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Instant Pot Jerk Ribs Recipe – How To Make Jamaican Jerk Baby Back Ribs

Love Jerk Ribs? These Instant Pot Jerk Ribs come out delicious, flavourful and fall-off-the-bone tender all the time!

You will love these baby back ribs with a spicy kick with this pressure cooker recipe.


Instant Pot Jerk Baby Back Ribs - Pork Recipe on Travelling Foodie

Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

After being obsessed with Instant Pot Ribs, I wanted to try more ways of enjoying baby back ribs aside from just BBQ.

I’m a big fan of spicy food so I thought jerk ribs would be amazing to make, inspired from my trip to Jamaica back in 2019.

Jerk seasoning is perfect for ribs because the blend is already great as seasoning, and then you can also use the same blend to make a sauce.

And as usual with the Instant Pot Ribs, they come out Perfect. All. The. Time with fall-off-the bone tender meat.

Jerk Baby Back Ribs on Plate

Also Read: Easy 30-Minute Recipes: Meals and Snacks in 30 Minutes or Less


What Makes This Instant Pot Recipe So Good?

Once you try this Instant Pot Jerk Baby Back Ribs, you won’t have to order them at restaurants again! Here’s why it’s so good:

Easy. Once you make this Instant Pot Jerk Pork Ribs, you’ll realize how easy it is to make. It’s very similar to Instant Pot BBQ Ribs, but the key difference is you’re using the same Jerk Seasoning as the dry rub and for the sauce.

Cheap(er). Baby back ribs in restaurants are so expensive (usually at least $25 before tax and tip). Buying ribs in the grocery or butcher shop is definitely cheaper and you can buy in bulk and freeze which is what I do when I see them on sale.

Jerk Ribs using Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer

Flexible. You can have fun making your own variations because the main steps are fairly similar and straightforward.

Versatile. Jerk Baby Back Ribs is definitely one of the perfect recipe for the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer because you do the pressure cooking and air frying of the pork ribs in one gadget. But this doesn’t mean it has to be this exact gadget. You can use other pressure cookers and also use oven or a different air fryer for caramelizing.

No Grill. You can use the oven or air fryer to caramelize the sauce. Perfect for people without a grill like me! I’m showing you three different ways with this ribs recipe.

Air Fryer Instant Pot Jerk Ribs on Plate

What You Need For Instant Pot Jerk Ribs Recipe

Equipment

I used the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer for this recipe, but you can use a different brand like Ninja Foodi. You can also use the oven or another air fryer for broiling the ribs after.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer with Air Fryer lid, basket, trivet and broil tray
Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer

BBQ Ribs Ingredients

  • Pork Ribs – I used Baby Back Ribs but this recipe can work for other kinds of ribs with slight adjustments.
  • Liquid – Some sort of liquid mixture is required for pressure cooking ribs. I used water but other apple juice, apple cider vinegar and soda are popular choices too. You can even elevate these ribs by adding some liquid smoke to the mixture.
  • Jerk Seasoning – You can make your own jerk seasoning blend. I used a store-bought one which I used for the initial dry rub as well as the jerk sauce.
  • Soy Sauce – Used to liquify the jerk seasoning into a jerk sauce
  • Olive Oil – Used to thicken the jerk sauce
Pork Ribs with Jerk Seasoning on Instant Pot

How To Make Pressure Cooker Jerk Ribs On Instant Pot

Pat the ribs dry and remove the membrane, the slippery tough white layer found on the bone side of the ribs (curved toward you).

Uncooked Rack of Baby Back Ribs

To remove the membrane, slide a butter knife underneath it and then lift and loosen. Once there’s a flap to grab on to, pull the entire membrane off. You can use a paper towel to pull if it’s too slippery.

Uncooked Baby Back Ribs with membrane removed

Cut the pork ribs in half and apply jerk seasoning generously on all sides of both ribs.

Add the liquid on the Instant Pot’s inner pot, then place the trivet and then the ribs on top.

Seal the Instant Pot with the lid and run 20 minutes on Pressure Cook set to High. This takes about 8 minutes to pressurize.

When it’s done pressure cooking, do a Natural Release for 20 minutes followed by Quick Release. Or, you can natural release all the way too.

Jerk Seasoned Baby Back Ribs on Pressure Cooker

While this is happening, make the Jerk Sauce by combining the seasoning, soy sauce and oil until liquid smooth.

Remove the jerk-seasoned ribs and coat generously with jerk sauce on all sides.

Pork Ribs with Jerk Sauce on Instant Pot

Caramelizing Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

Optionally, you can caramelize the jerk baby back ribs. I’m including three no-grill options.

Though the pressure cooked ribs is already delicious, I still prefer caramelizing it after so the jerk sauce sticks to the meat and the crusts browns and crisps as well, making it seem “grilled.”

Tender meat of Air Fryer Jerk Pork Ribs made in Instant Pot

Option 1: Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer / Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid

If you’re using the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, just put the coated jerk ribs back in the inner pot and put the air fryer lid on top. Then set Air Fry for 10 minutes at 400F.

Travelling Foodie Tip: Though it is recommended to remove the liquid out of the inner pot before air frying, I honestly didn’t find a huge difference so I air fry with it. I find draining the liquid a big hassle and prone to hot splashes.

Baby Back Ribs with Jerk Sauce on Pressure Cooker

Option 2: Oven Broiling

During the natural release phase, pre-heat the oven for broiling.

Line a tray with aluminum foil and place the ribs on top. Broil for 6-8 minutes in the oven.

Option 3: Separate Air Fryer

If you don’t have the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer (or the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid) but have a separate air fryer, like my Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven, air fry the ribs at 400F for 7-8 minutes.

Adjust the time and size of jerk ribs accordingly based on your air fryer.

Instant Pot Jerk Ribs on Plate

Also Read: 4 Indian Recipes For An Authentic 3 Course Indian Meal


Tips On The Perfect Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

The same tips on the Instant Pot Pork Ribs recipe can be applied to the Instant Pot jerk Ribs.


Other Instant Pot Recipes


Instant Pot Jerk Baby Back Ribs Recipe

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How To Make Jerk Ribs with Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer - Travelling Foodie Recipe

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Tender meat of Air Fryer Jerk Pork Ribs made in Instant Pot

Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

Yield: 2-4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 8 minutes

This easy Instant Pot Jerk Ribs recipe makes perfectly tender, juicy and fall-of-the-bone jerk baby back ribs every time! You'll love the spicy kick!

Ingredients

Jerk Ribs

Jerk Sauce

Instructions

  1. Pat the pork ribs dry and remove the white membrane from the back of the rack.
  2. Cut the baby back ribs in half and apply jerk seasoning to all sides.
  3. Add water to Instant Pot.
  4. Place trivet and add pork ribs on top.
  5. Run Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on High. It takes around 8 minutes to pressurize.
  6. While pressure cooking, make the Jerk Sauce by combine all ingredients and mix well.
  7. Do 20 minutes of Natural Release followed by a quick release.
  8. Remove the baby back ribs and coat all sides with jerk sauce.
  9. You can enjoy as-is, or caramelize by following the steps below.

(Optional) Broil the Jerk Ribs for caramelization

Option 1: Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid or Duo-Crisp + Air Fryer

  1. Place the pressure cooked jerk ribs back on the trivet.
  2. Using the Air Fryer lid, air fry the ribs for 10 minutes at 400F (204C).

Option 2: Broil with Oven

  1. Pre-heat the oven for broiling while you're doing Instant Pot natural release
  2. Line a tray with aluminum foil and place the jerk pork ribs.
  3. Broil for 6-8 minutes in pre-heated oven.

Option 3: Separate Air Fryer

  1. Place the ribs on the Air Fryer basket.
  2. Air fry the jerk baby back ribs for 8 minutes at 400F.

Notes

  • When using Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer, you can use the air fryer basket instead of the trivet.
  • If you don't have the Instant Pot Air Fryer lid, you can also use an Air Fryer. Depending on your air fryer, you might have to cut the ribs further if a half rack doesn't fit.
  • Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1281mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 20g

    Please note that nutrition information you see is provided and automatically calculated by Nutritionix. This may vary depending on the specific ingredients that you use. To ensure the most accurate information, I suggest entering your specific ingredients into a nutrition calculator.

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    Hope this Instant Pot Jerk Pork Ribs recipe gives you an idea on what to have for lunch or dinner. If you’re looking for delicious ribs with a spicy kick, this pressure cooker ribs recipe is for you!

    How To Make Instant Pot Jerk Ribs - Travelling Foodie Recipe

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