Intimidated by cooking ribs at home? No need to be. If you have an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker, you can go from zero to sticky delicious picnic food in under an hour. Even better? Source the ingredients at our farm.

Ribs need to be cooked low and slow. A pressure cooker provides the short cut busy people need to get ribs tender without spending all day minding a barbecue pit. To finish, just add barbecue sauce., then throw them on the grill or under the broiler of your oven.

PREP THE RIBS

3 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons smoked paprika or chili powder

There’s a membrane to pull away from the under-side of the ribs. Slide a butter knife between the membrane and the meat. Then grab the membrane with a paper towel, and pull it off. The paper towel helps you muckle onto the thing.

Coat the ribs with the dry rub mix above, or use your favorite meat seasoning.

COOK THE RIBS IN A PRESSURE COOKER

1 rack seasoned ribs, 2-3 lbs

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup tap water

Use high pressure, and cook for 25 minutes. Release the pressure naturally.

FINISH THE RIBS

1/2 cup apple butter (or plum or apricot jam)

1/2 cup prepared ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Stir the above ingredients together, or use your favorite prepared barbecue sauce.

Lay the cooked ribs on a baking sheet, coat them with sauce, and broil them on low for 5 or 10 minutes. You can also take the show outdoors and finish the ribs on the grill. Don’t put the ribs over a hot fire—you want indirect heat for this part.

Serve with iced tea, plenty of napkins, and good company.