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Instant Pot Apple and Honey Glazed Pork Ribs

Apple & honey glazed instant pot pork ribs are easy to make and produce tender fall-off-the-bone meat despite a relatively short cooking time.

The ribs sit in a dry rub overnight to get a big bold back flavour, then they get 20 minutes in a pressure cooker and finally 10-15 minutes in a searing hot oven.

Apple and honey glazed Instant Pot pork ribs.

Apple and Honey Glazed Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs

I love ribs they are my favourite sticky finger food, it doesn’t matter if they are slowly smoked ribs cooked on the BBQ or my slow cooker char siu influence pork ribs, they just float my boat.

I’ve even got an corking sticky bacon ribs recipe that is filthy good!

These fall-off-the-bone tender apple and honey-glazed pork ribs are cooked in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker using a similar technique as my Chinese takeaway-inspired spare ribs.

As a result, the cooking time is an awful lot shorter than most rib recipes!

Pork and apple is a match made in heaven, I use the combination in recipes as diverse as Instant Pot braised pork belly with apple and sausage and apple salad.

Here the apple in question is apple juice. After it has been used to cook the ribs in the pressure cooker it is reduced to form a glaze with some honey and mustard.

Finally the ribs are popped into a fiercely hot oven to get a little colour and get that glaze nice and sticky.

Overhead clean bones from fall of the bone ribs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of ribs should I use?

A pig has 15 or 16 ribs depending on the breed but 3 are typically left attached to the shoulder. As a result, a full slab of pork ribs will contain 12 or 13 ribs.

Within that set, there are two different types of rib, baby back ribs and spare ribs.

Baby back ribs typically contain more meat and are curved in shape, these are cut from the top of the rib cage near the spine. Spare ribs are longer and flatter and are cut from the bottom of the rib cage.

The choice is yours in this recipe they take the same time to cook. I use baby back ribs because they are a better fit for the Instant Pot.

Can I shorten the marinade time for the pork?

You could, but it will impact both the flavour and the texture. Adding the salt for 8-24 hours draws out some of the moisture and leads to beautiful ribs.

Can I finish these Instant Pot ribs on the BBQ?

Yes, if you have the barbecue fired up you should definitely do this because it produces a beautiful flavour!

Do I have to remove the membrane?

There is much written about this, in terms of removing it improving the flavour penetration and juiciness. I have not found any difference in either of these aspects, but I find that ribs eat better when the membrane is removed.

If it doesn’t bother you, by all means, leave it on!

Close-up apple and honey glazed pressure cooker pork ribs featuring a title overlay featuring a title overlay.

Serving Suggestions

I usually serve these honey and apple-glazed Instant Pot ribs with some form of potatoes.

I usually leverage another piece of kitchen gadgetry and either make some air fryer potato wedges or air fryer chips.

If you are willing to break out a little oil and do some frying then I would think about some straw potatoes or crispy fried new potatoes.

If potatoes aren’t your thing then how about some sweet potato fries or even my fried polenta chips?

I nice salad also goes down really well alongside these Instant Pot ribs, everything from a simple green salad to my spicy mango salad would work wonders.

Overhead apple and honey glazed Instant Pot pork ribs.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Instant Pot or pressure cooker. I use a 5.7 litre or 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 7 in 1.
  • Trivet and something to raise the height of the trivet.
  • Oven.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen tongs.
  • Stirring spoons and a basting brush.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring jug, cups and spoons.
Instant pot cooked apple and honey glazed pork ribs.
Yield: 4 Servings

Apple and Honey Glazed Instant Pot Pork Ribs Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 10 minutes

Apple and Pork is a match made in heaven and these Apple Glazed Instant Pot Ribs take that idea to a whole new level.

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) Pork Rib
  • 250ml (1 Cup) Apple Juice
  • 1 Large (250g) Onion
  • 3 Tbsp (60g) Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard

For the Dry Rub

  • 1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 2 Tsp Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
  • 1 Tbsp Coarse Sea Salt

Instructions

  1. Peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges.
  2. Remove the membrane on the bone side of the rib joint, do this by simply sliding a sharp knife under a corner to release the membrane, then pull it away, if you are lucky it will come off in one piece!
  3. Mix together the ingredients for the dry rub, massage them into the ribs and set aside for anywhere between 8 and 24 hours to marinade.
  4. If you are using the trivet that came with your Instant Pot raise it off the base by a couple of centimetres (¾") using a crockery pot.
  5. Cut your side of ribs so that it will fit in the Instant Pot, I usually cook them standing up and curl them around the side of the pot which means there is minimal cutting.
  6. Pour the apple juice into the base of the pot, followed by the onions and finally the ribs, close the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes.
  7. Preheat your oven to 220°C and time it so it is hot when your ribs are ready to come out of your pot.
  8. Remove your ribs carefully from the pot and set aside whilst we work on the glaze.
  9. Take out the trivet and the pot you used to raise the height of the trivet, turn the Instant Pot on to saute mode add in the onions, honey and mustard and reduce to form a syrupy glaze, this should take 5-10 minutes, then blend with a stick blender.
  10. Finally, pour the glaze over the ribs, transfer them to the hot oven and get a nice glaze which should take 5-10 minutes, or even better finish on the BBQ.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 629Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 1977mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 82g

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Danyelle Whitley

Thursday 4th of April 2019

We don't have a pressure cooker but I think we'll be trying this out at my moms house later this week! Apples and pork are a match in heaven and the one pork meal my kids will actually eat. Great recipe, I can't wait to try it out!

Brian Jones

Friday 5th of April 2019

Looking forward to hearing how you get on, please do let me know :)

Mary

Monday 23rd of July 2018

**I FINALLY MADE THIS TONIGHT** just in case anyone is looking for comments by those who have made it ;)

I put the rub on the ribs this morning, let it sit for the day and then cooked this evening. I did have to substitute thyme for the marjoram and I was out of granulated garlic so minced in a 4-5 cloves of fresh. A little more than what was required, but I wanted to be sure to get a decent coverage like one would with dry.

The recipe tasted fantastic! I had a slightly larger cut of ribs, so needed to add an additional few minutes of pressure to cook, and it took a little longer for the glaze to reduce as I had more liquid. Next time I'll drain off a good amount of the liquid before adding the honey and mustard. I didn't really look before pouring them in, so my fault there.

Everyone in the family enjoyed the flavors from my husband, to the baby. Thanks for another great recipe!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 24th of July 2018

Always great to hear from someone who has made the recipe :D So glad you and yours enjoyed it Mary, I love cooking ribs in the IP! I often short cut the IP on reducing liquid by heating a large shallow flat bottomed pan over a high heat and use that for the reduction. The greater surface area, increased power and lower edges help reduce liquids far more quickly than in the IP :)

Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.

Saturday 11th of March 2017

I scooped up an InstantPot during a sale last year and I have still yet to try it. I think this recipe will have to christen it for me!

Brian Jones

Sunday 12th of March 2017

Aww schucks, this is definitely a good way to pop your cherry :D

April @ Girl Gone Gourmet

Friday 10th of March 2017

Apple and pork are like peas & carrots - meant to be :) Those ribs look absolutely delicious and this is probably the first recipe that has me itchin' to buy an Instant Pot. Ribs are my go-to dinner because to do them right takes a lot of time and attention! Great recipe, as always :)

Brian Jones

Saturday 11th of March 2017

I have to say that ribs are the first thing I have cooked in the IP that made me think, 'shit these are better than any other way I have cooked them', although the ease of making stick makes it worth the entry fee alone for me personally. I'm sure it is a combination of pressure and fairly modest temps that work for what I often find a fatty cut of meat, I am sure it would work just as great in any pressure cooker :)

Dan from Platter Talk

Friday 3rd of March 2017

We are in complete agreement that pork and apples are indeed a match made in heaven We love mixing the two together whenever we can but never did we consider using pork ribs! You photos are stunning, and I have no doubt that our whole family, especially our kids, will love your rendition of this classic combination. Thanks once again for the delicious inspiration!

Brian Jones

Friday 3rd of March 2017

Cheers Dan, I've been cooking apple glazed ribs for a while now but it definitely was one of those 'why have I not done this before moments'... Such perfect bedfellows :)

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