to a sheet pan. You may need two as they'll likely fall apart easily. Lather the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce then broil them on high for 2-3 minutes, until the BBQ sauce starts to bubble.

    Prefer to watch instead of read?

    Why are my ribs tough in the instant pot?

    Although you can overcook ribs in the Instant Pot, it's more likely that your country style ribs are tough because they aren't cooked long enough. This cut of meat tends to be very tough and needs to be cooked low and slow for a more tender result.

    What to serve with country style ribs

    • The obvious choice is potatoes! Some of our favorites are dairy free mashed potatoes, crispy pesto potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, creamy garlic cauliflower mashed 'potatoes', or air fryer baked potatoes.
    • Cooked veggies would also be a great side. You could try roasted brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, garlic roasted mini peppers, air fryer asparagus, or maple glazed carrots.
    • Another favorite is a delicious salad! Great for adding veggies and greens to dinner. We love this cucumber tomato avocado salad, chipotle roasted sweet potato kale salad, strawberry spinach salad or this shaved brussels sprout salad with apples and goat cheese.
    a fork shredding a bite of country style ribs cooked in the instant pot

    If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!

    More instant pot recipes you'll love:

    • Crispy Instant Pot carnitas
    • Instant Pot pulled pork
    • Instant Pot chicken tinga

    Recipe

    two instant pot country style ribs covered in bbq sauce on top of sweet potatoes

    Instant Pot Country Style Ribs

    Tender, fall-apart Instant Pot country style ribs are slathered in BBQ sauce and broiled until sweet and bubbly. This comfort recipe will be the highlight of your weeknight menu!
    5 from 16 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 55 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 6 (1-2 ribs per person)
    Calories: 403kcal
    Author: Molly Thompson
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Dry rub

    • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
    • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

    Country style ribs

    • 3-4 lbs country style ribs
    • 1 cup water or beef broth
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1 cup BBQ sauce (we like a paleo-friendly BBQ sauce)

    Instructions

    • Mix all of the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Pat the country style ribs dry then generously coat the sides of each with the rub. Use your fingers to massage the rub into the meat until it sinks in and becomes a deep red color.
    • Set the metal trivet in the bottom of a 6 qt Instant Pot. Pour the water or beef broth in the bottom then arrange the ribs evenly without overlapping. You may need to stand them up against the sides of the Instant Pot for more room. Add the garlic on top of the ribs, close the lid and make sure the sealing vent is closed. Pressure cook for 40 minutes then allow it to naturally release (do nothing) for 15 minutes. Turn the pressure valve to release any additional steam then carefully open the lid.
    • Use tongs to carefully remove the country style ribs from the Insant Pot and transfer them to a sheet pan. You may need two as they'll likely fall apart easily. Lather the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce then broil them on high for 2-3 minutes, until the BBQ sauce starts to bubble.

    Notes

    *Nutrition information is calculated without BBQ sauce because nutrition can vary so much by type and brand. Check the nutrition facts on the bottle to be sure.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.7g | Protein: 55.7g | Fat: 15.2g | Cholesterol: 194.4mg | Sodium: 471mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 4.4g
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @What_MollyMade or tag #whatmollymade!

    More Healthy Instant Pot Recipes

    • Best Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
    • Instant Pot Taco Soup
    • Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas (Video)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lorraine Godfrey says

      January 23, 2022 at 4:21 pm

      I have a new instant pot and learning how to cook in it. So I'm looking at your recipes and I've always cooked spare ribs in the crock pot with just barbecue sauce on it and let it cook. But using the instapot I want to cook them fast and do you always need to do a dry rub. Never done it before. So it's a learning experience. On your recipes do you say how long to cook it or does the pot automatically know how long to cook it? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        February 01, 2022 at 11:03 am

        The recipe gives you all of the info you need! I also have a video tutorial on the page you can watch.

        Reply
        • Thomas says

          September 09, 2022 at 12:29 pm

          You don't say High or Low Pressure in instapot????

          Reply
    2. walter stella says

      February 28, 2022 at 6:55 pm

      5 stars
      excellent taste, but I like more garlic flavor so I added some granulated garlic

      Reply
    3. Peggy says

      March 16, 2022 at 8:56 pm

      i just made this tonight and it is divine!! Tender and moist, perfect!! I'm so glad I found this recipe.

      Reply
    4. Deb says

      June 18, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      I will try this recipe for sure

      Reply
    5. Theresa says

      October 07, 2022 at 7:54 pm

      5 stars
      This was VERY good!! You didn't say if it was high or low pressure, so I went with low. Nice and tender! I'll be making this a lot!

      Reply
    6. Sharon White says

      December 15, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      FYI On the print recipe is an ad showing 2 dead rats.! Then further down was more rat info! I am trying the recipe today but pictures weren’t appetizing.

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        December 17, 2022 at 8:41 am

        Thanks for letting me know! There shouldn't be any ads on the print option. I will take care of that:)

        Reply
    7. Pamela says

      January 24, 2023 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing!!! I added yams & carrots + extra broth. So delish over rice!!!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    molly thompson from what molly made

    I'm Molly! I'm so grateful you're here. My hope is that my recipes bless your home and your bodies. I want my website to be a tool to help you feel your best and nourish you with recipes you (and your family) look forward to making!

    More about me →

    Recipe Key:

    Dairy FreeDF
    Gluten-FreeGF
    Low CarbLC
    PaleoP
    Refined Sugar FreeSF
    VeganVg
    VegetarianV
    Whole30W

    One Pan Meals

    • One Pot Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice
    • Creamy One Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta [Dairy Free]
    • One Pot Taco Pasta
    • Sweet and Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps

    Order My Cookbook!

    the cover of the anti inflammatory diet made simple cookbook

    Amazon | Barnes&Noble

    Learn more about the book here →

    Footer

    Stay Connected

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Copyright © 2023 · Privacy Policy