Pressure Cooked Mesquite Ribs

Joseph and Suki's wedding. August 2023. Kodiak Island. The Santos family descended on Kodiak like a Filipino invasion — Lourdes with five hundred lumpia in two coolers, Angela with Mia (who survived the plane ride by sleeping through it, the greatest parenting miracle of 2023), James with the camera, me with a suitcase and a heart that was too full for the suitcase.

The ceremony was on the beach where Joseph and Suki had their first date — the beach, the coffee thermos, the ocean that brought them together. A small ceremony: family, friends, the crew of the Lourdes Marie, Suki's parents (quiet, kind, the Japanese-American precision complementing the Filipino-American excess, the two cultures meeting on a beach the way they meet in the couple — the calm and the loud, the precise and the abundant). Joseph wore a suit. Joseph in a suit was like a fish in a tuxedo — technically correct, fundamentally absurd, the fisherman dressed for land.

Lourdes cried during the ceremony. She cried through the vows. She cried during the ring exchange. She cried hardest when Joseph said, "I, Joseph Reynaldo Santos" — the middle name, their father's name, spoken on a beach in Kodiak, the name carrying the man who isn't here to the ceremony where the man should be.

The reception smelled like lumpia and halibut — the Santos and the Kodiak, the Filipino and the Alaskan, the same intersection that exists in every Santos kitchen, now existing on a beach on an island at the edge of the Pacific. I made lechon kawali for the reception (transported, reheated, still crispy — a minor miracle of logistics and thermal management). The pork shattered. The vinegar dipped. Joseph and Suki danced. The ocean was behind them. The lumpia was in front of them. The family surrounded them. The surrounding was the love.

Every time I think about that reception — the lumpia in the coolers, the halibut, the pork shattering against the salt air — I think about what it means to bring food somewhere it was never supposed to survive the journey to. Lechon kawali reheated on a beach in Kodiak is an act of love and stubbornness in equal measure, and these pressure cooked mesquite ribs carry that same energy: bold, smoke-forward pork that holds up under pressure and still arrives at the table worth celebrating. Make these when the gathering is big enough to need something that commands the room the way Joseph’s middle name did on that beach.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

2 racks pork baby back ribs (about 4 lbs total), membrane removed
2 tablespoons mesquite seasoning blend
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup your favorite barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Season the ribs. In a small bowl, combine mesquite seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels, then rub the seasoning mixture evenly over both sides. Let rest 10 minutes while the pressure cooker heats.
Sear for crust. Set your electric pressure cooker to the sauté or browning function and add the olive oil. Working in sections if needed, sear the ribs meat-side down for 3–4 minutes until a dark crust forms. Remove and set aside.
Build the braising liquid. Pour the apple cider vinegar and water into the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Place the trivet or rack inside. Curl the rib racks around the inside of the pot, standing them on their side if necessary to fit.
Pressure cook. Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then carefully switch to quick release for any remaining pressure.
Glaze and finish. Remove the ribs carefully — they will be very tender. Brush generously with barbecue sauce on both sides. Place under the broiler on a foil-lined sheet pan for 4–5 minutes until the glaze caramelizes and the edges char slightly. Watch closely.
Rest and serve. Let the ribs rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional barbecue sauce alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pressure Cooked Mesquite Ribs — The Pork That Made It to Kodiak