To start working with fresh or defrosted ribs: remove the membrane off the underside of your ribs. To do this flip the ribs over, meat-side down. Wiggle a butter knife between the membrane and the ribs to loosen the edge. With a paper towel, grip the membrane and pull it away, then throw the membrane away.

In a small bowl, stir together the dry rub: brown sugar, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Rub it all over the ribs, generously coating both sides.

Place the trivet into the bottom of a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot pressure cooker. Pour in the water, apple cider vinegar, and the liquid smoke. Place the ribs into the instant pot, placing them on the trivet on their side and wrapping the rack around the inside of the pot like a circle.

Cover and lock the lid into place and move the valve to seal the Instant Pot. For baby back ribs: Cook on high (manual) pressure for 23 minutes (if you are making multiple racks and your ribs are super meaty, increase the cook time to 26 minutes). Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Vent to release the remaining pressure. For spare ribs: Cook on high for 35 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release completely (about 15 minutes). You will know it is released when the pin drops.

Move your oven rack to the upper third of your oven and turn on your oven to broil. Line a sheet pan with foil. Carefully move the cooked ribs to the sheet pan. Brush with barbecue sauce. Place the ribs under the broiler just until the sauce begins to caramelized, about 2 minutes. You can broil the ribs on both sides. Make sure to keep a good watch on the ribs during this time so they don’t burn. Take out of the oven, cut into sections and serve warm.