• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Grill for All Seasons
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Index
    • Smoking
    • Grilling
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dish
    • Dessert
    • Keto & Low Carb
    • Gluten-Free
    • Air Fryer
    • Beverages & Cocktails
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • All Recipes
  • Smoking
  • Grilling
  • Main Dish
  • Side Dish
  • Appetizers & Snacks
  • Dessert
  • Air Fryer
  • Keto & Low Carb
  • Beverages & Cocktails
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • All Recipes
    • Smoking
    • Grilling
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dish
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert
    • Air Fryer
    • Keto & Low Carb
    • Beverages & Cocktails
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Smoking » 3 2 1 Ribs

    3 2 1 Ribs

    Published: Jul 21, 2022

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image for 3 2 1 ribs
    pinterest image for 3 2 1 ribs

    Easily make fall-off-the-bone ribs that are flavorful and will have everyone asking for more with 3 2 1 Ribs. Smoking ribs has never been easier. This foolproof process is my favorite way of smoking ribs. It provides consistent perfection every single time.

    close up on pile of 3 2 1 ribs

    There is nothing better than putting out a tray of juicy tender ribs to feed a crowd. I have never had a friend or family member complain when we serve up some 3 2 1 ribs at a gathering.

    Add some great sides like Traeger Corn on the Cob, sliced tomatoes with Feta Pesto, and Cajun Potato Salad and you'll have the neighbors swarming over. Finish off the evening with Smoked Peaches topped with fresh whipped cream for a perfect night.

    3 2 1 ribs on tray

    Prepping Pork Ribs

    The first step is to remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs. You can do this by using a dull knife, or the handle of a spoon to loosen the membrane from the ribs, then carefully grip it with a paper towel and slowly peel it off the entire side of the ribs. If it rips, just regrip it with a paper towel and continue to pull it off. Removing the membrane allows the meat to better absorb the smoke flavor. If left on, the membrane will get a weird texture and become unpleasant to chew.

    The second part of prepping your ribs is to see what type of ribs you have. If you have spare ribs, you might want to separate them into St Louis style with the bone and the remaining part is the rib tips. Or if you are using baby back ribs, they are cleaned and prepared, you just need to remove the membrane. The last consideration is to cut the ribs down to ensure they will fit in your smoker.

    racks of pork ribs on baking sheet

    Ingredients

    Pork Ribs - Make sure to get hearty ribs with a lot of visible meat.

    Yellow Mustard - The mustard tenderizes the meat and acts like glue for the dry rub to stick to the pork.

    Brown Sugar - Brown sugar adds a warm, homey flavor. Alternatively, you could add a little molasses or honey to the yellow mustard and rub that on the ribs.

    Smoked Paprika - We love to kick up the smoky flavor by adding smoked paprika to our dry rubs.

    Garlic Powder - Garlic powder is one of our favorite spices. It adds a lot of flavor to savory dishes.

    Onion Powder - Onion powder goes along with garlic so well.

    Salt - You are always welcome to add more or less salt based on your preference. A good rule of thumb is to start with ½-1 teaspoon per pound of meat. We use kosher salt or pink salt.

    Butter - The butter is added later on with some extra brown sugar when the ribs are wrapped in foil. This bastes the ribs as they cook.

    ingredients on rimmed baking sheet

    How to Make 3 2 1 Ribs?

    Step One: You need to prep the ribs first. Place the ribs on a large baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients of salt, sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix thoroughly. Apply yellow mustard to both sides of the ribs and rub them so they are coated thoroughly. This will help the dry rub adhere. Next, sprinkle the dry rub mixture onto both sides of the ribs and rub it in well to ensure evenly seasoned.

    dry rub on pork

    Step Two: Place the ribs onto your preheated smoker on the grill grate. Smoke the ribs for three hours keeping the smoker temperature between 200°F and 225°F.

    ribs on grill

    Expert Tip: If you are using a charcoal smoker you will need to play with the vents to hold the steady temperature. In my Weber kettle, I find a two-layer snake of coals, halfway around will provide enough fuel for this six-hour smoke.

    Other factors will include the type of charcoal, the airflow through the vent, the outside temperature if the smoker is in the sun, and on and on. If you are new to a charcoal smoker, I recommend practicing different setups and monitoring the smoker's temperature so that you have more confidence when you go to smoke your first meat.

    rack of ribs on grill being cooked with 3 2 1 ribs method

    Step Three: After the ribs have smoked for three hours, wrap them in foil. You can use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or whiskey to include in the wrap.

    If you are interested in sweet ribs, you can include butter and brown sugar in the aluminum foil when you wrap them. I usually use two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of brown sugar per full rack of ribs. If you are cooking them as half racks, use a tablespoon of each inside each foil wrap.

    Place the ribs meat side down in the foil on top of the butter and sugar. Make sure the foil is sealed well and place them back in the smoker at 200°F - 250°F for two more hours.

    butter and brown sugar on foil

    Step Four: After two hours of wrapped cooking, remove the ribs from the foil carefully. They will want to fall apart. Then place them back on the charcoal grill smoker to cook for the last hour. Continue to keep the smoker's temperature between 200°F - 250°F.

    This final hour will add a little more texture to the bark and give the ribs a great bite. IT also helps them to firm up a little. Once the ribs are done, remove them from the smoker, loosely tent them with foil and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. I hope you enjoy this 3 2 1 ribs recipe!

    ribs on grill wrapped in foil

    Variations

    Spicy - Want to add some heat to your ribs? Add some slices of jalapeno when you wrap the ribs in foil. The peppers will roast as the ribs cooks and give them a great flavor and peppery taste.

    Sauces - Serve the ribs with a classic Sweet BBQ Sauce, spicy Hot Honey BBQ Sauce, or a great combo sauce like Peach Sriracha BBQ Sauce. You can really serve it with any barbecue sauce you enjoy. Just brush or pour on the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking or when serving.

    Seasoning - Change up the dry rub with black pepper, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, or dried herbs. Personal preference on spices can always come into play.

    Type of Wood - Changing up the type of wood chips you use will change the flavor of the ribs. It's fun to try different varieties. Cherry and hickory are popular choices of wood chunks.

    sauce being brushed on pork on grill

    3 2 1 Ribs Criticisms, Rebuttals, & Questions

    There are some experienced bit posses and other BBQ fanatics that will criticize the 3 2 1 method. This usually comes from their BBQ Snobness, lack of understanding of this process, or their desire to just hear their own voice or advice. Here are some of the common criticisms I see, and my responses if I come across them.

    What is the 3 2 1 rule for smoking ribs?

    Thre 3 2 1 stands for three separate moments in the smoking process. 3 stands for three hours. These first three hours of smoking are the start of the process. Prepare the ribs, season them and place them in the smoker for three hours. The 2 stands for the next two hours. After smoking for three hours, the ribs get wrapped with some liquid or sauce and are placed back in the smoker for two hours. The 1 stands for the final hour of smoking. The ribs are unwrapped and placed back in the smoker to build up a final crusty texture on the bark. This process for cooking ribs is best done at a steady 225°F. They can be cooked on any type of smoker.

    "You will overcook your ribs if you cook them for 6 hours"

    Maybe but not if you follow the instructions. BBQ is low and slow. In order to be able to cook the ribs for six hours, you do need to cook them low. 225°F smoker temperature is the highest you want to be using. If you smoke these at 250F or 275F, you will overcook these. They will get tough and chewy. The biggest challenge is maintaining that temperature. If you have a pellet grill, set the temp and you are good. If you are using a charcoal smoker or a stick burner, utilize the vents to restrict airflow and keep that temperature between 200-225°F.

    3 2 1 ribs on tray

    "Wrapping the Ribs destroys the bark that the ribs have developed"

    False. Now, if you wrap in foil, the ribs will steam and the bark gets soft. That is true, that's why we will unwrap them and put them back on the smoker for the last hour to firm up that crust. If you use butcher paper to wrap, it is porous. Flavor can penetrate the paper and the moisture and steam can escape through the paper as well.

    Doesn't wrapping the ribs reduce the smoky bbq flavor that the ribs have?

    No. Once the initial bark is developed, the smoky bbq flavor is there. There is little if any more smoke flavor meat will absorb after the first hour or so of smoking when the bark is developed.

    ribs on platter

     

    Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & a 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
    close up on pile of 3 2 1 ribs

    3 2 1 Ribs

    Easily make fall-off-the-bone ribs that are so flavorful. 3 2 1 Ribs will have everyone asking for more. Smoking ribs has never been easier!
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours
    Rest: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 614.7kcal
    Author: Paul

    Ingredients

    • 2.3 lbs pork rib rack (one full rack of pork ribs)
    • 2 tablespoon yellow mustard

    Dry Rub

    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon onion powder
    • 1.5 tablespoon smoked paprika
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon salt

    For Wrapping Ribs in foil

    • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane and trimming them down to fit in your smoker, if needed.
    • Coat ribs with yellow mustard, then combine dry rub ingredients and thoroughly coat all sides of the ribs.
    • Place the ribs into your preheated smoker and smoke at 225°F for three hours.
    • Wrap the ribs in foil with butter and brown sugar. Place the brown sugar and butter in the foil first then lay ribs meat side down in the foil. Wrap foil and seal well.
    • Place ribs back in the smoker and cook at 225°F for another two hours.
    • Remove the ribs from the foil and carefully place them back onto the smoker and smoker for one last hour at 225°F.
    • Remove the ribs from the smoker and allow them to rest for 20 minutes. Then serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 614.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.5g | Protein: 29.5g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 17.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17.3g | Trans Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 161.1mg | Sodium: 1444.9mg | Potassium: 567.9mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 9.3g | Vitamin A: 1473.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 56.3mg | Iron: 2.6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @agrillforallseasons or tag #agrillforallseasons!
    « Rosemary Gimlet
    Smoked Stuffed Peppers »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    ABOUT

    paul and taryn sitting on a bench

    Hi, we are Paul & Taryn! We love creating recipes and sharing our passion for food. At A Grill for All Seasons we focus on simple recipes for every month of the year.

    More about us →

    Latest Posts

    • Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
    • Smoked Swordfish
    • Cast Iron Biscuits
    • Pink Paloma
    • Traeger Brisket

    NEWSLETTER

    Recipes All Year!

    Signup to find out about new recipes!

     


    SEASONAL RECIPES

    • Bacon Wrapped Salmon
    • Cast Iron Scallops
    • Air Fryer Cornbread
    • Smoked Pecans

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Disclaimers

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2018-2022 A Grill for All Seasons