These 3-2-1 smoked ribs on the Traeger are the most "beginner friendly" ribs recipe you'll find. Not to mention, they're mouth-wateringly delicious, and sure to please the crowd at your next backyard BBQ get-together.
How To Make Smoked 3-2-1 Ribs
The beauty of this smoker recipe is in its simplicity:
We're seasoning our baby back ribs with our homemade dry rub for ribs, tossing it on the Traeger for 3 hours, wrapping in foil with butter and brown sugar for 2 hours, and then saucing them back on the smoker for 1 hour, until the ribs hit an internal temperature of 195-205 degrees.
Serve with our homemade BBQ sauce, and a side of our smoked baked beans, and you've got yourself a dead-simple BBQ meal that your entire family will enjoy.
The Ingredients
- Baby back ribs. A full rack of baby back ribs. We got this rack at Whole Foods for $9.99 per pound.
- Yellow mustard. To act as a binder.
- Dry rub. We used our signature rib rub for this cook.
- BBQ sauce. We also cooked up a batch of our signature BBQ sauce to slather all over these ribs.
- Butter. We'll wrap these ribs in tinfoil, and the butter adds some additional fat to help keep the ribs moist.
- Brown sugar. This also gets added during the wrapping process, and it helps create a sweet flavor profile.
The Directions
1. Pre-heat your smoker to 225 degrees with whatever pellet you enjoy. For this cook, we used cherry pellets.
2. If your ribs came with the membrane still attached, remove it with a paper towel. Our rack from Whole Foods already came with the membrane removed.
3. Apply a tablespoon yellow mustard to the ribs on each side to act as a binder.
4. Generously apply your dry run to both sides of the ribs, making sure to rub it in well.
4. Let the ribs rest on the counter for 15-30 minutes, so they can "sweat" out a bit, letting the rub adhere to the binder.
5. Place the ribs on your 225F smoker, bone-side down. Set a timer for 3 hours.
6. After 3 hours, remove the ribs from the smoker and prepare the foil packet. Add 5-6 pads of butter and two handfuls of brown sugar to two long pieces of aluminum foil.
7. Place the rack of ribs in the middle of the foil pack, meat side down. Wrap tightly in the foil and return to the smoker for 2 hours.
8. After 2 hours, carefully unwrap the foil off the ribs—the foil packet will be hot! Place ribs on a cutting board or serving tray, and brush liberally on both sides with our homemade BBQ sauce. Return to the smoker for 1 more hour.
9. After 1 hour, remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with extra BBQ sauce, and enjoy.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. You can store the ribs in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze. You can freeze the ribs in the same airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat. To reheat, thaw the ribs overnight in the refrigerator, if frozen. Reheat the ribs in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat them on a grill over medium heat, brushing with additional BBQ sauce.
What To Serve With Smoked 3-2-1 Ribs
- Coleslaw. A classic side dish that complements the rich, smoky flavor of the ribs with its tangy, crunchy texture.
- Smoked baked beans. A flavorful side dish that adds a hearty and savory element to the meal.
- Smoked mac and cheese. A classic comfort food that pairs nicely with the smoky, savory flavors of the ribs.
Recommended Tools
- Traeger Grill. I love my Traeger 780 for all things smoking, but you can use the smoker of choice.
- Meat Thermometer. I use this MEATER to keep an eye on the internal temp during the cook, and then just to be sure, I also check it with this Thermapen One at the end of the cook.
- Pellets. I've really been digging the pellets from BBQ'ers Delight.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 3-2-1 method ribs involves cooking the ribs for 3 hours unwrapped, then wrapping the ribs and smoking for another 2 hours, then unwrapping the ribs and saucing them to smoke for 1 final hour.
Baby back ribs are the best ribs for the 3-2-1 method. But you can also use St. Louis style ribs. See our guide on baby back ribs vs. spare ribs.
Using the 3-2-1 method, you should smoke these ribs for six hours total.
Your 3-2-1 ribs should be cooked to between 195F to 205F for best results.
You don't need to spritz 3-2-1 ribs. You can if you want, though. Use a 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar, and spritz the ribs every hour.
Yes, you should allow your ribs to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Other Smoked Pork Recipes To Try
The Best 3-2-1 Ribs (On The Traeger)
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup seasoning
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat your smoker to 225 degrees.
- If your ribs came with the membrane still attached, remove it with a paper towel.
- Apply a tablespoon yellow mustard to the ribs on each side to act as a binder.
- Generously apply your dry run to both sides of the ribs, making sure to rub it in well.
- Let the ribs rest on the counter for 15-30 minutes, so they can "sweat" out a bit, letting the rub adhere to the binder.
- Place the ribs on your 225F smoker, bone-side down. Set a timer for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove the ribs from the smoker and prepare the foil packet. Add 5-6 pads of butter and two handfuls of brown sugar to two long pieces of aluminum foil.
- Place the rack of ribs in the middle of the foil pack, meat side down. Wrap tightly in the foil and return to the smoker for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, carefully unwrap the foil off the ribs. Place ribs on a cutting board or serving tray, and brush liberally on both sides with your favorite BBQ sauce. Return to the smoker for 1 more hour.
- After 1 hour, remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with extra BBQ sauce, and enjoy!
