Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Ribs

1. In a small bowl, mix together all the dry rub ingredients: 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), and ¼ tsp white pepper powder.
2. Remove the membrane from the underside of 3½ lb pork baby back ribs, pulling it down the entire length of the rack with a paper towel (because it‘s very slippery!). You can ask the butcher to remove it for you. The rack on the right is shown without the membrane.
3. Season the racks of ribs with the dry rub mixture on both sides. Here, I use UchiCook‘s Maraca Sifter. This is so convenient to sprinkle seasonings evenly! 
4. Use the dry rub to cover all sides, and then rub in thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes.

To Prepare the Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, combine ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 4 Tbsp brown sugar, and 3 Tbsp honey.
2. Grate 1 knob ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and mince 1 clove garlic (I use a garlic press). Add them to the sauce. If you want to add ¼ tsp liquid smoke, add it now.
3. Cook/simmer the sauce on low heat for 30–40 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat. The sauce still may be liquidy, but once it cools down, the sauce will get thicken further. You will have roughly ⅔ cup of sauce after it cools down.

To Pressure Cook the Ribs

1. Place the metal steam rack into a 6-QT Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar to the inner pot.
2. Put the racks of ribs sideways on top of the steam rack, wrapping and bending the ribs in a circle.
3. Select the Manual setting; adjust the pressure to High, and set the time for 25–30 minutes (if you want the meat to fall off the bone, select 30 minutes). If you are using spare ribs, set the time for 30–35 minutes.
4. When finished cooking, natural release the pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure (be careful and cover your fingers with a kitchen towel).

To Broil the Ribs

1. Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don‘t control the temperature; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It‘s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. *Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use Medium (6 inches away) or High (8 inches away).
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Transfer the ribs from the Instant Pot to the wire rack.
3. Brush with the sauce on both sides of the ribs.
4. Place in the oven and broil until the sauce is caramelized, bubbly, and brown, about 3–4 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and brush more sauce on the ribs.

To Serve

1. Sprinkle 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and 1 green onion/scallion (chopped). Serve immediately with the remaining sauce.