Shortcut Smoked Pork Ribs

Do you want amazing smoked pork ribs but don't have 6+ hours to devote to it? Shave the time in half using my easy shortcut method that utilizes a pressure cooker for part of the cook to help tenderize the ribs without sacrificing the wood-fired flavor that pellet grills impart.

Shortcut Traeger Pork Ribs are slow-smoked for 2 hours, pressure cooked in the Instant pot for 30 minutes, and then coated with barbecue sauce and put back on the Traeger to grill at 325° for 30-45 minutes.

It cuts down the cooking time significantly, but the smoke and the final grill time still leaves behind the smoke flavor and grilled BBQ texture on the meat.

I know that 3-2-1 ribs are all the rage in the Facebook groups, but I've never personally found them to be tender enough for MY liking. I like my ribs JUST short of fall-off-the-bone, and if they do fall off the bone, I'm not complaining. 

These ribs come out faster than 3-2-1 ribs with only about 3 hours on the grill and 30 minutes in the pressure cooker. 

Taking shortcuts to cook pork ribs doesn't mean shortcuts on flavor. You can achieve wonderfully smoky pork ribs in less than half the time it would take normally.

In terms of smoky flavor and grill marks, no one can tell the difference. For those times when considerations make low and slow impossible, then take this quick and easy path to create great smoked pork ribs that have all the smoky flavor and juiciness you need.

Recipe Shopping List

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Baby Back Ribs
• Homemade bbq rub (or your favorite ready-made variety)
• Hard apple cider
• Homemade barbecue sauce (or your favorite bottled variety)

How To Make This Recipe

This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

1. Preheat - Fire up your grill, and get the temperature to about 200-250°. Your primary goal during the first part of this recipe is to get that natural smoke flavoring into the meat.
2. Prep - First, make sure to remove that silver skin from the back of the rib. Some butchers or pre-packed ribs have it already removed, but if it is there then you can easily remove it.
   
   Just run a slim knife under one end and create a flap that you can easily grab and rip the whole thing off.
   
   Next, smother the ribs in the rub. The more you pack into the ribs the better. Not only does it add great flavor, but it also helps retain the moisture to help the pork ribs stay nice and juicy. A grilled smoked rib that isn't juicy might as well be a piece of wood.
3. Smoke - With the grill ready to go and plenty of smoke to curl around your rack of ribs, set them in your smoker. The ribs cook in the smoke for about two hours. This may not be enough time to get that fall-off-the-bone doneness, but it is plenty of time to impart enough smoke flavoring to the meat.
   
   Once you pull them off the grill, you'll need to cut them into 3-4 bone sections before putting them into your Instant Pot.
4. Pressure Cook - Add the ribs to the Instant Pot, add the hard cider, and then set the timer for 30 minutes of cooking at high pressure.
5. Finish - The last step is to carefully remove the ribs from the Instant Pot, and coat them with barbecue sauce.
   
   I like my barbecue sauce recipe because I know it will work perfectly with the dry rub that we started with, and it is amazing. If you don't want to make your own, you can go with the bottled barbecue sauce of your choice.
   
   Get the Traeger grill temperature up to about 325°, and then take your grilled ribs thick with sauce and lay them on the grill.
   
   The ribs will finish in about an hour. You'll want to pull them when the sauce is bubbly and hot and the ribs are at YOUR desired tenderness level. That'll depend on your specific rack of ribs, so don't cook to time, cook to FEEL. Stick a skewer or fork in the meat to gauge tenderness. 

Recipe FAQ

18 Amazing BBQ Side Dishes

Serve This With

Here are some dishes I recommend for sides and salads that go great with smoky grilled ribs hot off the pellet grill. You can find these and more recipes on my site:

• Traeger Smoked Baked Potatoes
• Creamy Pasta Salad
• Triple Berry Trifle
• Loaded Potato Salad
• Grilled Vegetables
• Easy Coleslaw

More Pork Ribs Recipes

Don't want a shortcut? You've got to try my super popular Traeger Grilled Ribs recipe! It takes a while, but if you've got the time it is worth the effort!

We've also got some Cherry Coke Ribs, Smoked Beef Ribs, and our popular 5-4-1 Smoked Ribs which are fall-off-the-bone amazing, and these Traeger No-Wrap Pork Ribs too.

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