3-2-1 Rib (smoked baby back ribs)
These 3-2-1 ribs come out fall-off-the-bone tender with great smoky flavor—perfect for summer BBQs and cookouts. This foolproof method takes the guesswork out of smoking ribs. Leftovers last up to 4 days in the fridge. Shred the meat for amazing tacos!
Servings: 4
Calories: 565kcal
Equipment
- Small spray bottle
- Half sheet trays
- Large rolls heavy duty foil
Ingredients
- 3 pounds baby back ribs about 2 racks
- 4-6 tablespoons BBQ dry rub my recipe or your own, note below.
- ½ cup Bbq sauce or hoisin
- sea salt or smoked salt if your rub does not contain salt
Rib spritz
- ½ cup juice pineapple, apple, or orange
- 2 teaspoon bourbon optional but good!
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Prep the ribs
- Start by removing the silver skin. Use a table knife. Start at the smaller end, wiggle your knife under the membrane, and using a paper towel to hang on to it, pull the length of the ribs.
- Season the ribs with a dry rub. Because I use my dry rub recipe without salt, I salt separately for control, then generously with the spice blend on both sides and rub onto the ribs. If your rub has salt, don't use extra.
- Wrap and rest the ribs. Place the racks on half sheet trays, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. This gives the seasoning time to penetrate and builds flavor before smoking.
Get ready to smoke
- Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and unwrap 1 hour ahead of smoking to get the chill off. Check the hopper of your pellet grill to see it's full, and the grates are clean. 20 minutes before smoking set the temperature to 225°F and heat the grill.
Smoking ribs: Phase 1 - 3 hours
- Place the ribs directly on the grill grates, curved (meat) side up on the smoke or super smoke setting for 3 hours. Near the end, prepare your foil for the rib packets by tearing pieces of heavy duty foil a little longer that the ribs. Prepare your rib spritz.
Smoking ribs: Phase 2 - 2 hours wrapped
- Place the ribs on the foil and spray with the ribs spritz (you don't need to soak them). Wrap each rack of ribs in a foil packet, crimping the edges to seal. Place the ribs back on the grill for 2 more hours.
Smoking ribs: Phase 3 - 1 hour unwrapped
- A few minutes before you are ready to unwrap the ribs, thin your BBQ sauce into more of a glaze. Open the rib packets so the ribs are again exposed to the smoke. At this point you can glaze the ribs with a pastry brush. Glaze them again abut 15 minutes before serving. Ribs are done when you pick up a rack by one end and get a gentle bend in the rack. Slice between the bones and serve, with extra sauce if desired.
Notes
A binder like mustard or oil isn’t necessary for ribs—especially when you’re salting first and letting the rub sit overnight. The moisture from the meat and salt is enough to help the seasoning stick. But if you want try try one, a thin layer of yellow mustard is the classic choice.
Dry Rub Note:
For these ribs, I use my homemade dry rub—savory, smoky, and not overly sweet. Here’s a scaled-down version that makes about 8 tablespoons, perfect for 2 racks of ribs:
For these ribs, I use my homemade dry rub—savory, smoky, and not overly sweet. Here’s a scaled-down version that makes about 8 tablespoons, perfect for 2 racks of ribs:
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1½ tablespoons granulated garlic or ¾ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper or smoked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛–¼ teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne (optional, for heat)
Nutrition
Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg