Instant Pot Country-Style Pork Ribs

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Instant Pot Country-Style Pork Ribs, coated in a sweet and tangy pineapple and brown sugar barbecue sauce, are fall-off-the-bone tender and so delicious. 

Instant Pot country style pork ribs close up of a bite of rib, with a plate full of ribs and BBQ sauce in the background

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: These ribs are incredibly meaty and tender. They’re also faster than ever to cook with an Instant Pot, which infuses the meat with the savory and sweet sauce as they slowly cook. 

Update: This recipe initially came from a beloved reader, Carol. We still make these juicy ribs all year long. So I’ve updated the post with new tips and photos to help you made delicious country-style barbecue at home. 

overhead of the ingredients for the sauce for pork ribs

How to Make Instant Pot Pork Ribs

This Instant Pot Country Style Pork Ribs recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant PotNinja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL

Using an Instant Pot cuts back on your cook time for these ribs by hours. And the result is every bit as juicy, tender and delicious.

For this recipe, you’ll want to buy country-style ribs, which are thicker and meatier than baby back ribs. Pressure cooking helps render off some of the excess fat and leaves fork-tender meat.  

You make the sauce in the instant pot before you add the ribs. Then after pressure cooking, simply thicken things up with a quick slurry of cornstarch. The sauce will coat the ribs perfectly. 

instant pot browning pork ribs

Can I Use Frozen Ribs?

Yes, you can put frozen ribs directly into the pressure cooker pot. If the ribs are separate, you don’t need to change the cook time at all. For a large block of frozen ribs, add a few minutes to the pressure cooking time. 

With frozen meat, there’s no need to brown it first. 

If you’re using more meat to serve a bigger crowd, there’s no need to increase the cooking time, as long as the ribs are all the same thickness. 

pressure cooker with pork ribs in sacue

Can I Use Store-Bought BBQ Sauce?

Yes, if you want to skip the sauce making, you can use store-bought BBQ sauce for the ribs. However, most jarred sauces contain thickeners that will be too thick for pressure cooking and may burn. If you’re using store-bought sauce, add ½ cup of water or pineapple juice. 

Bone-In vs. Boneless Ribs

You can use either bone-in or boneless pork ribs for this recipe. The cook time will not change. 

tongs removing pork ribs from an instant pot

Pulled Pork Ribs

If you want to turn your ribs into pulled pork, you can certainly shred the meat after pressure cooking. If you’re having trouble shredding, cook the meat for another 5 minutes at high pressure. 

tongs holding a pork rib on a plate with rice

What to Serve with Country-Style Barbecue Ribs

The sweet and tangy pineapple sauce on these ribs always makes me think of other tropical flavors like coconut and lime. I like to serve the ribs with Instant Pot Coconut Rice and Broccoli Slaw from Barbara Bakes. For dessert? How about Instant Pot Key Lime Pie (make it the day before). 

fork holding a boneless pork rib

More Barbecue Recipes for the Instant Pot

If you don’t have a grill, you can still bring major BBQ flavor indoors with your Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker. Try these recipes:


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white plate with country style pork ribs in gravy

Instant Pot Country Style Pork Ribs

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

These juicy Instant Pot Country Style Pork Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender with a sweet, spicy and savory gravy made with pineapple juice. 

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 4–5 dashes Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup finely minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ribs

  • 10–14 boneless country-style pork ribs (about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Pepper Blend OR freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

  1. For the sauce, combine the pineapple with the juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, minced onion, dry mustard, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl, stirring until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set the sauce aside.
  2. Trim any excess fat from the ribs.
  3. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture on all sides of the ribs.
  4. Select Saute on the electric pressure cooker. When hot, add the vegetable oil to the pot. Lightly brown the seasoned ribs on all sides. Do this step in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot, placing the ribs on a plate after they brown. Add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the cooking pot, scraping up any stuck-on browning bits.
  5. Return all the ribs to the pressure cooker. Pour the sauce over the ribs and give them a stir, making sure all of the ribs are coated with sauce.
  6. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 15 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and let the pressure release naturally for 8 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
  7. With tongs, remove the ribs from the pressure cooker to a platter and cover with foil to keep them warm.
  8. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, whisking until the cornstarch dissolves. Select Sauté on the pressure cooker and bring the sauce to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
  9. Add the ribs, stir to cover them in the sauce, and simmer for 5–10 minutes to let the ribs absorb some of the sauce, stirring occasionally.
  10. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice, noodles, or potatoes.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1096Total Fat: 64gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 309mgSodium: 736mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 40gProtein: 86g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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