Instant Pot again?
I know, I know… it feels like it’s all we’ve done lately, but it’s a little addictive once you start!
Our first post with this new ‘toy’ was sponsored by Instant Pot, but none of the recipes we posted after that were sponsored… so we’re not being paid to tell you how much we love this unit! Just to be clear… we will never tell you we love something, just because it’s being sponsored.
What will our guests want?
This coming week, we’re hosting some cousins and my aunt and uncle who are visiting from Portugal. I could, of course, make turkey or a roast, since it’s Christmastime, but they may be tired of those traditional foods by the time they visit with us next week, so I don’t want to offer them the same things. Turkey and roast are great, but I want to change things up for their visit.
I was thinking about what they might like and then I remembered that my uncle’s a real carnivore… so ribs came to mind. Plus, it’s cold and snow-covered where we are, and a nice summer-time kind of meal might remind everyone of hot summer days…and that’s a nice treat to enjoy now-and-again throughout our long winter season.
Ribs with a twist…
I already have a couple of rib recipes on the blog and a Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce I absolutely love. I could just use those proven recipes… but there it was… my shnazy new Instant Pot staring at me, saying “use me! use me! I can do that!” 🙂
I normally slow-steam ribs before grilling them, for that fall off the bone finish. This process takes over 2.5 hours. This traditional process also means I can’t make ribs on a normal weeknight. How cool would it be to fast track the steaming process? Fortunately the Instant Pot can work with as little as 1 cup of liquid. This makes for perfect steaming conditions. I figured it was worth a try.
Well? Did it work?
The results were even better than I expected. The meat was tender and falling off the bone. Once the ribs came out of the Instant Pot, all it took was a few minutes on the grill to caramelize the sauce onto the ribs and create some beautiful, tasty looking grill marks.
What?! Ribs on a weeknight. Saweeeet!
I promise… our next recipe won’t be made in the Instant Pot. But wow… what a great small appliance to have in the kitchen. If you’re in the mood to eat something that’s normally reserved for when you have lots of prep time, and warm weather, give this recipe a try. Eat ribs on a weeknight (yes!), in the winter (sure, why not!), and eat well, friends!
These ribs are fall off the bone and delicious! Because they're steamed in the instant Pot, they're ready in half the time and perfect for weekdays!
- 4 lbs baby back ribs (about 1.8 kg). Two full racks.
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt (fine)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cups beer
- 2 cups (to brush and for side servings) of your favourite BBQ sauce. We used our own Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce.
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Remove the silver skin or membrane from the bone side of the ribs (see a great tutorial here). This is an important step to make sure your ribs are nice and tender.
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In a small bowl, mix together all the dry spices.
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Coat the ribs evenly with the spice rub on both sides. It might seem like a lot, but use the entire amount of the spice rub.
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Place the steel steam rack inside the instant pot.
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Pour in the chicken broth and beer.
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Place the first rack of back ribs inside the pot on its side on the steel rack, wrapped/curled around the inside of the pot, against the sides.
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Place the next rack of ribs inside the pot, wrapped inside of the first rack of ribs.
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Close the lid and steam valve (sealing).
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Set the Instant Pot to Manual, for 15 minutes.
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The Instant Pot will now build pressure. This took 15 minutes for us. This process can very a little. Expect 15 to 20 minutes before the 15 minute timer starts.
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Heat your BBQ/Grill between 500 ºF and 550 ºF and grease the grill grates to prevent sticking.
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Once the 15 minute cooking time is complete, use natural pressure release (NPR) for 15 minutes. This means that pressure will gradually decrease in the pot.
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Carefully switch the valve to venting.
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Once the float valve drops (the steam is completely released), open the lid. Note: never attempt to open the lid before the float valve is down. Your ribs are completely cooked at this stage. The next steps are for grill marks and caramelizing the sauce on the ribs.
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Place the ribs on the grill, bone side down and brush a generous amount of rib sauce on the meat side of the ribs. Cook for 2 minutes.
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Turn the ribs over and brush the bone sides generously with more BBQ sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
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Once again, turn the ribs over and brush the meat side again with bbq sauce. Cook for one more minute.
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Serve the ribs with your favourite sides. We used maple baked beans, coleslaw, fries and more rib sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
We use the Instant Pot® Duo Pressure Cooker, 6-qt
My paternal Grandfather grew up on Pico. He was a grape farmer in Oakley, California. When I was a boy, and I am 76 now, we went to his farm Easter weekend . He would kill a pig, and the women would make linguica and morcela, and Portuguese sweetbread. They also made the Portuguese doughnuts. I can’t spell the name of the doughnut correctly, so I won’t try. I can pronounce it correctly. Those were wonderful times. Too bad they are gone !!! Norv Azevedo, Fallon, NV
Thank you so much for sharing your story Norvan. I’m a little younger than you, but I had the pleasure of experiencing what you described, while I lived in Pico. I visited a few years ago, and a cousin of mine recreated that experience. We started at 6:30am with snacks and shots of homemade moonshine (aguardente). The family gathered around to “take care” of the pig. The cleaning was then done, sausages filled, meats cut and packaged, giant meals cooked and enjoyed by the family, etc. Except for a few modern day tweaks, it’s exactly what I remembered from my youth. Are the donuts you’re referring to filhoses by any chance? These were wonderful traditions. Unfortunately, they are slowly disappearing. I still have a few cousins and friends that know how to do these things, but I’m guessing it’ll eventually be hard to find events like this. Take care and thanks again for dropping by our site.
i LOVED YOUR BLOG, MY FAMILY IS FROM PICO AND I TOO JUST GOT A SHINY NEW INSTANT POT AND IT IS I MUST HAVE — WHERE THAT THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!!!!!!! AND LIKE YOU BECAME A CONVERT COOKING RIBS. CAN’T WAIT TO READ MORE OF YOUR LOVELY STORIES AND RECEPIES
H Teresa, thanks so much for visiting our blog. I hope you love the new Instant Pot as much as we have. Take care and happy cooking!