I know ribs tend to be either a dish cooked low and slow on a grill or low and slow in the oven, but I have found my bliss with ribs cooked fairly quickly in a pressure cooker and finished with a delectable sauce under the broiler. And when those ribs can be on the table in well under an hour, you can see why I might be in love!
The start of this recipe can be the same whether you're opting for the spicy-sweet sauce outlined in this option or you want to keep it super simple and use one of your favorite sauces from a jar — or make your own barbecue sauce or the like. Make them your own and know you've got some time to accomplish that while the pressure cooker does its magic. Of course, you can also simmer them slowly on the stove … it will just take hours and likely be a weekend project for most people.
I like the serve these ribs with roasted eggplant that's been smothered with miso butter and a simple sliced cucumber salad, but they also play nicely with potatoes — mashed, roasted, or tater salad — and any number of salads or veggie dishes. I just find it a blissful thing to enjoy mid-week. Hooray for the pressure cooker making ribs a quick meal!
Thai Country Ribs
- 2 ½-3 lbs. pork country ribs
- ¼ c. cider vinegar
- Salt
- 1 T. hoisin sauce
- ½ T. soy sauce
- ½ c. sugar
- ½ c. ketchup
- ¼ c. lemon juice
- 3 T. honey
- 1 T. ginger, minced
- 1 T. garlic, minced
- Chopped green onion, for garnish
Arrange the ribs in your pressure cooker on a rack. Add the cider vinegar and lightly season the meat with salt. Bring the pressure cooker to high pressure and cook the ribs for 25 minutes.
While the meat cooks, make the sauce by whisking together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ketchup, lemon juice, honey, ginger, and garlic in a small nonstick saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk constantly for 5 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and forms a syrupy sauce. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
When the ribs are done, manually release the pressure, taking care to avoid burning your hands with the escaping steam. Using tongs, remove the ribs and place them on a broiler pan. Brush the ribs liberally with the sauce and broil on low for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has formed a shiny crust on the ribs.
Serve with additional sauce and garnish with chopped green onion.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes