Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients

• 2 racks (about 4 lbs total) baby back pork ribs
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Nutrition (estimated per serving)

Method

1. Place one rack of ribs bone-side up on a cutting board. Using a butter knife, slide it under the thin, papery membrane at one end of the bones to loosen a corner, then grip the corner with a paper towel and peel the entire membrane off in one piece; this step is essential, as leaving the membrane on will block seasoning and make the ribs chewy instead of tender. Repeat with the second rack.
2. Pat both racks completely dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne if using.
3. Rub the spice mixture all over both sides of each rack of ribs, pressing it into the meat. If a rack is too long to curl into the pot, cut it in half between the bones with a sharp knife.
4. Pour the 1 cup apple juice and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the Instant Pot insert, then place the trivet (metal rack) inside on top of the liquid.
5. Curl each rack of ribs and stand them on the trivet, bone-side out, leaning against the sides of the pot rather than lying flat; this lets steam circulate around all the meat evenly. Do not let the ribs touch the liquid directly.
6. Lock the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes for tender-but-sliceable ribs, or 28 minutes for fully fall-off-the-bone ribs.
7. When the timer ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to Venting to release the rest of the steam, keeping your hands and face clear of the escaping steam.
8. Check doneness: the meat should have pulled back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and a fork inserted into the meat should twist easily with little resistance. An instant-read thermometer in the thickest meat should read at least 145 F for safety, though ribs cooked this way will read well above that, closer to 190-203 F, which is what makes them tender rather than just safe.
9. Preheat the oven broiler on high and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Carefully lift the ribs from the pot using tongs; they will be very tender and may want to fall apart, so support each rack with a second pair of tongs or a wide spatula as you transfer it.
10. Place the ribs bone-side down on the prepared baking sheet and brush generously with about half of the 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce.
11. Broil the ribs 6 inches from the heat source for 3-5 minutes, watching constantly through the oven door, until the sauce is bubbling and slightly charred at the edges; barbecue sauce has sugar in it and can go from caramelized to burnt in under a minute, so do not walk away.
12. Remove from the oven, brush with the remaining barbecue sauce, and let the ribs rest for 5 minutes before slicing between the bones.
13. Serve the ribs warm with any extra barbecue sauce on the side.

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