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Tender, fall-apart Instant Pot country style ribs are slathered in BBQ sauce and broiled until sweet and bubbly. That last broil caramelizes the sugars in the sauce and makes all the difference. This comforting recipe will be the highlight of your weeknight menu!
Love tender, fall-apart pork recipes? Try this Instant Pot Carnitas recipe and this recipe for Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Instant Pot Country Style Ribs Recipe
Country style ribs are a cut of boneless pork ribs that come from the shoulder of the pig. They’re a large pork shoulder, sliced into boneless ribs. They’re just like pulled pork, but sliced into handheld, sweet, and sticky ribs. These ribs fall apart when they’re slow-cooked.
But what if you don’t have all day to cook your ribs? Making these boneless ribs in the pressure cooker is the best way to get the same tender, shredded pork result in a fraction of the time!
The quick broil at the end of the recipe caramelizes the sugars in the bbq sauce and takes this recipe to the next level!
Molly’s Recipe Rundown
- Taste: rich, sweet and smoky.
- Texture: incredibly tender (not at all dry!).
- Ease: They’re done in half the time thanks to the pressure cooker!
- Pros: results of slow cooked bbq in an hour or less (ideal for weeknights).
- Cons: The Instant Pot can be intimidating if you’re newer to using it.
- Would I make this again? Our kids request this dinner with sweet potatoes all the time!
Need another easy meal? This Instant Pot Salsa chicken is a great recipe for busy weeknights. Or check out all of our Instant Pot recipes.
Ingredient and Brands I Love
Note: Here are the simple ingredients for these boneless country-style ribs. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Simple dry rub: smoked paprika, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, blacker pepper and oregano. Add some chili powder or cayenne pepper to turn up the heat.
- Country ribs: boneless country style ribs are the most common, but some groceries carry bone-in country style ribs and that 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. You could also use beef or chicken broth.
- Garlic: these cloves help infuse the ribs with garlic flavor and aroma.
- BBQ Sauce: use your favorite barbecue sauce. Looking for a homemade barbecue sauce? Try this easy whole30 bbq sauce to lather and broil.
- Liquid smoke: add an optional 2-3 drops to get that smoked-all-day flavor.
Regular Ribs vs Country Style Ribs
Country style ribs come from the pork’s shoulder while spare ribs or baby back 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.
Need another rib recipe? Try these pellet grill ribs next!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here are the simple steps to make Instant Pot country-style ribs. Skip to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe.
Make the Dry Rub
Mix the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and generously coat the sides of each with the rub. Use your fingers to massage the rub into the meat.
Pressure Cook
Set the metal trivet in the bottom of a 6 qt Instant Pot and pour a cup of water or beef broth in the bottom. Arrange the ribs and garlic on the trivet. Pressure cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Natural release (do nothing) for 15 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure.
Sauce and Broil until Bubbly
Remove the country style ribs from the Instant Pot and transfer them to a baking sheet. They should be so tender at this point that you’re struggling to get them out without falling apart😅.
Slather all sides of the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce then broil them on high for 2-3 minutes, until the BBQ sauce starts to bubble.
FAQs and Troubleshooting Tips
Although you can overcook ribs in the Instant Pot, it’s more likely that your country style ribs are tough because they’re not 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.
Pressure cook these ribs on high for 50 minutes with a 15 minutes natural release. That just means you do nothing for 15 minutes then turn the valve to release the remaining steam.
What to Serve with Country Style Ribs
- Potatoes (of all sorts): classic potato salad, boursin mashed potatoes (they’re unreal), crispy pesto potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, air fryer smashed potatoes, or air fryer baked potatoes.
- Cooked veggies: roasted brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, garlic roasted mini peppers, air fryer asparagus, roasted broccoli and carrots, or maple glazed carrots.
- Hearty salad: We love this cucumber tomato avocado salad, chipotle roasted sweet potato kale salad, strawberry spinach salad or this shaved brussels sprout salad.
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 Pork Recipes
Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
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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 on high pressure for 50 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
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If everyone would go back and read the recipe it says close and pressure cook on high for 50 minutes.
I made these for my family and they were delicious!! I would highly encourage anyone to try them you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you, Rachel!!
I keep coming back to this recipe every time I bring country style pork ribs home. It’’s goof proof, easy to dress up or down and the ribs turn out so tender and flavorful with an almost but not quite crispy glaze from the broiler, they’re a winner in our house. Thanks for posting this!
Love this, Juli! So glad you like them. I love the broil at the end too!
5 Stars in advance. I’m old and old-school. I have an electric pressure cooker (the original instant pot). I use it all the time to make Carnitas so this is a natural addition. I like the ingredient choices for your dry rub. I just bought 3 lbs. of boneless pork country ribs and I haven’t made this dish in years, but it was such a great sale I couldn’t pass it up. I read 6-8 recipes, but yours sounds the best! Thank You Very Much,
Wow, thank you Doreen! I love to hear that! We also have a pressure cooker carnitas recipe you could try:)