Gemma Stick a fork in me, I’m done – is what you will be saying when you have demolished these Instant Pot Ribs. We had a zoom meal with Jim’s family and these ribs were our starter. I made 2 racks of ribs which is enough for four adults. We delivered half of them to Jim’s parents because we were cooking for them as a treat.
Game-changer
The rib meat is fall off the bone tender (thanks to the Instant pot) and the glaze is really something else. I know it seems like a lot of ingredients but the recipe is easy. Once you have thrown them all together the results are mind-blowing. Never again will you buy those packets of pre-made ribs in vacuum packs from the supermarket. This recipe is a game-changer.
Instant Pot alternative
I use my Instant pot to make these ribs. I know that it’s a gadget we don’t all have to hand. If you don’t have an Instant pot you can make these ribs in the oven. I would assemble them in a roasting tin, sprinkle the Chinese five-spice over them. Then add 150-200ml water and seal them tightly with foil. Bake 150ºc fan/GM 3 for 2 hours – do not open that foil until the 2 hours are up. You want to trap the moisture in to keep the meat tender. The key is to cook them low and slow. Once your ribs are out of the oven follow the recipe for glazing and the final bit of cooking.
Glaze and finish
Do not cook these ribs in an Instant Pot or slow cooker with all the ingredients in at the start. Glaze the ribs at the end once they are cooked and tender. Make the glaze separately and set aside. You will coat the ribs in the glaze for the last bit of cooking. This allows you to get that perfect sticky caramelised quality that makes them so good.
Busy family tricks
I make these ribs in the Instant Pot because it is a busy families best friend. You can transform the toughest of meats to the most tender, fall off the bone delights within 30 minutes. I was really busy the day I cooked and filmed this. I had a banging headache, the children were full of life, the house was a tip, and I had a three-course meal to prep and deliver in time for our zoom night. Having the Instant Pot take care of the ribs afforded me a bit more time to manage everything else.
These ribs are perfect for the weekend and a great way to use your Instant Pot. If you have left over glaze you can store it in the fridge for a few days. You can use it with chicken thighs to speed up a tasty mid-week dinner.
Instant Pot ribs: garlic, ginger & soy glaze
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back pork ribs you can use any ribs of your choice
- 1 tsp chinese five-spice
- 2 tbs water
- 12 cloves garlic
- 60 g ginger
- 2 red onions
- 1 red chilli
- 85 ml light soy sauce
- 120 g runny honey
- 70 g hoisin sauce I only had hoisin & spring onion which worked fine
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 3-4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- Olive oil
- 1 sliced spring onion
- pinch of fresh coriander
- a handful of sliced red chilli
- a sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions
- You can use any ribs for this recipe but I used baby back pork ribs. If you do too then start with cutting the ribs up to separate them all.
- Lay the ribs out on a tray and sprinkle your Chinese Five-spice over them.
- Put the trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot – this stops the meat sitting in the water at the bottom and conveniently helps you to keep your ribs upright too.
- Slot each on your ribs into the gaps in the trivet so they stand to attention in your pot. If your ribs are too thick to fit then just stand your ribs upright as best as possible – use the ribs to support one another to keep them upright.
- Put the lid on and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Read the full story on the Family Feed website to findout how to make these without a pressure cooker.
- Finely dice the red onions and one red chilli.
- Grate the ginger and peel the garlic.
- In a pan add a good drizzle of Olive oil, and gently fry your red onions for 5 minutes.
- When the onions are soft, crush all of your garlic into the onions add your ginger and chilli then fry for an additional 5 minutes.
- Keep the heat on low. You don't want to burn or add any colour. Give the mix a stir every minute or so.
- The onions and garlic will start to stick to the bottom of the pan, you will notice this when you give it a stir. This is the perfect time to add the soy sauce and deglaze the pan. Basically scraping the pan gently to release any of the bits of onion and garlic stuck to the bottom, that's flavour and you want it in your glaze.
- Add the honey and stir then allow it to simmer for 30 seconds.
- Add the hoisin sauce, the sweet chilli dipping sauce, the sriracha and the tomato ketchup. Give everything a good stir and combine then leave the glaze to gently simmer for five minutes to reduce slightly.
- Once this is done, set the glaze aside and allow it to cool a little. You can use the glaze from cold if you're not ready to eat your ribs yet. I would always advise handling the glaze when it's at least cool.
- When your ribs are ready, remove them from the Instant Pot and add them to your glaze. Add roughly 2 tbsp of the liquid from the bottom of your instant pot to the glaze.
- Give everything a really good stir. Transfer to a roasting tin, cover and tightly seal with kitchen foil.
- Roast in a preheated oven at 160ºc Fan/GM 4 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and cook at 170c fan/GM 5 for a further 10-15 minutes, or until you are satisfied that the glaze is thick, sticky and good to serve.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped coriander, sliced spring onions, sliced red chilli and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Video
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Made these last night……oh my gosh they were awsome. I wouldnt buy them in a restaurant ever again. Cant wait to do them again and share them with family and friends.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for your lovely feedback. We agree, they are pretty special these ribs!