Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze is going to blow your mind! I'm serious about this one... you just have to give it a try! Not only is the rub amazing, this glaze is addicting for sure!
Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze is going to blow your mind! I'm serious about this one... you just have to give it a try! Not only is the rub amazing, this glaze is addicting for sure!
The best part... you'll be eating these Ninja Foodi Ribs in less than one hour! YAY!!!
I'm not knocking smoked ribs one bit! I love them. They just take too long. While the low and slow cooking technique for good BBQ can't be beat, these Ninja Foodi Ribs taste better than you can get in many restaurants! Did you know: a lot of times the ribs in restaurants aren't even smoked? It's true.
You might not know this about me, but I owned a BBQ restaurant (we did smoke our ribs) for several years and today I am sharing with you a version of my award-winning rub and Raspberry BBQ Glaze.
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Have you ever had a fruit-based BBQ sauce?
When I owned the BBQ restaurant years ago, I specialized in fruit-based sauces and WOW are they delicious! The raspberry glaze was one of the most-requested sauces and it is PERFECT on these Ninja Foodi Ribs!
A few of the other fruit-based sauces we made were: Blueberry, Apple Butter Bourbon, Peach, and a Roasted Strawberry Sauce. I bet you'll see these pop up in some of my future recipes!
What's your favorite fruit-based sauce? Leave me a comment!
Do I rub the ribs before or after pressure cooking?
I wondered this same thing. Will the rub stay on when the ribs cook under pressure since they are cooking in a wet environment? 
The answer is, yes. The rub stays on; so, I recommend rubbing the ribs prior to pressure cooking.
If time allows, I also recommend rubbing the ribs the day before you want to cook them. After rubbing them, cover in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge until about one hour before you want to cook them.
I always recommend letting meat (except seafood) come to room temp for about an hour before cooking.
Can I make these Ninja Foodi Ribs if I have a different pressure cooker?
Yes, of course. The beauty of the Ninja Foodi is being able to Air Crisp the ribs after pressure cooking them, but if you have a different type of electric pressure cooker, you can still make this recipe.
Follow the same instructions for pressure cooking and when the ribs are done, place them on a cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 400° F and place the ribs on the top rack of the oven. If you have a convection oven, I recommend turning that on. Bake the ribs until the glaze caramelizes on top.
You can also turn on the broiler and finish them that way. Just keep an eye on the ribs so the sugar in the glaze doesn't burn.
Do I have to remove the membrane from the back of the Ribs?
This is debated for sure. I decided to do a test in the video on YouTube for Ninja Foodi 
Ribs with Raspberry Glaze. I removed the membrane from ½ of the rack and left the membrane on in the other ½.
What I found is that the side that had the membrane removed cooked flatter, looked better, and I think the meat pulled off the bone just a bit easier.
I have always removed the membrane before cooking ribs and, after my experiment, I will continue to remove the membrane.
How long do I need to cook ribs in a pressure cooker?
Not as long as you might think! I know I will get some backlash from this, but it is okay. I can handle it. I think.
Ribs SHOULD NOT be falling off of the bone. There, I said it. I see everyone's head shaking back and forth vigorously and I can almost hear the screams.
The truth is, if the meat is falling off the bone, the rib is overcooked. You know you have a perfectly cooked rib when the meat pulls off the bone when you bite it, is tender and flavorful, but does not fall off the bone.
I know a lot of people like their rib meat to be falling off the bone and I am certainly not going to tell you how you should like your ribs. All food should be cooked the way you like it. So, here are my suggested cooking times and you will notice that the cooking time in this recipe for Ninja Foodi ribs is just a tad overcooked.
I want my rib meat to be:
Falling off the bone: Cook on high pressure for 25-30 minutes
Almost falling off the bone: Cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes
Not quite falling off the bone, but pulling away from the bone: Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes
Still attached to the bone, but pulls away when taking a bite: This is how a perfectly cooked rib should be. I have not tried this, but my suggested cook time would be high pressure for 15 minutes. If you give this a try, please leave a comment and let me know how it worked out for you!
*all the suggested cooking times should be followed by a 10 minute natural release for best results
Can I pressure cook my ribs in the BBQ Sauce?
In order to pressure cook, you have to build steam. In order to build steam, you need a thin liquid. While some BBQ sauces may be thin enough to achieve this, a thicker sauce like the Raspberry BBQ Glaze may cause you some issues.
Before deciding to pressure cook the ribs in a BBQ sauce, I would encourage you to read this article on Pressure Cooking 101. It explains how pressure cooking works and why thicker liquids and sauces don't work as well or sometimes don't work at all.
How to make the Raspberry BBQ Glaze
Place all the Raspberry BBQ Glaze ingredients into the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and set to medium sear/sauté. 
Stir frequently just until the glaze begins to boil. Turn the Ninja Foodi off and remove the sauce. Allow to cool for best results.
Please note: This recipe makes about 2 cups of Raspberry BBQ Glaze. You might use ½ cup for a rack of ribs. Store the remaining glaze in an air-tight container in the fridge until ready to use again. Give it a try on pork chops... delicious!
How to make Ninja Foodi Ribs
First, make up the rub by combing all of the dry spices with the sugar. Mix well. This will make enough rub for several racks of ribs. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.
Remove the membrane and the flap from the back of the ribs. You can see how I do this easily in the video: Ninja Foodi Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze on YouTube or under the recipe in this post.
Rub the ribs very well on both sides with the rub. You can do this up to 24 hours before cooking. Wrap the rubbed ribs in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until an hour before cooking.
Place the liquid smoke and cider vinegar in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi. I personally did not notice any smoke flavor from the liquid smoke, so feel free to replace this with water or beer or any thin liquid of your choice.
Stack the ribs on their side in the fry/steam basket that came with the Ninja Foodi. 
Set the pressure to high for 18 minutes. Be sure to turn the black valve to seal. When they are done cooking, allow the ribs to natural release for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, manually release the remaining pressure by turning the black valve on the back to vent.
Remove the basket from the Ninja Foodi. I like to put the ribs on the rack in the low position for Air Crisping, but you could leave them in the basket if you prefer.
Brush on the Raspberry BBQ Glaze. I like to use my Silicone Basting Brush, but you can spoon on the glaze.
Air Crisp the ribs on 400° F for 10-20 minutes, reapplying the glaze a couple of times. I usually recommend preheating the Ninja Foodi before Air Crisping.
Serve with a bit of extra glaze and that delicious rub! Enjoy!
Ninja Food Ribs with Raspberry BBQ Glaze
Ingredients
The Ribs
- 1 rack St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs
- ½ cup liquid smoke beer or water is fine
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar beer or water is fine
The Rub
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 2 tablespoon smoked paprika regular paprika is fine
- 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon celery salt
Raspberry Glaze
- ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle
Instructions
Raspberry BBQ Glaze
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on sear/saute medium heat and add the raspberry preserves, brown sugar, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and spices. Heat and stir to combine. When the preserves and sugar have melted and the spices are incorporated, turn the Ninja Foodi off and pour into a medium size bowl. Allow to cool. You can put it in the fridge to cool.
- This will make about 2 cups of Raspberry Glaze which is enough for several racks of ribs. Store in an air tight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it again.
For the Ribs
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. The easiest way to do this is to lift up a small piece of the membrane and grab it with a paper towel, then pull the membrane off. You can watch how I do this in the video below the recipe.
- Mix up the rub ingredients and coat both sides of the ribs with a generous amount of rub. The rub recipe makes enough for 2-3 racks of ribs and can be stored in a sealed container.
- Cut the rack of ribs in half and rub generously with the rub. You can do this ahead of time and wrap the rubbed ribs in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
- Place ½ cup of liquid smoke and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar into the inner pot. You can also use beer, water, or a combination. As long as you have 1 cup of thin liquid you will be fine.
- Place the ribs in the basket that came with the Ninja Foodi. I place them on their side. Be sure to leave enough clearance for the pressure cooker lid.
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on high pressure for 18 minutes. Don't forget to turn the valve to seal. When the cooking time is up, allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure. Dump the liquid.
- Lay the ribs onto the rack in the low position. Brush with the raspberry glaze. Turn the Ninja Foodi to the AC function on 400° F and Air Crisp for 10-20 minutes. Reapply the glaze every few minutes.
- Serve with extra glaze and a bit of rub! Enjoy!
Deana
I made this with a couple of alterations:
After removing the silver skin I brushed the racks (I made 2 full racks and split them) front and back lightly with liquid smoke (I used mesquite flavored) then brought the ribs to room temperature, did the rub and waited for a couple of hours. My rub was a homemade creole/ basic mix rub and I made a jalapeno honey mustard bbq sauce. I pressure cooked only 15 min. naturally released for 7 min.
I did 15 min in air fryer 1 slab at a time .
Perfect blend of tender and crispy!
Cindy Cafaro
Hi ladies. I have made these ribs several times and they always come out perfect! However, this time I’m making them with one arm as I was in a horrible car accident and had to have a couple of surgeries on my left arm and I’m in a hard cast, so this will be interesting! I’m sure I got everything done correctly getting the membrane off was too difficult. I had to call for back up. Luckily, my husband was home. And says he’s a retired Italian chef/restaurant owner. He was able to do a very good job. OK well this whole prep procedure prove to be quite interesting. They are now in the ninja I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe as always everything I cook from your videos has turned out to be perfect. We appreciate you and your husband.
Cindy
Sorry about the typos everyone. Again doing everything with one arm or depending on Siri to pick up what I’m saying!
Brody Blane
First time making ribs (aside the precooked ones-never again now!!). Thanks for doing the work, and steps video. It’s now in my rotation! Merry Christmas Louise🎅🏻. Brody.
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Debi
Mine is a question. I'm going to attempt these for my daughters birthday dinner(ribs are her favorite).
I'm not good at getting all components of a meal ready at the same time. Im going to have to prepare 2 racks. I dont want to spend the whole time in kitchen - I like to visit! Is there a way to cook them ahead of time and put in oven to keep warm? I'm afraid they might dry out. Or could I pressure cook them the day before and then just air fry day of. I'm not a confident meat cook. Any advice/suggestions are welcome. Thank you louise. I think you are the best!
Louise
You can absolutely pressure cook the day before, refrigerate and then either air fry them the day of or bake them in the oven on about 400F to finish them. You can even pressure cook and air fry them the day before, refrigerate and then wrap them in foil to heat in the oven on 300F until they are warmed through. From cold, I would think that will take about 45-60. Make sure to get the St. Louis Style ribs and not baby backs, they are so much more forgiving and won't dry out on you.