Delicious, flavorful, fall-off-the-bone tender. These Instant Pot pork ribs are so tasty and loaded with flavor; you might not believe they can be cooked from frozen, start to finish, in 1 hour, including the time to pressure up! This is a great way to have dinner on the table, even if you didn't plan ahead!
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Everyone in my family loves ribs. However, it was just one of those meals that seemed to take forever to make. I used to boil the ribs in water for a couple of hours to make the meat tender, then bake them for another half an hour in the oven. It was certainly worth the wait, though; they are so delicious!
The other day, I was trying to figure out what to make for supper. Unfortunately, I didn't have a plan, and I had no meat out of the freezer. So I turned to my trusty Instant Pot and decided to see how pork ribs would turn out. After all, you can cook frozen chicken; why not frozen ribs?
They turned out so good. My family didn't believe I made them in the pressure cooker. They were so full of flavor, the meat fell off the bone, and they had a beautifully glazed sauce on them. This is my new favorite way to cook pork ribs now.
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Ingredients
This instant pot pork rib recipe is one of the easiest dinners I have made. You need, of course:
- A pressure cooker.
- Package of ribs.
- Dry rub seasoning, or make your own with coconut sugar, paprika, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Directions are below. It also goes great with this homemade pork rub.
- Your favorite BBQ sauce, bought or homemade.
How To Make Pork Ribs
The first step is to cut your frozen pork ribs into 2-3 ribs to cook evenly. Use a sharp knife and be careful. I was surprised by how easy they were to cut. Just look to see where the bone is and cut between the bone. You can even "score" the meat and then bend it apart with your hands. Put the trivet that came with your instant pot in the bottom of the pot and add 1 cup of water. Place the ribs into your instant pot.
Next, I like to make my own dry rub for ribs, and it consists of 2 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon onion powder. Mix it up and sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the frozen ribs. You can even flip the ribs over to get both sides covered with it.
Cooking time for pork ribs
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, set it to "sealing." Set it to 45 minutes on high pressure. When the timer of the Instant Pot beeps, signaling that it is done, just let it naturally release. When the pressure is fully released and the pressure indicator has dropped, remove the lid.
Using tongs, carefully remove the pork ribs and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce (I use an all-natural kind that contains organic cane sugar), and place them in your oven on broil until nicely glazed, about 4-5 minutes. That's it!
Now serve up fall-off-the-bone tender mouth-watering ribs to your family. But, of course, they will think you spent all afternoon cooking. Dinner just got a whole lot easier without planning!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can fit 2 racks of ribs in the Instant Pot. If they are too squished together, they won't cook evenly. You can see in the photo above that they naturally have space between them when placed in the pressure cooker.
Side ribs extend down the side of the animal over the belly. Therefore, they are less tender than back ribs and are less expensive. However, because they are less tender, they also take longer to cook.
You cook the ribs the same way as frozen, reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes, and do a natural release.
Side dishes
There are so many side dishes that would complement these pork ribs. Some you might like to try are:
- Crispy oven-roasted potatoes
- Baked beans
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Corn on the cob
- Coleslaw
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Crispy Squash in the Air Fryer
How to store leftovers
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, place them in a container with a tight-fitting lid and put them in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place in an oven-safe pan, add 2 tablespoon of water, cover with aluminum foil, and reheat in the oven at 250˚F. They will be ready when the internal temperature is 130˚F to 140˚F.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
If you've tried these Instant Pot BBQ Pork Ribs From Frozen or any other recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
You can also Follow Me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Would you please tag me in your photos @windingcreek_ranch? I would love to see your pictures!
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot BBQ Pork Ribs From Frozen
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Dry rub for ribs
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ribs
- 2 racks pork side ribs
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cut your frozen ribs into 2-3 ribs so they cook evenly. Use a sharp knife and be careful. I was surprised by how easy they were to cut. Just look to see where the bone is and cut between the bone. You can even just "score" the meat and then bend it apart with your hands. Put the trivet that came with your instant pot in the bottom of the pot and add 1 cup of water. Place the ribs into your instant pot.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon onion powder. Mix it together and sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the frozen ribs. You can even flip the ribs over to get both sides covered with it.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, set it to "sealing". Set it to 45 minutes on high pressure.
- When the timer of the Instant Pot beeps, signaling that it is done, just let it natural release. When the pressure is fully released and the pressure indicator has dropped, remove the lid.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the ribs and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce (I use an all-natural kind that contains organic cane sugar).
- Place them in your oven on broil until nicely glazed, about 4-5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Alice | SkinnySpatula
Never made ribs from frozen, but these sound easy enough.
Darcy
These are the best ever! I improvised rub and made my own BBQ Sauce, turned out to die for, figuratively speaking, fell off the bone. Will definitely make again for ourselves and guests!
Jeri
Wow! That's fantastic! I'm so glad you liked the ribs, Darcy! Thank you for taking the time to comment! It made my day! 🙂 Jeri
Sue
Perfect ribs!
Jeri
Thank you, Sue!
Ashley
Mine are thawed, how long should I cook them for?
Jeri
Hi Ashley!
Cook the thawed ribs for 30 minutes then do a natural release. Let me know how they turn out!
Anna
These ribs look utterly delicious! I love how tender and flavoursome the meat is!
Jeri
Thanks, Anna, they are so easy to make!