Grilled Honey Soy Pork Ribs

If you have never tried ribs in an instant pot, what are you waiting for!? Grilled Honey Soy Pork Ribs are pressure cooked and then grilled to perfection in a sweet sauce consisting of honey, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, and sesame oil. They are super tender and fall-off-the-bone perfect!

Lord Byron’s Kitchen is no stranger to rib recipes. The most popular are my Copycat Chinese Dry Garlic Ribs. That one is followed closely by my Family Style BBQ Ribs. And, just recently, I published my Bourbon Pork Ribs, which seems to be gaining traction as well. These Grilled Honey Soy Pork Ribs have some stiff competition!

All of those other ribs have one thing in common. They are all baked in the oven. Each of those recipes requires a slow baking time at a low temperature. I don’t mind spending two or three hours cooking ribs, but I know some people don’t have time for that. Allow me to introduce these instant pot ribs! No need to wait two or three hours anymore!

Disclaimer: The instant pot is used to cook the ribs with a seasoning that will permeate the meat. You can eat them just like that, or you can baste and grill them. The sauce is applied after the instant pot has done its job. I take the ribs a bit further and grill them on high heat while basting them with the sauce mixture. This browns the ribs and helps to get those grill marks we all love to see on grilled meat.

TYPES OF RIBS

I have friends and family who much prefer beef over pork. To me, that is just blasphemy! No matter the cut or how expensive the beef was, if sitting next to pork, I’d pick the pork first. To me, it has way more flavour and stays more tender and moist. It’s also much less costly!

Can you use beef ribs in this recipe rather than pork ribs? Absolutely! In fact, you go ahead and treat them the exact same way. I do find that beef ribs are typically chewier than pork ribs. You can cook them both the same way. Beef ribs tend to be much bigger and meatier as well. Other than taste and texture, the biggest difference is the price. Pork ribs are much cheaper.

Personally, I find that beef ribs cook faster than pork ribs in an instant pot. These pork ribs are cooked for 23 minutes. I would cook beef ribs for 20 minutes only.

DON’T HAVE AN INSTANT POT OR GRILL?

If you don’t have an instant pot, then you can cook these ribs in your oven. Obviously, the 30-minute deal goes out the window! To cook these ribs in the oven, follow the instructions in the recipe card below. But, instead of layering in an instant pot, place ribs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Tightly cover with foil and bake for two hours at 300 degrees F. Remove from the oven and discard the foil cover. Bake for thirty more minutes. Finally, remove the ribs again, sauce them, and return to the oven for fifteen minutes. Turn each rib over, add more sauce, and bake for another fifteen minutes. That’s it!

If you’re reading this post, I assume you have an instant pot. I use this exact one. It’s an eight-quart pot, so there’s lots of room for two or three racks of ribs.

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

I found the ribs you see in the photos at Ottawa Valley Meats. The beef ribs are sourced from local farms dedicated to naturally raising heritage pigs in a free-range environment, these pigs are forest-finished for an undeniably enhanced flavour. Like all of their products, these ribs are completely antibiotic and hormone-free, given vegetable feed with no soy products. Each order of pork ribs is professionally butchered, quickly flash-frozen and vacuum-packed.

If you are in Ontario, be sure to check out Ottawa Valley Meats. I absolutely love the quality of the beef, as well as the chicken and the seafood too! The prices are very competitive and they deliver right to your door! It’s a great way to stock up, especially with the upcoming colder months when everyone seems to cook heartier meals!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pork Ribs – You can use baby pork back ribs or pork spare ribs.
• Vegetable Stock – I always have vegetable stock on hand, so that is what I used. You can use chicken stock or beef stock.
• Vinegar – Cider vinegar is perfect with pork. You can substitute with white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
• Dark Soy Sauce – This adds flavour and colour.
• Honey – Regular honey will do just fine. Save your fancy organic honey for your tea. If you don’t have honey, you can use regular granulated sugar, but cut it back to 3/4 cup.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic for maximum flavour. Finely mince the garlic.
• Ginger – Fresh ginger is best. You will need two teaspoons of grated ginger.
• Mirin – This is a type of rice wine. You can use white wine if you don’t have mirin.
• Rice Vinegar – If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
• Sesame Oil – A little bit goes a long way in terms of flavour, but I can’t imagine these ribs without it!
• Ground Black Pepper & Salt
• Toasted Sesame Seeds – These are for garnish and are optional.
• Chives or Green Onions – For garnish and freshness.

HOW TO MAKE GRILLED HONEY SOY PORK RIBS

COOKING THE RIBS

Start by removing the membrane on the back of the ribs. Next, cut between each bone so that you have separated all of the ribs. Pat them all dry with paper towels and set them in a large bowl.

Sprinkle over the salt and pepper. Massage each individual rib so that each one is well seasoned. Next, ensure your trivet or steam rack is in your instant pot. Pour in the stock and vinegar.

Lay the ribs onto the steam rack in a random fashion. Close and seal the instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 23 minutes. Once done, allow the steam to release naturally for five minutes. Then, carefully open the valve to remaining pressure out.

PREPARING THE SAUCE

While the ribs are cooking in the instant pot, prepare the sauce. It’s super easy to do! Measure the dark soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame oil into a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

FINISHING THE RIBS ON THE GRILL

At this point, the ribs are fully cooked and you can eat them. However, to fully get the rib experience, I would highly recommend you add sauce and place the ribs on the grill. It will just take a few minutes!

Transfer the ribs to the bowl with the prepared sauce. Gently toss to coat. Be careful, because the ribs are already very tender. Try to keep the bone in the meat to make grilling easier. Once the grill is hot, place each rib onto the grill, and allow it to cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. While the cook, use a pastry brush to baste the ribs. Carefully flip the ribs over using tongs and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Baste the ribs once again. Once you’re happy with the grill marks, get the ribs off the grill and serve immediately.

If using an indoor stovetop or electric grill, the same cooking process applies. Once the ribs are slightly charred, remove them from the grill immediately. Please note that I used an outdoor grill. You can also use a panini press too. Be sure to fully preheat the grill first, otherwise, the ribs will be overcooked.

HOW TO TOAST SESAME SEEDS

If you are not familiar with toasted sesame seeds, then please try it just once. You will probably never revert to using untoasted sesame seeds again! I have tried using non-stick frying pans for toasting, but nothing works as well as a stainless steel pan. You could use a cast iron pan, but since they get very hot and retain heat so well, it’s easier to burn the seeds.

See the frying pan in this picture? That’s the exact one that I use all the time. I’m not suggesting you run out and buy this same cookware set, but I wanted you to see the pan – remember, do not use non-stick if possible. You’ll get better results with plain stainless steel.

So, unlike most cooking where you’re required to preheat first, you don’t want to apply that same rule to toasting seeds. Add the seeds to a cold pan. Place the pan on the burner and turn the heat on – no higher than medium and probably even less if using a gas burner.

Keep the seeds moving about. I use a rubber spatula. Once you start to smell that warm and toasty aromatic smell, pay close attention. The seeds will take on a slightly golden colour. Don’t let them get too dark. Once you’re satisfied, immediately remove them from the hot pan and transfer them to a dinner plate where they can be spread out to cool.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

I’m one of those people who feel that a meal isn’t complete without sides. And, to be honest, it’s the biggest thing I struggle with. I have no issues whatsoever with deciding on the main dish, but preparing sides is not something I enjoy much at all. In the case of these Grilled Honey Soy Pork Ribs, however, I would highly recommend vegetables. Even though these ribs are not spicy, a cooling type of side is always a good idea.

This cucumber salad is super light and refreshing. It pairs so well with these ribs. Since you already have the grilled heated up, why not grill a nice side too? This grilled bok choy looks delicious and since these ribs are Asian-inspired, bok choy would add some nice green to the plate too.

When all else fails, I always turn to my tried and true, good ol’ faithful fallbacks. You cannot ever go wrong with a really good potato salad and a great-tasting coleslaw whenever you’re serving something grilled. My absolute favourite potato salad is this one, and my favourite coleslaw has to be this one. As I said, you can’t possibly go wrong with either of these! Happy eating!