Pressure cooker pork ribs – a recipe for easy falling off the bones

I recently bought a multicooker, which is a great time saver for my daily cooking. I plan to use it to make pressure cooker pork ribs, which involves searing, braising, and thickening the sauce. I would like to see how efficiently he can handle all these steps.

On this blog, I’ve shared a few Chinese recipes for braised pork ribs that I’ve been making on the stove. It will be interesting to see how the pressure cooker pork ribs compare to the traditional method of cooking pork ribs on the stovetop.

Let’s start by preparing the ingredients for this recipe for Chinese Style Braised Pork Ribs.

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1. Blanch and fry the pork

The purpose of blanching pork ribs is to remove the smell of the pork, which can be off-putting to some people. Wine, ginger and green onions are used for this purpose and add flavor to the pork. Chinese cooks commonly use this step, but it’s not mandatory as some people don’t mind the smell. In addition, some pork is odorless. For example, Asian pork smells less “porky” than Iberico pork.

Here are the steps:

1. I need to cut the whole rib into short pieces to fit in the slow cooker. However, it can be difficult to cut a rib at home because I don’t have a butcher knife, so I ask my butcher to do it. The type of ribs to use is very personal as they can be baby or short ribs. For me, the best ribs are any kind of meat.
2. Wash the pork ribs thoroughly with water to remove all dirt, debris and broken bones.
3. Then bring a pot of water to a boil and add two stalks of green onion, ginger slices (one inch size) and a large spoonful of Chinese rice wine. Place the pork ribs in boiling water and blanch for about two to three minutes. Once done, remove the pork ribs and let them drain colander or paper towel.

2. Spices used on Chiese style pork ribs

Cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloveand Chinese five spice powder are used as well as cooking other similar Cantonese-style stews. Five-spice powder is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise and Szechuan pepper. Although some ingredients of five spice powder may be repeated with all the spices used, it helps to make the taste healthier.

The amount of spices as indicated in the recipe is not a strict rule. You can adjust the spice ratio according to your preferences. However, if you’re new to Chinese braised pork, the given amount of seasoning is a good starting point.

3. Other ingredients needed to flavor the pork ribs

Seasoning ingredients include light soy sauce, Shaoxing winesalt a rock sugar. These ingredients are usually used in most Chinese stew recipes. Chinese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be added but is optional.

Rock sugar is commonly used in Chinese braising because it adds a smoother texture to the sauce and gives the pork ribs a glossy finish. If you don’t have rock sugar, substitute brown sugar or any sugar you have available.

Note: This recipe is based on a traditional Chinese recipe. Of course, you can use the same principle to prepare hot ribs with other flavors. If you want to try other flavors beyond the traditional Cantonese, here are some options:

• For example, you can make Instant Pot ribs with a dry rub to marinate them and add liquid smoke for a smoky flavor.
• Add a tablespoon of barbecue sauce to the braising liquid or Worcestershire sauce to change the flavor.
• Another way to improve the flavor is to add some garlic powder or better yet, add a few cloves of garlic to braised pork ribs.

4. Fry the pork ribs

The cooking method is the most significant difference between a traditional hob and a multicooker. Instead of a deep fryer or a separate pan to sear the pork until golden brown before adding water to braise the pork ribs, I use a multicooker to complete the entire cooking process.

1. First, I add vegetable oil to the bowl of the multicooker, turn it on possibility of stewingand then fry the pork ribs.
2. When the sauté mode is on, the multicooker will act as a pan on the stove,
3. Fry the ribs on one side. When the underside of the ribs are brown, flip them over to brown on the other side. Brown ribs taste better after braising.

At first I was skeptical about the effectiveness of roasting the ribs in a slow cooker, but it turned out well. I am happy with the result and the simplicity of not requiring different kitchen utensils. Also, if you have an air fryer, you can use it to fry the pork ribs, although I prefer to do everything with the slow cooker.

5. Simmer the pork ribs in a pressure cooker

After the pork ribs are golden brown, add about a cup of water or enough to submerge them halfway. Then add the prepared spice mixture, spices, ginger slices and green onions to the pot.

As soon as I put the meat in the multivark, close the lid and set it to pressure cooking mode. This feature ensures that the liquid inside the pot does not dry out, which can be problematic when cooking on the stovetop. Pressure cooking is also more efficient because it takes a fraction of the time to tenderize meat than a slow cooker or stovetop.

After the multicooker finishes the pressure cooking process, which takes 30 minutes, open the lid and check the pork ribs for tenderness. Since there is a quick release button, I use it instead of waiting for the multicooker to automatically release pressure, which takes longer.

I then check the doneness of the pork ribs and decide if the cooking time needs to be increased as the cooking time is set automatically. However, since they already fall off the bone, there is no need to cook them further.

6. Thicken the sauce

The last step is to thicken the sauce.

1. First, I have to remove all the tender ribs so they don’t overcook while thickening the sauce.
2. Leave the lid open and run sauce thickening mode multicooker. Continue stirring the liquid until it is reduced to half its original amount.
3. Mix two teaspoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water and make a paste. Then stir it into the braising liquid to thicken the sauce.
4. Before removing the pork ribs to serve, do a taste test to make sure everything is just right.

7. Related recipe for pressure cooker pork ribs

The beauty of using a multicooker lies in its simplicity. I will probably use it more often for my future recipes. In the meantime, if you liked this easy recipe, I suggest some Chinese dishes that go well with them.

• Frying Bok Choy. What better way to prepare vegetables for pork ribs? This way you will have a complete and balanced meal with steamed rice or noodles.
• Chinese beef stew. If you don’t eat pork, try this Chinese style beef stew recipe. It has a unique flavor due to the use of different spices and seasonings compared to braised pork ribs.