You don’t need to wait until the weekend to make baby back ribs. Cooked under pressure in an Instant Pot, my Sticky Asian Ribs recipe is ready in less than 90 minutes. Slathered with a sweet-savory caramelized glaze, these tender pork ribs are finger-licking good!
One of my cooking dreams was to make baby back ribs at home. I’m not a big meat eater, and on a daily basis, I eat more vegetables than meat. However, I have a soft spot for Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) and fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs smothered with a sweet-savory delicious sauce, which I discovered when I came to America.
Since our good friend John makes killer smoked baby back ribs, Mr. JOC and I didn’t have to get our own smoker and make our own. The only problem was that I couldn’t eat good ribs when I want to eat them. That’s when I started to make my ribs in the Instant Pot. Today I’ll show you our family’s favorite, Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs (甘辛スペアリブ).
Table of Contents
Making Ribs in the Instant Pot
Until you give this recipe a try, you probably won’t believe how amazing this recipe and the Instant Pot are! Compared to the common 2-to-3-hour slow-cooking oven method, cooking baby back ribs in the pressure cooker drastically cuts down the cooking time. And it comes together super fast for a weeknight meal.
Without the pressure cooker, there is no way you can eat fall-off-the-bone ribs in less than 90 minutes from start to finish, which includes the 30-minute resting time for the ribs with a dry rub.
Pressure-cooking ribs for 25-30 minutes is plenty for the meat to come off the bone. You will need to use the oven (broiler) to finish it off, but that’s just several minutes. Too easy? You must give it a try!
Delicious Sticky Asian Sauce
You can use this recipe as a base for American-style ribs. Rub in the baby back ribs with your go-to dry rub, cook in the Instant Pot, and apply homemade/store-bought BBQ sauce before placing the ribs into the oven to broil.
However, I want to introduce you to this delicious Sticky Asian Sauce today! All you need is the typical Japanese condiments: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. I sweetened the sauce with brown sugar and honey and gave the sauce a kick with garlic and ginger.
With this sauce, this dish goes well with even rice or noodles! Isn’t it nice to add variations to your baby back rib recipes?
If you are new to Japanese cooking and want to know more about both sake and mirin, the essential condiments for Japanese cooking, you can find more information on each condiment on these pages.
5 Tips to Make the Best Sticky Asian Ribs
Even though this recipe is pretty straightforward, I thought I’d give some tips that I found important.
1. Remove membrane
For the very first ribs I made, I completely forgot to remove the membrane, so I thought I would add a reminder here. The membrane is white thin connective tissue and located on the back (the bone side) of the ribs. Your butcher may already have the membrane removed. If not, you can ask them to remove it for you.
If you buy already packaged ribs, then you can remove it yourself very easily. Just flip the ribs so the top (meaty part) is face down. Pull the corner of the membrane using a paper towel because it’s slippery. No special skills are needed here, just use your fingers and a paper towel to pull it off.
2. Use a dry rub
The flavor in the baby back ribs starts with the dry rub. This mix of seasonings and salt helps break down the fibers in the meat to create a complex depth in flavor.
The dry rub is a mixture of only dry seasonings and you need to rub them into the meat and set it aside for 30 minutes. The dry rub that I use for this recipe is a simple concoction of salt, black pepper, white pepper, and shichimi togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice). Shichimi togarashi is a beloved Japanese spice blend made of Japanese chili powder, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger, and seaweed. It gives a spicy, citrusy, and nutty flavor to everything you sprinkle on.
3. Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Acidity in the vinegar breaks down the ligaments and tenderizes the meat as well as adds some sweetness. I use a mix of water and apple cider vinegar to flavor my ribs as they cook.
4. Place ribs vertically
To support the weight, make sure to place the rack with the ends of the ribs facing up and on top of the wire rack without touching the liquid.
5. Finish off in the broiler/grill
After pressure cooking, the meat is super tender but looks rather steamed. Therefore, it’s important to finish off the ribs in the broiler or over the grill to give some nice char. The sauce you apply to the ribs will be caramelized in high heat and it gives a luscious look to the baby back ribs.
Extra Tip: Gently remove the ribs from the Instant Pot
No, I’m not joking, the meat is so tender that it might fall off the bone (and yes, that happened to me). The pressure cooking time is 25-30 minutes. If the presentation is important to you, cook for 25 minutes as I do in this recipe. It is still tender, but the meat won’t’ fall off the bone too easily.
Sake Pairing with Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Daiginjo
We paired these tender juicy fall-off-the-bone ribs with the exquisite Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Daiginjo. REI is one of our favorite sakes as it’s versatile and can be enjoyed with a wide range of dishes.
As you bite into the juicy ribs slathered in the sweet and tangy sauce, sip REI, and the cold and smooth sake cuts right through the fatty meat with its fruity flavors. It instantly refreshes your taste buds and leaves you wanting another sip and another big bite of the ribs.
The floral characteristics of Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Dainginjo compliment the flavors of the ribs really well and we highly recommend pairing it with flavorful dishes like these ribs.
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Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs
Ingredients
- 3–3½ lb pork baby back ribs (maximum amount for a 6-QT Instant Pot)
- 1 cup water (for pressure cooking)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (for pressure cooking)
For the Dry Rub
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)
- ¼ tsp white pepper powder
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 knob ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke (optional, for a smoky flavor; I skipped for this recipe)
For the Garnish
- 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 green onion/scallion (chopped diagonally)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ribs
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dry rub ingredients: 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), and ¼ tsp white pepper powder.
- Remove the membrane from the underside of 3–3½ lb pork baby back ribs, pulling it down the entire length of the rack with a paper towel (because it‘s very slippery!). You can ask the butcher to remove it for you. The rack on the right is shown without the membrane.
- Season the racks of ribs with the dry rub mixture on both sides. Here, I use UchiCook‘s Maraca Sifter. This is so convenient to sprinkle seasonings evenly!
- Use the dry rub to cover all sides, and then rub in thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes.
To Prepare the Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 4 Tbsp brown sugar, and 3 Tbsp honey.
- Grate 1 knob ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and mince 1 clove garlic (I use a garlic press). Add them to the sauce. If you want to add ¼ tsp liquid smoke, add it now.
- Cook/simmer the sauce on low heat for 30–40 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. The sauce still may be liquidy, but once it cools down, the sauce will get thicken further. You will have roughly ⅔ cup of sauce after it cools down.
To Pressure Cook the Ribs
- Place the metal steam rack into a 6-QT Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar to the inner pot.
- Put the racks of ribs sideways on top of the steam rack, wrapping and bending the ribs in a circle.
- Select the Manual setting; adjust the pressure to High, and set the time for 25–30 minutes (if you want the meat to fall off the bone, select 30 minutes). If you are using spare ribs, set the time for 30–35 minutes.
- When finished cooking, natural release the pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure (be careful and cover your fingers with a kitchen towel).
To Broil the Ribs
- Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don‘t control the temperature; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It‘s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. *Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use Medium (6 inches away) or High (8 inches away).
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Transfer the ribs from the Instant Pot to the wire rack.
- Brush with the sauce on both sides of the ribs.
- Place in the oven and broil until the sauce is caramelized, bubbly, and brown, about 3–4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brush more sauce on the ribs.
To Serve
- Sprinkle 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and 1 green onion/scallion (chopped). Serve immediately with the remaining sauce.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
Hi JOC,
I don’t have an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Wondering if I can just do these BBQ pork ribs in the oven? And if yes, I can cook the ribs entirely in the oven, what is the time and temperature I should roast it at?
Thanks,
Hi Emily! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
We have not tested this before, but you can try the slow cook method by placing the ribs in the oven with 275F for about 2.5 hours or until they are tender, then broil the ribs.
We hope this helps!
covered for 2.5 hrs? or uncovered ? Thanks!
Hi Nancy! Try covering them with a fitted lid or aluminum foil.
We hope this works for you!🤗
Tried this tonight, though I didn’t have honey, the ribs was excellent!! And prep work is so simple too. Always enjoyed following your recipes. All the pics help a lot!!
Hi Bekah! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed these yummy Ribs!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback. ☺️
Hello Nami,
Your blog contains many priceless tips and tricks on cooking and a plethora of knowledge on Japanese cuisine. Your work definitely has helped me cook a many lunches and dinners for my family. Thank you very much for this! As an avid reader of Japanese cuisine I’ve realised that there are countless regional dishes but unfortunately I can’t find many reliable english sources of recipes for them when I want to prepare them (Traditional Okinawan cuisine is especially difficult to find) I would love to see more of those if possible in the future.
Thank you very much,
Ruwindu
Hi Ruwindu, Thank you very much for trying many recipes from our website and your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipes.
Currently, we have some good posts about Okinawa and a few traditional Okinawan recipes in here.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=okinawa
We hope we can share some more, but please enjoy these posts and recipes in the meantime.
Thank you very much for your request.
Do you have any recommendations for an alternative to the Japanese 7-spice? I am severely allergic to all peppers (black and white peppercorns are different), so a lot of the spice blends are unavailable to me.
Hi Emery! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
You can use other spices you have to give some kick, but if you don’t care for heat, you can omit it. 🙂
We hope this helps!
Hello Namiko,
I really enjoy all your content, recipes, and IG adventures.
Recently tried this recipe and despite following every detail exactly, the InstaPot ended up shriveling and turned the short ribs into shoe leather…and not fall-off-the-bone tender.
Any tips/suggestions will be appreciated. Nevertheless, because of the sensational sauce, my wife and daughter still ate it! In retrospect, maybe I should sous-vide the ribs next time I attempt this dish.
Thank you again for all your great work!
Hi Michael, Thank you very much for trying Namiko’s recipe and for your feedback!
We are sorry to hear that your meat didn’t turn out soft.
The meat texture difference could be from the meat itself, or the Instant pot wasn’t sealed (the moisture had escaped from the pot during the cooking process). Next time, please try with Pork baby back ribs or spare ribs, not short ribs (beef).
We hope this helps!
I’ve made this once before and they were delicious. Going to make it again for a Father’s Day, high school & college graduations, and grad-school send off family gathering next weekend. Need to make about 3 batches of them a day ahead. Do you think I should wait to glaze the ribs and then just reheat under the broiler as in the last part of the instructions, or should I do everything a day ahead then reheat wrapped in foil in the oven at 350 as you suggested in one of your previous replies? I think they will still taste yummy at room temperature. So looking forward to this yummy dish in our first socially- distanced, fully vaccinated, extended family gathering. Thank you Nami for another winner 😀
Hi Karen, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish, and it will be served at the first socially distanced family gathering!🥂
To prepare for the big day, We recommend premade the batches a day ahead, then reheat them slowly in a 300 F oven. You can also brush more glaze when putting them in the oven. We hope this helps!
What a wonderful recipe! I made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I served the ribs with some homemade bao buns and some shredded cabbage and jicama, red and green onions!
Hi Billie,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for sharing your side dishes idea with us!
We are glad to hear everyone loved it!
Is it ok to omit just the Japanese 7 spice? I don’t have that on hand and I’m not familiar with this spice so a little hesitant to buy it just for this one recipe. (I’m a fairly new cook). Thanks!
Hi Megan,
Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) is a mixture of red chili flakes, sansho pepper, sesame seeds, nori, shiso, dried orange peel, hemp poppy seeds. So if you omit this spice, it will make a difference in the flavor, but you can make this dish without it.
We hope this helps!
I would like to try this amazing recipe, but with spare ribs instead. If I’m using 1.5 lbs of spare ribs with the same amount of liquid (apple cider vinegar/water) , how should the pressure cooking time and natural release time be adjusted? Thank you.
Hi Wing! If you’re using spare ribs instead, cooking time should be 30-35 minutes (Step 3 in the cooking section). The natural release should still be 5 minutes, but after the first trial, adjust to 10 or 15 based on your preference (don’t change the cooking time). I hope this helps!
Thank you for your response. I ended up follow the original recipe and used baby back ribs. I have had ribs at many restaurants before; both my husband and I think this is the best recipe!!! Thank you so much!
Hi Wing!
We are so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!!!☺️
I made the Asian sticky ribs in my instant pot and they were great. I had cook them 35 minutes because the ribs were still half frozen. They were falling off the bone. So good@ I served them with noodles, with some of the sauce on them.
Hi Doris,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re happy to hear it turn out great and you enjoyed the Ribs.
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience/tips with us!
I don’t have an instant pot and do have a slow cooker. I know that defeats the purpose of a quick meal, but could I still use this recipe in the slow cooker?
Hi Bonnie!
Yes! You may use this recipe in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours).
I hope this helps! Enjoy!
Worked out very well, and will repeat again. I didn’t have the mirin, but used regular rice wine instead. Also my sauce did not thicken as described, so I resorted to a spoonful of corn starch and water, mixed them, and poured into the boiling sauce. It thickened up well and stayed on the ribs when brushed on. I broiled for 4 mins, pulled them out and brushed again, and broiled some more for about two minutes. Had to watch this step closely so it didn’t burn.
Results were great. Thanks.
Hi Steven! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Made these twice and they’re amazing! Having friends over tomorrow night and will prepare two racks ahead of time.
What would you recommend serving with them as side dishes?
Hi Catherine! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much!!! Something refreshing, and something carb. Here are my choices:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-macaroni-salad/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-potato-salad/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/asian-coleslaw/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/crab-salad-with-ponzu-mayonnaise-dressing/
Green salad with these dressings: https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-salad-dressings/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wafu-dressing-japanese-salad-dressing/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/caesar-salad/
WOW THIS IS ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL!!!! THE SAUCE WAS EXQUISITE, IT WAS LIKE HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH. HONESTLY, THIS FLAVOR CHANGED THE WAY I LOOK AT FOOD FOREVER. I CAN NEVER EAT RIBS OUT AGAIN. NEVER. I don’t normally leave reviews and definitely not in all caps, but it was absolutely delicious. We each ate a full rack and the leftovers for tomorrow. I did 25 min in my IP, then 5 min NPR. My NPR takes forever when I switch to venting, so it really stayed in there for close to 8 minutes (it was still falling off but stayed together just enough to plate, I wouldn’t do any more than that on a large IP). I did not have the Japanese -7 spice, so I substituted with this (red pepper flake, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper). And the I peeled a mandarin and put the peels inside the IP with the ribs. I figured it was the best I could do to get the zing. I also cut out 1 tbsp of sugar because I don’t normally like them to be too sweet. I figured that with so much honey it would be just right. I also didn’t have a ginger root, so used 1 1/4 tbsp. We used TYKU sake for the sauce. For the honey, we used amber maple. I served this alongside Chinese fried rice in a hot stone bowl with a side of sake.
Hi Monique! You’re so kind, thank you so much for leaving your feedback here! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for trying it and sharing your tips! It sounds delicious!!
Making this recipe for the second time as it was so delicious and easy! Hands down the best recipe I’ve tried for ribs. And I’ve tried lots!
Hi Catherine! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much! Yay! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo