Meaty, juicy, and fall-off-the-bone tender, Traeger 3-2-1 Ribs is the way to go if you’re cooking ribs on your pellet smoker. Turning out perfectly every time, give your racks of ribs the royal treatment with this smoker recipe!
This Traeger 3-2-1 Ribs recipe is just about as easy as smoked ribs get, and with this tried-and-true no-fail method, you’ll be ready to tear into meaty and oh-so-delicious tender ribs with a great smoky flavor.
I love using my Traeger pellet smoker for smoking ribs. Accurate temperature control and the perfect amount of smoke make these some of my favorite pork ribs, and I love ribs! You can’t go wrong with this recipe. It starts with meaty ribs, a spice blend that’s so good you don’t need any brown sugar, and my secret ingredient for keeping the ribs moist and tender throughout the long smoking process.
What Ribs Are Best For Smoking?
We love baby back ribs. No, they’re not from baby pigs, and they’re called baby back ribs because they’re smaller than the other rib bones and are cut from near the top of the back where the ribs meet the spine.
Baby back ribs smoke nicely and we like not paying for a huge amount of bone. However, you can also smoke St. Louis-style ribs, which are larger and meatier, or any cut of spare ribs. This recipe is scaled and timed for baby back ribs.
Ingredients
- Baby back ribs – 2 racks of pork ribs will feed about 6 people.
- Salt – we always use kosher salt
- Paprika
- Mustard powder
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Oregano – Dried.
- Chili powder
- Mayonnaise – we’re changing things up an using mayo as the binder, but feel free to stick with the more traditional yellow mustard.
- Butter – Unsalted
- Maple syrup – Use the real stuff!
- BBQ sauce – I love a sweet and spicy sauce, but you can use your favorite.
How To Make The Best 3-2-1 Ribs On Your Pellet Smoker
There are a few steps in making 3-2-1 ribs, but never fear, I’ve got it all broken down for you.
Prep the ribs:
- Remove the thin membrane on the back of the ribs by cutting a corner of it away from the backside of the ribs, then grabbing it with a paper towel and giving it a good pull. The membrane should pull away from the ribs. Another pro trick is using a butter knife to slide under the membrane and gently pull back. From there, you can grab it and pull the silver skin off.
- Whisk the salt, paprika, mustard powder, garlic and onion powders, pepper, oregano, and chili powder together.
- Rub both sides of the ribs with the mayo, then sprinkle them evenly with the dry rub.
- Refrigerate the ribs until ready to use, or for 1-4 hours.
Prep your Traeger pellet grill:
For the first 3 hours, you smoke the ribs.
- Set your Traeger grill temperature to 225 F.
- Place the ribs on the smoker, bone side down, and smoke for 3 hours.
Wrap the ribs:
For the second 2 hours, you wrap the ribs.
- Lay a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a counter or work surface. Place three 1 tablespoon dollops of butter in a line down the center of the sheet, a few inches apart.
- Drizzle the syrup over the butter and bbq ribs.
- Lay the ribs, meat side down, onto the butter, and fold the foil up around the ribs.
- Repeat for the second rack of ribs.
- Return the ribs to the smoker and cook for an additional 2 hours, meat side down.
Sauce the ribs:
For the final hour of the 3-2-1 method, you set the sauce.
- Remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest for 5 minutes before unwrapping.
- Place the ribs back onto the grill grate of the smoker and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce. We love our homemade keto bbq sauce.
- Smoke for 1 hour or until the barbecue sauce is set and tacky and the internal temperature of the ribs is anywhere from 190 – 205 F for bite-tender ribs or 205 – 210 F for fall-off-the-bone ribs.
- Rest the ribs for 5 minutes before cutting and serving your juicy ribs!
How To Serve 3-2-1 Ribs
I love having extra sauce on the side for dipping my ribs, and cool and creamy coleslaw goes so well with hot and meaty smoked ribs. Or, while you’ve got the smoker going, make this creamy and spicy Smoked Jalapeno Mac and Cheese or Smoked Potato Salad.
Leftovers & Storage
If you’ve got leftover ribs, package them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm them in the microwave or oven to heat them, or nosh on them right out of the fridge!
