Instant Pot Chinese Barbecue Spareribs are cooked in just 20 minutes, and then browned for 3 minutes under the broiler. Char siu or barbecue spareribs are popular in Chinese restaurants, and can be prepared easily in your own kitchen. Pressure steaming ribs results in juicy, tender ribs.
I’ve been wanting to try my Auntie Florence’s Chinese barbecue pork recipe for a while, but her recipe requires using hooks to hang the meat in the oven. This Instant Pot Chinese Barbecue Sparerib recipe is a much simpler and faster process.
First, I marinated the spareribs for a few hours in a five spice soy sauce rub. Then, I place the ribs (cut into 3-4 rib sections so they would fit in the Instant Pot) on top of a trivet (comes with the Instant Pot). All you need is one cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot for the steaming process.
I used baby back ribs, so they took just 20 minutes to cook. If you want the meat to fall of the bone, then you should cook the ribs for 25-30 minutes. I wanted a little chew to them like the ones you find at the restaurant.
A simple glaze of honey and dark soy sauce is then brushed on the cooked ribs before they are browned under the broiler for a few minutes.
The glaze adds some color and creates a nice charred crust.
These Instant Pot Chinese barbecue spareribs are tender, juicy and have a beautifully browned crust thanks to the combination of pressure cooking and broiling.
I made these Instant Pot Chinese Barbecue Spareribs for company recently and they got great reviews.
Instant Pot Chinese Barbecue Spareribs
Ingredients
- 5 pounds baby back spareribs cut into 3-4 rib sections
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese ground brown bean sauce dou ban jiang
Glaze
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
Instructions
Marinate Spareribs
-
In a small bowl, mix together garlic, sugar, salt, five spice powder, soy sauce and ground brown bean sauce. Rub all over spareribs. Place in Ziploc bags or large bowl and cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight is possible.
Pressure Cooking Spareribs
-
Place rack inside Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup water. Place rib sections on top of rack.
-
Cook ribs on high pressure for 20 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release pressure. Remove ribs to foil-lined baking tray.
Broiling Spareribs
-
In a small bowl, mix together honey and soy sauce. Brush on top of spareribs.
-
Broil spareribs 2-3 minutes, until brown on top.
Recipe Notes
If you use another cut of spareribs, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
They look SUPERB! Tender, juicy and flavourful!
Thanks Angie – they are!