5-Ingredient Christmas Ribs made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker are sure to please! These ribs are tender, juicy and flavorful with a sticky finger-licking sauce. A perfect Christmas dinner!
(Both slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions are listed in the recipe card below)
5-Ingredient Christmas Ribs
Oh boy! My family couldn’t believe their eyes when they came home and saw that ribs were for dinner! It’s a special treat that we don’t have often. They gratefully ate these ribs up in no time. This is probably the simplest rib recipe I’ve ever made but I think it was my favorite! It turned out so well.
The Instant Pot is a wonderful tool for cooking ribs. I know that smoking and barbecue ribs are the crème de la crème but if you want ribs fast and you don’t want to fuss and wait all day then use your Instant Pot. I think you’ll be happily surprised at the results.
You start by pressure cooking the ribs for 30 minutes. Then you finish the ribs off under your oven’s broiler. Start to finish this probably takes just oven an hour. The sauce gets thick and sticky in the oven in just a few minutes. The ribs look and taste wonderful!
You can also make the ribs in the slow cooker if you prefer. Just set it and forget it! Each slow cooker cooks differently so it will probably take anywhere from 6-10 hours for the ribs to get tender.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Rack of pork st. louis ribs
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Apple juice
- Barbecue sauce–your favorite brand
Basic steps of making ribs in the Instant Pot
- Remove the silver skin (see video below on how).
- Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. This will help the seasonings stick better.
- Sprinkle the ribs with the salt and pepper. Rub the brown sugar all over the ribs.
- Pour 1 ½ cups apple juice into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet* into the pot. Place the ribs in the Instant Pot so that the ribs coil around the inside of the pot.
- Cover with lid and lock into place. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 30 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 20 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use two sets of tongs to carefully move the ribs to a foil covered baking sheet. They may be so tender that they are falling apart a bit.
- Measure ¼ cup of apple juice out of the Instant Pot and stir it together in a small bowl with the barbecue sauce.
- Brush the ribs on both sides with half of the bbq sauce. Broil in the oven on high for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with the remaining bbq sauce. Broil for 3 more minutes or until sauce is sticky.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to remove the silver skin membrane
Removing the Membrane: Place the ribs meat-side-down on a cutting board. Locate the thin membrane covering the rack. This membrane can be tough when cooked. To remove, use a knife to gently slide under the membrane then using your fingers, pull the membrane away from the bones. If slippery or difficult to remove, use a kitchen towel to take hold of it and pull. Watch this 1 minute video to see how…
Can I cook more than one rack of ribs at a time?
You can fit 2 racks of ribs in the Instant Pot if you coil them tightly. Use the same cooking time for 2 racks of ribs as you would for 1 rack or ribs. You’ll need a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot* for this recipe.
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat ribs: place the ribs in a pan covered with aluminum foil, then bake at 250˚F. When the meat reaches an internal temperature 130˚F to 140˚F, remove the ribs from the oven.
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Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
5-Ingredient Christmas Ribs
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes (plus NPR)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
5-Ingredient Christmas Ribs made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker are sure to please! These ribs are tender, juicy and flavorful with a sticky finger-licking sauce. A perfect Christmas dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 (3 1/2 pound) rack of pork st. louis ribs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Take your ribs out of the packaging and cut off silver skin. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Place the ribs on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the ribs with the salt and pepper. Rub the brown sugar all over the ribs.
- Pour 1 ½ cups apple juice into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet into the pot. Place the ribs in the Instant Pot so that the ribs coil around the inside of the pot.
- Cover with lid and lock into place. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 30 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 20 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use two sets of tongs to carefully move the ribs to a foil covered baking sheet.
- Measure ¼ cup of apple juice out of the Instant Pot and stir it together in a small bowl with the barbecue sauce.
- Brush the ribs on both sides with half of the bbq sauce. Broil in the oven on high for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with the remaining bbq sauce. Broil for 3 more minutes or until sauce is sticky.
- Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Take your ribs out of the packaging and cut off silver skin. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Place the ribs on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the ribs with the salt and pepper. Rub the brown sugar all over the ribs.
- Pour 1 ½ cups apple juice into bottom of slow cooker. Place the ribs in the slow cooker so that the ribs coil around the inside of the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
- Use two sets of tongs to carefully move the ribs to a foil covered baking sheet.
- Measure ¼ cup of apple juice out of the slow cooker and stir it together in a small bowl with the barbecue sauce.
- Brush the ribs on both sides with half of the bbq sauce. Broil in the oven on high for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with the remaining bbq sauce. Broil for 3 more minutes or until sauce is sticky.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
You can fit 2 racks of ribs in the Instant Pot if you coil them tightly. Use the same cooking time for 2 racks of ribs.
- Category: Pork
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Can you use baby back ribs and if so what changes do I need to make?
Thank you
yes you can…same instructions!
It was good. May add garlic powder when making again. I made the ribs in the crock pot and they were done at 6 hours.
★★★★★
These are great! And so easy! I try a lot of your recipes and they always turn out good. Thanks for all the help with dinner!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the 5 stars Debbie! Glad you are here 🙂