Tender Smoked 3-2-1 Ribs

What are 3-2-1 ribs?

3-2-1 is a method of smoking ribs that has risen in popularity in the past couple of years. The method is smoking the ribs for 3 hours unwrapped, then wrapped for 2 hours, and a final 1 hour unwrapped with BBQ sauce.

• First 3 hours - The first 3 hours is unwrapped with seasoning on the ribs.
• Second 2 hours - Place ribs in aluminum foil and add liquid. Then wrap tight and smoke.
• Final 1 hour - Removing the ribs from the aluminum foil, covering in barbecue sauce, and smoke uncovered.

These fall off the bone ribs are extremely tender and juicy. These will not have a bite like you expect from traditional smoked ribs or those you would enter into a BBQ competition.

Competitions like a little bite, but that doesn't mean these don't taste AMAZING. They have a rich flavor and many people prefer this tender rib meat.

What type of ribs?

This method of cooking can be used on any type of rib. However, the most common used are going to be from pork, not so much beef. The two favorites being:

• Baby back ribs (pork)
• St. Louis Style Spare ribs (pork)

I used pork baby back ribs for this recipe, but you can totally substitute St. Louis cut spare ribs. More questions about types of ribs? Dylan Clay is another online BBQ guy that has a great article on the different types of ribs.

How much to buy

Each rack of baby back or spare ribs will have about 10-13 ribs which will be around 1 ½ - 2lbs. Count on 1 rack of ribs to feed 2 people when accompanied with sides.

These pork ribs are very common and can be found at any super market or butcher shop. Large stores such as Sam's Club & Costco also have great prices and quality ribs.

Smokers

I cooked these smoked pork ribs on my pellet smoker, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker or Traeger 780. Pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor on the pork, and other meats for that matter, without having to babysit a firebox all day.

A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker is also a great choice when making 3-2-1 ribs. They run on charcoal and wood chips and impart FANTASTIC flavor onto the meat.

Gas & charcoal grills

A gas grill or charcoal grill can definitely be used when making beef ribs. A gas grill will be the easiest of the two to keep the temperature consistent and low.

Keeping the burners or even just one burner on low should maintain a 250°F temperature. This will vary by make and model of grill used.

When using a charcoal grill, such as this weber kettle, is a great choice. You will have to use a snake technique when loading the grill with charcoal to maintain a low temperature for several hours.

This is when you line up the charcoal along the inside of the grill and light one end. It will slowly burn through the 'snake' of charcoal keeping the temperature low.

Check out this great article on how to perform the snake method from the Perth BBQ School. It's a great instructional on how to cook something other than 'hot and fast' with your charcoal grill.

Best wood chips / wood pellets

My favorite type of wood to use when smoking pork is hickory wood chips or a fruit wood such as apple or cherry. These wood chunks impart a fantastic flavor onto the pork.

A competition or trophy blend of pellets can also be used. This is usually a mixture of several different types of hard wood which gives a nice smooth smoke flavor to the meat.

Removing the membrane

Taking off the membrane isn't a must, but it will produce better ribs. Removing it will allow more of the flavor from your spices to penetrate the meat and when eating the ribs you will avoid stringy membrane pieces. No one likes having those stuck in their teeth.

• It's best to remove it, so simply get a dull knife like a butter knife and a couple paper towels. Simply turn the ribs so the meatier side is down on your cutting board and the ribs curve up towards you.
• Starting at one end, slide the knife under the thin membrane the runs along the whole rack of ribs. Pull up enough of the membrane so that you can grab it with your fingers and tear the rest off. This will be slippery, so using a paper towel to grip the membrane is the best way to get a good hold of it.
• Pull the membrane in the direction opposite of the side you started on, it should peel off the ribs. Pull it entirely off and discard in the garbage, it can't be used for anything.

First 3 hours

The first 3 hours of the 321 rib method are smoked with a dry rub. These were seasoned with some simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen pantry.

• Dark Brown Sugar
• Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika
• Chili Powder

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. First we want to spread a binder all over the ribs so the seasoning sticks better. Yellow mustard is a great binder that won't change the final flavor of the ribs.

Once the mustard is coating the ribs, sprinkle on the seasoning liberally covering both sides of the rack of ribs.

*Note - Have a dry rub you love? Mix it up and try different rubs on different racks!

After covered with the dry rub, place the ribs directly on the grill racks meat side up / bone side down. Smoke for 3 hours at 225-250°F. No need to spritz with apple cider vinegar or apple juice like you would when smoking traditional style ribs.

The 3-2-1 rib method will give the meat plenty of liquid and steam after these first 3 hours.

Next 2 hours

After the ribs have smoked for 3 hours, pull them off the smoker and place each rack separately meat side down in a large piece of aluminum foil. I like to use oversized heavy duty foil when doing this, it enabled me to use a piece 8" or so longer than the rack of ribs.

Create a little foil pouch and pour the apple juice and honey over the ribs and wrap the ribs tight with the foil. Since this aluminum foil is really wide, it will fold over from the sides.

Place the ribs which are wrapped in their own individual foil back on the smoker and continue to smoke for another 2 hours.

Final 1 hour

Once you have completed the 2 hours wrapped, pull the ribs wrapped in aluminum foil off the smoker and remove them from the foil. Place the ribs meat side up / bone side down directly on the grill grate.

Lather the ribs on both sides with your favorite BBQ sauce and smoke for another hour. This will allow the barbecue sauce to adhere to the ribs.

*NOTE - Even though these 3-2-1 smoked ribs recipe is technically cooked by time and not feel or look of the meat, these ribs can get overcooked. If the ribs appear finished and are extremely tender when you brush on the BBQ sauce after the first 5 hours. Simply cook 5-10 minutes instead of the final hour and pull off the smoker to eat.

Resting / Slicing / Serving

After the hour, pull the ribs off the smoker and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing into individual ribs. Use a sharp knife to slice in between those bones cutting the rack of ribs into individual ones.

Congratulations! You have joined the ever growing group of rib fanatics that throw the rules out the window and have fell in love with the 3-2-1 rib method. These tender ribs are sure to impress!

FAQ

Old pro tips

• Smoke baby back ribs at 225°F & spare ribs at 250°F due to their increased meat and fat content.
• Pull the membrane off the ribs, they're better without it
• Don't be afraid to pull the ribs off early. If they are finished and you like the feel and look, pull them off and eat em'.
• Try a different BBQ sauce on different racks. Experiment!