Smoked Ribs (3 2 1 Method)

These Smoked Ribs are smoked to perfection. They are full of flavor and slathered in our favorite BBQ Sauce. Smoked for 6 hours the ribs are tender and fall right off the bone!

Smoking meat is my husband’s newest and best tasting hobby. He got a smoker last summer and has been going crazy with making us some great meals. His Smoked Pork Butt is one of my favorite things he smokes. He uses a traditional wood smoker, and it is usually an all-day event for him. He loves it, and I don’t have to cook for a meal or two because of all he smokes.

I had to share with you all these Smoked Pork Ribs he makes. He was trained from working at as the manager at a local BBQ restaurant. The pitmaster there had over 30 years’ experience smoking meats, so I feel like he learned from a master! Well, these ribs may be the best ribs I’ve ever had. These were perfect and fell right off the bone.

How to make Smoked Ribs:

Smoking any meat is a long process. It takes time to prep the meat to get ready to smoke, and then the smoking itself takes hours. The finished product is so worth it though! My husband makes his own rubs for the ribs, so start by mixing those ingredients together. Trim the ribs if needed, and then slather the mustard on them. Cover and rub in the rib rub all over all sides of the ribs. Follow the 3 2 1 method and smoke your ribs!

Ingredients:

• Pork Spare Ribs

Homemade Rib Seasoning Ingredients:

• Yellow or Dijon Mustard – This is the binder that helps the rib rub stick to the ribs.
• Light Brown Sugar
• Smoked Paprika
• Cayenne Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Cinnamon
• Kosher Salt
• Coarse Ground Pepper

Directions:

Step One – Start by removing the membrane. That is the skin on the back side of the ribs.

• Tip: Trim any excess fat off it you want now as well.

Step Two – Mix together all your ingredients for the rib rub.

Step Three – Spread the mustard all over the ribs. Completely cover them as the binder for the rub.

Step Four – Sprinkle the rub over the ribs, and massage it into the meat.

Step Five – Once the rub is on the ribs, this is when you want to prepare and preheat your smoker to 225 degrees. This will give the rub some time to marinade on the ribs.

How to prep your smoker:

I usually start with 2 chimneys of nice lump charcoal as my base. Try to assemble your charcoal under base in the backside of your heat source if you can.

Once the heat is at or around 225 you want to get your wood preheated. Cold, or air temperature wood will provide a white smoke much like charcoal.

You do not want that. You want to set your wood on top of your heat source or right in front of the coals inside the heat source. Warmed wood will give you the best smoke for your meat.

Step Six – Place your ribs on the smoker and insert your thermometer into the thickest part of your ribs.

Step Seven – Smoke for 3 hours or until the internal temperature is 150-160 degrees.

Step Eight – Wrap your ribs in aluminum foil or butcher paper and continue to cook for 2 more hours.

Step Nine – At about 1 hour left, open the foil and slather the ribs with your favorite BBQ Sauce. You can wrap back up or keep them open.

Make sure the internal temperature is at 170 degrees or higher to know they are done.

What is the 3 2 1 Method for Smoking Ribs?

The 3 2 1 Method for smoking ribs is one of the best ways to ensure perfect fall off the bone ribs.

This is NOT a competition method of making ribs. Technically fall off the bone ribs are over cooked.

A true competition style of smoking ribs would be tender and not fall off the bone. The 3 2 1 Method is broken down like this.

1. Smoke for 3 hours – One your smoker is preheated to 225 degrees you will smoke your ribs bone side down for 3 hours. I use either pecan, cherry or apple wood for the smoking. Spritz every 30-45 minutes during this time.
2. Wrap and cook for 2 hours – using Butcher’s Paper or Aluminum foil wrap your ribs tight and cook on for another 2 hours. This is where the meat will really get tender. The heat will stay trapped in the wrap, steaming and cooking the meat at the same time.
3. Unwrap and Sauce for 1 hour – After the ribs have cooked for 1 hour, unwrap them and slather them in your favorite BBQ Sauce. Use as much or as little as you like, just use how much you want. I love to my ribs covered in sauce.

After that last hour, take them off the smoker and then prepare them to serve.

Should I spritz my ribs?

You don’t have to, but I definitely recommend it. I use a mixture of apple juice, water and a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar.

If you tried any of my recipes I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I would love for you to follow along and discover more amazing recipes.

Show me what you are making, use hashtag #TDOARH