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pieces of glazed cooked ribs on cutting board
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4.81 from 36 votes

Best Pork Loin Back Ribs (parboiled, baked or instant pot)

Years ago I discovered this easy copycat recipe for the famous Montreal pork loin back ribs we loved. Sweet, sticky, tender and delicious. We included three ways to make them, but make no mistake, it's the glaze with 2 secret ingredients that is unique and awesome.
Prep Time14 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 6 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings (change as needed): 4 -5
Author: Cheryl Avrich
US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

  • 3.5 pounds -4 lbs baby back ribs (about 2 large racks)

Parboiling method ingredients

  • 1 onion cut in half
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 4-5 peppercorns
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
  • 1 cup pickle juice i.e. liquid in jar that sour or half sour pickles sit in (optional, but great for flavoring ribs)

Glaze for any cooking method

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon EACH: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional) or more to taste
US Measures - Metric

Instructions

  • PREPARE RIBS: Remove the silver skin on the back of the ribs by sliding the tip of a knife under the skin at the small end of the rack. Loosen the skin from the bone, then grab it with a paper towel and peel the skin off the entire rib. It should peel away in one large sheet. If it doesn't, try again. Cut each rib into 2-3 pieces. 
  • PARBOIL RIBS: Place ribs in a large pot. Add onion, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns, garlic and pickle juice if using. Fill pot with water to cover ribs by one inch. Slowly bring ribs to a boil by heating the stove to medium-high. Skim surface with a ladle. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until a knife easily pierces the meat. If you have time, let the meat sit in the water until the water cools. If not, remove the ribs and discard the water.
    Note 1 for Instant Pot method.
    Note 2 for baking method.
  • MAKE SAUCE/GLAZE: In a large bowl, mix all glaze ingredients well. Set aside 1/2 cup to pass as extra sauce. Add the ribs to the bowl and mix to coat well.
  • GLAZE AND FINISH:
    To broil: Place ribs on pan lined with foil and sprayed with oil. Baste ribs with glaze. Heat oven to broil, On a rack close to heat, broil ribs for about 3 minutes on each side until bubbly and charred in spots. (I often just broil the meat side and not the bone side)
    To grill: Use a paper towel dipped in oil to grease the grill. Or spray it with oil. Heat grill to medium high. Grill for about 3 minutes per side, basting with extra glaze. Cut into serving portions and serve with additional sauce.

Notes

  1. Instant Pot method to cook ribs: After removing the silver skin, rub ribs all over with a good rub (about 6 tablespoons). Buy it or make your own (see note 4). If you have time, let them sit with the rub for several hours or over night for added flavor.
Place 1 cup broth, a few chunks of onion and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or pickle juice) in bottom of Instant Pot (IP). Lay trivet over broth (if you have one), then wrap ribs around the side of the IP, standing ribs on trivet, bone side facing toward the center. Wrap the second rib inside the first in the same way.
Close Instant Pot lid and set valve to 'SEALING', then set PRESSURE OR MANUAL button on High for 24 minutes. If ribs are very meaty, set for 25-26 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before beginning the 24 minute countdown. When finished cooking (it will beep), do a 5 minute natural pressure release, then turn valve to VENT to release remaining pressure. When button drops, you can open the lid. Turn Instant Pot to OFF. Remove ribs and proceed to glazing/finishing step. 
2. Baking method for ribs After removing the silver skin, cut ribs horizontally in two. Rub on your favorite rib rub (buy it or see Note 4 for rub recipe). If you have time, let ribs site for several hours or over night.
Wrap ribs well in foil, place on pan, then place another layer of foil over pan. Bake at 300F/149C for 2 hours. Uncover, test for doneness and proceed to glazing/finishing step. 
3. Make Ahead: Once the ribs are cooked (boiled, baked or pressure cooked), at this point, you can cool and refrigerate the ribs and continue to the next step the next day. I suggest bringing the ribs to room temperature for an hour or so. Then, to heat and add the sauce/glaze, either grill on medium heat or broil 10 inches from the heat source. This will give the ribs a chance to fully heat through.
4. Recipe for pork rub: Per rack of ribs - Combine 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tbsp EACH of chili powder, garlic powder, brown sugar. (double recipe for 2 racks). Or here's another dry rub you can try. 
 
Nutrition value estimates include about 1/2 rack of ribs per person using the parboil cooking method. They do not include the pickle juice.
Calories: 726kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 1953mg | Potassium: 811mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 2mg