How about the easiest ever recipe for the smoked ribs, falling off the bone, done in about two hours? Ketogenic, carnivore, Paleo, and whatever meat-including-diet-you-prefer compliant? Do you believe it’s possible to make them that fast and without much fuss?
They exist, you know. Here is a proof:
I am going to make a few assumptions here. First is that you like ribs. Second, you like them smoked. Third, and last – you like them tender – fall-off-the-bone tender. If these three do not ring true to you, read further no more.
Still here? OK, let’s define the problem – then describe the solution. The problem is multi-fold:
- Smoked ribs taste fantastic but require a lot of time. To take them to doneness and make them really melting in your mouth takes a few hours. As nice as it is to enjoy the process with no hurry, it’s a luxury we can’t always afford.
- Perfect smoked ribs require skill exceeding that of many backyard weekend warriors. While not a rocket science, it’s fair bit beyond “plop a burger on a grill, flip it in indicated on the box number of minutes.” You need perfect internal temperature between 190 and 203F. You need to maintain charcoal going for 4-5 hours
- Instant Pot ribs require practically no skill (other than to operate Instant Pot). They have amazing texture (even some of the bones become edible!) but lack smoked taste. Sure, there is liquid smoke to add some flavor but it’s not nearly the same.
How do you resolve all that? By combining two methods in an easy and elegant way. Here is step by step breakdown.
- Buy ribs (duh). For this recipe I prefer side, spare or St. Louis ribs. They are more meaty than baby backs.
- Take off the membrane if your ribs come with one (most do).
- Apply your favorite rub. If you don’t have one, old reliable mix of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder won’t let you down.
- Fire up your BBQ set up for indirect heat. If it’s a charcoal one, rake the coals to one side. If propane, fire up a single burner on the side. Don’t worry about temperature, all you need is for the wood chips to give smoke.
- Put the ribs on another side away from the heat and add chips to the charcoal or over propane burner (in a smoker box or simply in a foil packet with holes). Here is the nice thing about this method: you don’t care about the temperature. We are not cooking ribs, we only bathe them with smoke. I use the cuttings from fruit trees; if you purchase chips, hickory is a good choice. So is apple, cherry etc. Cover your grill and leave it alone for 30-40 min, no longer than 1 hour. With smoke more is not necessary better. Just make sure there is a smoke coming from the hot side. Here is a visual:
Ribs are in the rib holder on the right, coals with wooden ships on the left. Smoke’s below:
- Pour a cup of cold water in the pot and put a trivet in. Take your ribs out of the smoking chamber and put them in your Instant Pot on a trivet. I roll them around and stuff them in like this:
- Close the lid and put Instant Pot on Manual, High Pressure, 30 minutes. When it finishes cooking (together with coming to pressure it should take about 45-50 minutes), let it Natural Release for about 12-15 minutes. Use the trivet’s handles (with oven mitts of course) to take the ribs out and transfer them to a largish plate.
- Enjoy the most tender smoked ribs ever.
