Melt-in-your-mouth tender Instant Pot Country Style Ribs are the ideal weeknight dinner. This recipe is a must-have, featuring Homemade Barbecue Sauce and cooked to perfection in a meaty herb-infused broth. This extremely meaty, savory, and saucy dish with fall-of-the-bones tenderness will surely satisfy your barbecue craving in just 30 minutes! Serve them with your favorite mashed potatoes and some green beans, and they’re a perfect meal for a weekend game day or family get-together.
These instant pot country-style ribs are absolutely the best ribs in town! And they’re even tastier if you eat them with your fingers and lick that finger-licking-good sauce.
Good thing these bad boys are meant to be eaten at home. Messy but so satisfyingly good! 😉
Fall-Apart Tender Country Style Ribs
The secret to these delectable country-style pork ribs is none other than my Homemade Barbecue Sauce marinade, along with other incredible seasonings.
You’ll love the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess up against smoky and spicy.
And the next step is where the magic happens with the help of our good buddy, instant pot! Oh yes!
The meat comes out really flavorful and tender because not only is it submerged in a meaty herb-infused broth, but pressure cooking in an instant pot traps all the steam inside.
In short, all the flavors are trapped inside, too, and absorbed by our mouthwatering dish. And the best part is it’s effortless and takes very little of your time. Yaaay!
Country-Style Ribs Recipe Ingredients
This recipe is originally from my Baked Country-Style Ribs, and I tweaked it a little for an instant pot. Why? Well, because I’m Imma, and you know how I love experimenting with flavors.
As you can see, there’s really nothing fancy in our ingredients list. That’s because I wanted to make it as simple as possible while giving you a restaurant-quality recipe without breaking the bank. 🤩
- Country-Style Ribs (Bone-In) – The truth is, they aren’t really ribs but actually blade steaks and chops. I prefer them over “real ribs” because they are meatier and cheaper. Plus, their taste and quality are very similar to standard ribs.
- Salt and Pepper – They may be the cheapest seasonings out there, but they hold the best-est flavor. 😉
- Dijon Mustard – It’s a type of condiment often used in burgers and sandwiches. I like adding it to my country-style ribs recipe because of its tangy, sharp, and intense flavors. Simply skip this one out if you’re not a fan of mustard, although you won’t really know it’s there. 😉
- Creole Seasoning – My favorite seasoning of all time. Because it basically has all the herbs and spices we need in every dish. Very handy, indeed! And much better if you make it from scratch because you’ll have full control of the flavors. Here’s how to do it — Homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning
- Garlic – I usually choose fresh garlic because it’s more aromatic and more garlicky. However, dried and powdered ones work, too.
- Thyme and Rosemary – Aside from adding exceptional flavors to our instant pot country-style ribs, I also love the wonderful earthy and minty aroma from thyme and rosemary. If you don’t have time, Best Thyme Substitutes may come in handy.
- Worcestershire Sauce – I love adding this flavor-enhancer to my meat marinade and any meaty dishes because of its sweet and robust flavors.
- Brown Sugar or Honey – Not only does the sugar add sweetness to our dish, but it also tenderizes our meat naturally. So, double yay!
- Barbecue Sauce – What’s so great about my Homemade Barbecue Sauce is that it comes together quickly without needing any special equipment. Plus, it’s made with the simplest ingredients like ketchup, sugar, and onion.
- Beef Broth – It adds more meaty goodness to our dish with fantastic umami flavors. But if you don’t have it, you can swap it out with water or apple juice. Replacing it with a beer also goes nicely with this recipe.
Recipe Variation
- Spicylicious – Nothing can stop me from adding cayenne pepper and pepper flakes to these bad boys. Or maybe I could also try it with jalapeños and Scotch bonnet peppers. Bring on the heat, baby!
- Unsweetened – Some of us are just not a fan of sugar, and that’s okay. Simply omit the sugar or honey, and you’re good to go.
- Sweet Surprise – So, instead of sugar or honey, we can use Sprite, 7up, or pineapple juice to sweeten our Country-Style Pork Ribs Instant Pot. And they’re pretty amazing in tenderizing the meat as well. Interesting, huh? 😁
- More Spices – You can also add Star Anise and Chinese 5 Spice to add an Asian twist to our pork dish. I swear you’ll love them!
- Low-Carb and Keto Version – The recipe doesn’t require much tweaking to make it healthier. Just swap out the sweeteners with your favorite keto-approved sweeteners, such as sucralose and erythritol, and make your own keto BBQ sauce. Woohooo! Way to go!
Tips and Tricks
- As much as possible, try to look for country-style pork ribs that are similar in size.
- Cook the pork ribs for 15 minutes if you want them just tender and an additional 5 minutes more for fall-apart tender.
- The cooking time is crucial here since we’re cooking in an instant pot. Cooking the pork for too long can ruin the meat structure.
- For best flavors, marinate your meat for at least an hour, even better if overnight.
Serving and Storage Instructions
You can easily double the batch and make these Country-Style Ribs in Instant Pot a day or two ahead. As a matter of fact, they even taste better the next day because all the flavor has been released and absorbed by the meat. You gotta love the science in cooking!
Make-Ahead Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs
- Marinate – You can marinate the pork two days in advance to give the meat enough time to absorb all the wonderful flavors.
- Refrigerate – Store the marinated pork covered inside the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Freeze – It’s better to freeze them if you don’t intend to serve them within 48 hours. Country-style ribs will last in the freezer for about 4 to 6 months if properly stored.
- Cook – The beauty of using an instant pot is you can cook the meat straight from the freezer and totally skip the thawing part. Oh yes! However, you’ll need to add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time.
TIP: Just make sure to marinate the meat first, at least overnight, before freezing them.
OR
- Cook – Or you can cook the ribs after 12-48 hours of marinating.
- Store – Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. You can also wrap them tightly with a cling wrap and then foil before placing them in a freezer-safe resealable bag. This way, we can avoid the air getting in that may cause freezer burn.
- Refrigerate – Cooked country-style pork ribs can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze – To extend their shelf-life, you can freeze them for about three months.
- Thaw – When ready to serve, thaw the frozen meat overnight in the fridge.
Reheating Country-Style Pork Ribs
- Oven – In a baking dish, line your pork ribs in a single layer and pour enough broth or water to cover the bottom of the dish. And then cover the dish with foil. Bake the ribs at 250℉/121℃ in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove the foil and bake again for 10 more minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize and lock all the moisture in our pork dish.
- Air Fryer – Brush some oil or broth to our pork to prevent it from drying while reheating. Preheat the air fryer to 350℉/177℃, and reheat the ribs for 3-4 minutes.
- Microwave – This way is the most convenient and quickest to reheat our meat. Just brush the meat with enough broth or oil, then cover them with a damp paper towel. Reheat on medium power for 2-3 minutes, flipping the ribs halfway through. Repeat the process if they are not yet warm enough.
- Stove – Bring a cup of water or apple juice to boiling in a large pot. Place the ribs in a steamer basket and place them over the pot, and cover. Steam the ribs for about 20 minutes or until warmed through. Season the excess liquid in the pot and pour just enough into our steamed pork.
FAQs
Although we think that dry and tough dry ribs are overcooked, it’s actually the other way around when cooking some cuts of meat. Because, in reality, one of the signs of undercooked ribs is having tough, dry, and chewy meat. To fix this, you can cook them low and slow with enough liquid and broth until they become tender. Or you can wrap them in foil and bake them at a low temperature, about 300℉/150℃ for about 30 minutes or so.
Yes, especially with instant pot because it’s sealed, and little or no steam escapes the pot. Plus, you can’t really check if the ribs are done or need more cooking time, unlike with a regular pot and oven where you can check them from time to time. Ideally, the meat should separate easily from the bone as you pierce it with a fork. And they’re considered overcooked when the meat falls off the bone on its own and comes out a little mushy.
Well, it depends on the size of the pieces of meat and how tender you want them to be. However, you can just use this guide when using your instant pot: 15-20 minutes of cooking time for every pound of ribs. Although mine only took about 15 minutes to cook.
Best Sauces for Country-Style Ribs
Level up your tender and juicy chops by serving them with mouthwatering side dishes like Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans. Pair them with any of these quick and easy sauce recipes to make your dining experience extra special.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
How to Make Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs
Marinate the Ribs
- Season the Ribs – Remove ribs from the package and add to a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole Seasoning. (Photos 1-2)
- Marinate – Add BBQ sauce, garlic, thyme, rosemary, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and broth or water. Let it marinate for at least an hour, but 24 hours if you can. (Photos 3-4)
Place Them in an Instant Pot and Cook
- Transfer the Ribs – When ready to cook, put ribs to the instant pot insert together with all the marinade. Close the lid with the vent set to sealing. (Photos 5-6)
- Cook on High Pressure – Cook on manual, high pressure, for 15- 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary slightly, depending on if you want your ribs tender to the bite or fall-off-the-bone tender. I like mine tender to the bite. So I cooked it for 15 minutes.
- Natural Pressure Release – After cooking is finished, do a 10- 15 minutes natural pressure release, then release manually any remaining pressure. (Photos 7-8)
Broil in the Oven
- Transfer the Ribs to a Baking Dish – Carefully remove ribs, place them on a baking dish, and brush them with additional BBQ sauce or sauce from the ribs. Add liquid to the bottom of the baking dish. (Photo 9)
- Broil – Place in a preheated oven on low, broil for about 3-4 minutes or until brown. Do not walk away. (Photo 10)
- Serve – Remove and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables or desired sides.
Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound (1362-1816 g) country-style ribs (bone-in)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) Creole seasoning
- ½-1 cup (4-8 ounces) BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons (8 g) thyme, minced and divided in half
- 2 tablespoon s (5 g) rosemary, minced and divided in half
- 1 tablespoon (16 g) Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon (25 g) brown sugar or honey, optional
- ½ cup ( 4 ounces) beef broth, water, or apple juice
Instructions
- Remove ribs from the package and add to a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole Seasoning.
- Add BBQ sauce, garlic, thyme, rosemary, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and broth or water. Let it marinate for at least an hour, but 24 hours if you can.
- When ready to cook, put ribs to the instant pot insert together with all the marinade; close the lid with the vent set to sealing.
- Cook on manual, high pressure, for 15- 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary slightly, depending on if you want your ribs tender to the bite or fall-off-the-bone tender. I like mine tender to the bite. So I cooked it for 15 minutes.
- After cooking is finished, do a 10- 15 minutes natural pressure release, then release manually any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove ribs, place them on a baking dish, and brush them with additional BBQ sauce or sauce from the ribs. Add liquid to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place in a preheated oven on low, broil for about 3-4 minutes or until brown. Do not walk away.
- Remove and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables or desired sides.
Tips & Notes:
- As much as possible, try to look for country style pork ribs that are similar in size.
- Cook the pork ribs for 15 minutes if you want them just tender and an additional 5 minutes more for fall-apart tender.
- The cooking time is crucial here since we’re cooking in an instant pot. Cooking them for too long will ruin the meat structure.
- For best flavors, marinate your meat for at least an hour, even better if overnight.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
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