Instant Pot Apple and Honey Glazed Pork Ribs
Apple and honey-glazed instant pot pork ribs are easy to make and produce tender, fall-off-the-bone meat despite a fairly 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 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, Korean gochujang ribs or my slow cooker char siu influence pork ribs, they just float my boat.
If you want a "twist", I've even got sticky bacon ribs and sticky lamb spare ribs that are both 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 are a match made in heaven. 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.
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!
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?
A 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.
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.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Apple and Honey Glazed Instant Pot Pork Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Pork Rib 3lb 5oz
- 250 ml Apple Juice 1 Cup
- 1 Large Onion 250g
- 3 tablespoon Honey 60g
- 1 tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
For the Dry Rub
- 1 tablespoon Sweet Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Freshly Ground
- 1 tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
- 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 pulling it away. If you are lucky, it will come off in one piece!
- 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.
- 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.
- Cut your side of ribs so that they 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.
- Peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges.
- 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.
- Remove your ribs carefully from the pot and set aside whilst we work on the glaze.
- 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.
- 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.
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!
Looking forward to hearing how you get on, please do let me know 🙂
**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!
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!
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!
I keep saying it but after seeing all your amazing recipes, especially for how much I love ribs and this recipe sounds so good, I have to get an Instant Pot.
I *almost* bought some pork ribs in Sainsbury's just now Bri and I so wish I had of done! These sound superb - definitely one for the menu of Hungry Hubby's annual birthday BBQ (which falls on Easter Monday this year!)
**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!
Always great to hear from someone who has made the recipe 😀 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 🙂
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!
Aww schucks, this is definitely a good way to pop your cherry 😀
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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 🙂
We love making ribs in our pressure cooker and just had ribs last night! But these are making me crave ribs for dinner.. again!
Haha, ribs really are superb from a pressure cooker, I can not wait for summer now as I reckon these finished on the BBQ will be mind blowing!
I keep saying it but after seeing all your amazing recipes, especially for how much I love ribs and this recipe sounds so good, I have to get an Instant Pot.
Hehe, they are great fun Rosemary, I've not found much use for anything other than the pressure cooking function at the moment but that is excellent. Mine has become a stock making work horse too taking a huge bunch of time out of my old slow cooker stock making method.
I *almost* bought some pork ribs in Sainsbury's just now Bri and I so wish I had of done! These sound superb - definitely one for the menu of Hungry Hubby's annual birthday BBQ (which falls on Easter Monday this year!)
Booooo to your lack of foresight Jo... I never have any idea when Easter falls but I hope he enjoys them as much as we did.
This looks amazing and I am sure will taste likewise. I am a little confused about the onion in the recipe as you add it with the apple juice and pork but you then mention to add the onion to the pot to make the glaze. I assume that the onion is simply left in the pot after taking out the pork. Looking forward to trying this soon.
Hi Patricia, that is correct... I will go back to the post an make that clear, thanks for bringing it to my attention and most importantly... Enjoy the ribs 😀
Looking great, Brian! Love your InstantPot recipes as of late!
Cheers Byron, I have a few more to go before I hopefully sztart moving on to BBQ stuff and Picnic foods, they are definitely my plans for spring into summer, even bought a fancy pants new picnic basket 😀
your apple glazed ribs makes me want to get an instant pot asap! These look so perfectly glossy, I know my family would go crazy for the ribs. Great recipe share!
Thank Helene, the glaze on these really was very special indeed 🙂
I haven't made ribs since last summer, but I can see I better hop to it! These look fabulous, Brian! Your pictures are mouthwatering!
Thanks Lisa, I can't wait for this summer ans these finished on the BBQ outside will be outrageously good!
Such a great recipe for the InstantPot! I absolutely love that glaze and the photo of the leftover bones.
Cheers Tara, I'm not usually one for food aftermath photos but the test of good ribs are how clean the bones are and these speak for themselves 😀
I've been searching all over for an IP friendly recipe for ribs. Thank you!!! Today, you are my hero!!
You are more than welcome Sarah 😀
You are so right apples and pork are a match made in heaven. Your ribs look amazing. I've never made ribs using apple juice before, but guess what I'm doing next time I'm cooking ribs!!
Thanks Sara, apple juice works really well as the natural sugars give a wonderful kick start to the glaze 🙂