Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Ribs

Fall apart tender, Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Ribs are ready to eat in about an hour.  Boneless country Style Pork Ribs, prepared in your pressure cooker, then glazed with Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce on your grill or in your oven. Grab the napkins and dig in!

These Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs are here to rock your world.  Are you ready?

This post is sponsored by Iowa Pork, but the opinions and my lifelong love of their product and ideals are all my own.  

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My number one recipe every day, over the last six months or so, has been my Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Ribs.  So many of you have made them, and everyone loves them! I get comments and feed back daily about how tender and delicious they are.  

For a while now, I have wanted to recreate them in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Then I got a call from Iowa Pork.  

They asked me to create a recipe for them, and after chatting awhile, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to share this already popular recipe, using country style boneless pork ribs, in the instant pot.  

Why the Instant Pot?

Anytime is a great time for pressure cooking.  It’s quick and requires less effort than stove top cooking.  Once it’s in the pot, it fairly “hands off.”  But using the instant pot in the summertime?  That is quite brilliant.  No heating up the kitchen with steamy stovetops or hot ovens.  Aside from releasing the pressure, no heat.  It’s done in minutes rather than hours.  It’s a winning situation no matter how you look at it.  

^Love them?  Pin them!^

The original recipe, made in the crock pot, I caramelized the Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce on in my oven on a rack.  For this method, I used my grill.  Again, keeping the kitchen cool in the summertime heat.   Of course, this recipe isn’t just for summertime, so I have given instructions for both methods, finishing off on the grill and in the oven.  

There is no need to measure the internal temperature when you prepare pork ribs, simply cook them until they are tender. 

Another method I have for delicious BBQ Pork Ribs? Boil them in beer until tender, then place them on your grill to char them a bit, then slather them in Homemade BBQ Sauce. 

3 Ingredients in Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs:

1. Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs
2. Two Cans of Dr. Pepper Soda
3. Barbecue Sauce

It doesn’t get much easier than 3 ingredients, does it?   

My favorite ribs are the boneless country style pork ribs.  They are all meat, and I can eat them with a fork.  (nothing wrong with being “lady like” while you chow down on barbecue!) 

f.a.q. – “Can I make this recipe with bone in ribs?”  — Absolutely!  I recently made this same exact recipe using bone in pork ribs, and it worked great!

Three pounds of boneless country style pork ribs fit perfectly in the bottom of my 6 quart Instant Pot.  If your instant pot is smaller, adjust accordingly.  I recommend not stacking the ribs on top of one another.  

For this recipe I used Dr. Pepper Cherry.  I loved that little bit of added sweet cherry flavor.  Of course, regular Dr. Pepper works great, too!

f.a.q. – “Can I use another soda?” or “Can I use diet Dr. Pepper?” — Yes!! I have tried this recipe with a cola and with root beer.  Both are delicious! Diet soda will also work if you are watching your glucose.  

One can of soda just covers the ribs in the instapot.  

Part of the second can of soda gets whisked together with some of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce.  We always buy Honey Sweet Baby Ray’s.  This is where if you wanted to kick it up a notch, you could use something spicy of you like.   

The rest of that can?  Pour it over ice, and put your feet up while your instant pot does all of the work for you!

Once the ribs are cooked in the pressure cooker, carefully remove them (they are so tender they fall apart easily!!) Place them on your grill and brush the tops with the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.  Grill for 10 minutes, flip them and do the same on the other side to caramelize that sauce over them.  

As I mentioned earlier, this recipe isn’t just for summertime.  BBQ sauce can be caramelized in the oven, too, using a rack placed over a baking sheet. 

Aren’t they gorgeous??

We served our up with our favorite potato salad.  That’s the beauty of barbecue, isn’t it?  You don’t need anything fancy for side dishes.  If the barbecue is done this well, it steals the show!

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, shred it up and make these amazing BBQ Pork Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!

Did you know that 1/3 of the pork raised in the United States comes from Iowa?

I bet many of you don’t know this, because I am constantly talking about Nebraska, but my husband grew up on a farm in rural Iowa.  His dad grew corn and soybeans and raised hogs, and he owned the local fertilizer and anhydrous business.   

When I took my first trip to the farm to meet his parents, they couldn’t get over what a “city girl” he had brought home.  I know, if you are reading this from NYC or LA, you probably think, “Omaha?? Big City??”

But compared to his town of 300, it’s the big city.  I had never seen a hog up close, or even knew what a combine was.  We spent many many weekends there in the early days of our marriage and family.  Our kids grew up riding in tractors, feeding the farm cats, and knew what it meant when he said “that’s the smell of money.”

You see, those crops and those hogs were their livelihood.  When you purchase pork in your grocery store anywhere across the United States, you are supporting local family farms in Iowa and other parts of the U.S. 

With the advancements in technology the past 30 years, most pigs are now kept in buildings in order to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. A pig farmer’s biggest priority is animal well-being and food safety.  However, no matter how big or small the farm is, know that there is always a family behind it doing the work.   

Pork, Good and Good FOR You!

 Pork is a complete protein. Adding lean animal protein source like pork to your meals not only helps you hit daily suggested protein levels, but you also acquire essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs.  

Adding pork to your meals, helps you to feel fuller longer, which helps lower post-meal glucose and insulin levels, and can even help with weight loss.

Pork is even more beneficial for aging adults,  shown to help resist against the natural loss of bone density and muscle mass. It is a terrific a source of Vitamin B12, which is a common deficiency in adults over the age of 65.

Be sure to follow along with Iowa Pork on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for delicious pork recipes year ’round!

So what are you waiting for?? Let’s get to making some of these Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pork Ribs!! 

4.45 from 75 votes

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pork Ribs

Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs are Country Style Pork Ribs, pressure cooked in Dr. Pepper, then grilled or baked to caramelize the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. Only 3 ingredients!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Additional Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Pork

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs, How to make pork ribs in an Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Ribs, Pressure Cooker Pork Ribs

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 929kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 3 pound boneless country pork ribs
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper divided
• 3/4 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

• Place ribs in a single layer in the bottom of your Instant Pot.
• Pour one can of Dr. Pepper over the top.
• Cover with the lid, and lock into place. Make sure the quick release is set to the pressure position.
• Cook on high for 40 minutes.
• Allow natural release for 15 minutes. Carefully remove any excess pressure. Remove lid.
• Remove ribs from pressure cooker.
• Combine 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce with 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper.
• To finish on the grill: Set grill to 350 degrees. Place ribs on the grill and brush Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce on the top. Close grill and in 10 minutes flip the ribs over and brush the other side with BBQ sauce. Grill 10 minutes more.
• To finish in the oven: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully place ribs on a rack over a baking sheet. Brush the tops with BBQ sauce. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, brush with BBQ sauce, Bake for 10 minutes more.
• Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

Notes

1. I used Cherry Dr. Pepper. You can use regular Dr. Pepper or Diet. It will also work well with root beer or cola, but the flavor will be a bit different.
2. Be really careful when moving the ribs after you take them out of the pressure cooker. They are so tender, they fall apart easily.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 929kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 238mg | Sodium: 587mg | Sugar: 25g