Pork Spareribs With Jammy Barbecue Sauce

In this spareribs recipe a sticky, fruity glaze that’s better than any store-bought BBQ sauce caramelizes thickly over a rack of spice-rubbed trimmed pork ribs. Known as St. Louis–style ribs, this cut is favored in competitive BBQ circles (yep, that’s a thing!) for its neat squared-up shape and ideal meat-to-bone ratio (baby back ribs are smaller and taper on one end). Using tomato paste rather than the ketchup that’s often called for allows for a careful balance of acid, sweetness, and spice. Cook the ribs in an oven or even an Instant Pot (more on that below) first, then give them a chill in the fridge prior to finishing them on the grill or under the broiler. This step will help keep the ribs together as they’re flipped enthusiastically and painted with the sauce.

Instead of waiting around on baked ribs, you can use your Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker for near-instantaneous BBQ pork. Coat the rack of ribs with the dry rub, then stand it on its side, coiling the ribs gently inside the cooker (rather than stacking them) with a half cup of vinegar (any kind will do) or water. Cook at high pressure for 10 to 12 minutes (depending on how tender you want them; they still need to get sauced so don’t make them fall-off the bone tender just yet!) and allow the pressure to subside naturally (about 15 minutes). Remove ribs and let cool before glazing.