These Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs will satisfy your craving for something meaty, hearty and saucy without you having to break a sweat. Sticky,savoury, sweet and juicy, these areready in less than an hour. Thanks to the pressure cooker.
Pork is the tastiest meat by far, in my opinion. It doesn’t take much to cook a delicious dish of pork. I made this in the thick of winter when both my spirit and stomach yearned for food that would provide nourishment to both.
The traditional way is to put the ribs in the oven for 2 hours or more till they’re done. This is not just a waste of electricity, it also means waiting and planning your cook so that they’re done on time. Honestly, when I’m craving something this badly, I want it on my plate in as little time as possible. True, some dishes need to be cooked low and slow, this is not one of them.
Tips to cook your Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs right
- Choose spare ribs for this recipe. You can buy them in rack form and slice after cooking or buy them cut into individual ribs. I used pre-cut ribs.
- Trim them of excess fat. Each rib should ideally have a thin layer (about ½ an inch) of fat because fat carries flavour (and vitamin D). But you also don’t want greasy, heavy ribs. The fat should roughly be about 12% – 15% of meat of the entire rib.
- The recipe lists Chinese five spice powder as optional ingredient, but I recommend not skipping it. These Pressure Cooked Pork Ribs are meatier on the tongue with more umami if you add it. Make your own five spice powder.
- Once the ribs are tender and juicy, brush them liberally with the glaze and put them under the broiler (grill / top coil) of the oven to get a rich, tasty browning and gloss. Make sure to keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn. The sugar in the glaze can char to bitterness if the oven is too hot or if the ribs are left under the grill for too long. They need just about 3-5 minutes,depending on the oven (some ovens can run very hot).
And that’s all there is to rustling-up these caramelly, slightly-charred, delightfully meaty Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs. Serve them on their own with leftover glaze as a dipping sauce or with plain, steamed rice or a fresh, crunchy salad. I enjoyed them with an Asian-style, smashed cucumber salad.
Pro tip
Once cooked in the pressure cooker, the ribs will release some of their juices. This is liquid gold. Cool and save this precious broth to use later in soups,sauces / gravies, or even as a dip to dunk your grilled cheese or buttered toast in. Consider it a bonus for cooking ribs in the pressure cooker instead of the oven.
Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 500 g Pork spare ribs
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp garlic powder or grated fresh garlic
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder (optional)
- 200 ml water
- Salt
For the glaze
- 4 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 200 ml pork juices from the pressure cooker
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and rub the pork ribs with the mixture to coat them thoroughly.
- Place the ribs in the pressure cooker with the water and cook on a high flame. After one whistle, reduce the flame and cook for 25 minutes.
- Allow the cooker to cool down and release the pressure. Remove the ribs, taking care to ensure the meat doesn't fall off the bones. Heat the oven on grill / broiler mode to 220℃ and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- To make the glaze, place a saucepan on a low flame. Ad the sesame oil, ggrated ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them. Add the stock from the cooker along with all the other ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce for a few minutes till the sauce has thickened slightly to a glossy, coating consistency.
- Liberally brush the sauce on the ribs and grill on the topmost rack of the oven for 2 minutes on each side till they are lightly browned and shiny.