321 Ribs
On February 14, 2023 (Updated September 27, 2024)
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321 ribs are a foolproof way to get fall-off-the-bone ribs. The 321 rib method is based on smoking the ribs for 3 hours, wrapping them with liquid for 2 hours, and saucing them for the final 1 hour.
What is the 321 Method for Ribs?
Smoking ribs using the 321 method is one of the most popular ways for a backyard enthusiast to cook ribs. They result in a truly delectable, fall-off-the-bone rib. While many “BBQ purists” will balk at the 321 method, there’s no denying that this meat is juicy, tender, and delicious. So, if you or your guests like meat that comes clean off the bone with every bite, definitely give the 321 rib method a try!
So what is the 321 method for ribs, exactly? It’s an easy way to cook pork ribs! In a nutshell, the 321 method for ribs is just what the name suggests:
- 3 hours in the smoker. Start by placing your ribs directly on the grill grates of the smoker for 3 hours to infuse the meat with that good, smoky flavor.
- 2 hours wrapped. Next up, wrap those smoky ribs in foil (usually with brown sugar, apple cider, butter, and other goodies) for 2 hours to add more flavor and keep that rib meat juicy.
- 1 hour with sauce. Last up, remove the meat from the wrapping and smother them in BBQ sauce. Finish them on the grill for 1 hour to set the sauce and ensure that the meat falls right off the bone.
321 Rib Method
This 321 rib method has gained a lot of popularity with home cooks in recent years because of the flawless results in churning out super tender ribs that fall off the bone every time.
While competition and traditional BBQ cooks will scoff at fall-off-the-bone ribs, the truth is that most people really like them that way. Judges for KCBS won’t give you a winning score, but they also won’t be hanging out in your backyard critiquing what you and your family are eating. So I say, cook what you like!
Sticky, sweet, tender, and oh-so-savory, 3 2 1 ribs are probably the most requested meal I receive for potlucks or family dinners. I tend to fall back on these ribs for gatherings because I know that they will deliver that tender, flavorful porky flavor every time. And sometimes consistency is super important!
One final tip: I highly recommend reading my post on How to Know When Pork Ribs are Done. This will help you determine when to remove the ribs from the smoker in addition to the times suggested.
Ingredients for 321 Ribs
Here’s what you’ll need to make these ribs:
- 1 rack of baby back ribs
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub or Rib Rub
- 1 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup Everything BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
My Sweet Rub, Rib Rub, and Everything BBQ Sauce can all be purchased from the Hey Grill Hey Store. If you don’t have any on hand when you go to make this recipe, you can make Sweet Rub using my recipe for Best Sweet Rub, Rib Rub using my recipe Best Dry Rub for Ribs, and Everything Sauce using my recipe for Kansas City BBQ Sauce.
How to Smoke 321 Ribs
I firmly believe that you should cook food the way you like it, and ribs are no different! Do you like your ribs saucy? Put some extra sauce on them (I like using my Everything BBQ Sauce). Do you like your ribs falling off the bone? Follow this 321 rib method! These are your ribs after all. Make them exactly how you like them!
Here’s how to cook your ribs using the 321 method:
- Preheat. Fire up the grill and preheat to 180-200 degrees F. Prepare the ribs for smoking while the grill preheats.
- Prep the ribs. Using a paper towel, grip the corner of the membrane on the back of the ribs, and pull to remove it. Next, season both sides of the ribs liberally with Sweet Rub or Rib Rub.
- Smoke for 3 hours. Start with exposing the seasoned ribs to 3 hours of heavy smoke over low heat. I prefer fruit woods (apple or cherry) when smoking pork, but other hardwoods (hickory and alder) also work really well with ribs.
- Wrap for 2 hours. After the initial 3-hour smoke, foil the ribs with a liquid of your choosing (I used apple cider, dark brown sugar, and butter) and cook at 225-250 degrees F for 2 more hours. After the braising period, Iook for great retraction of the meat from the bones. You want the bones to be exposed on the end at least 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.
- Sauce and smoke for 1 hour. Lastly, baste the ribs in your favorite BBQ sauce (my Everything BBQ Sauce or Apple Jalapeno BBQ Sauce are delicious!) and return them to the grill for a final hour to finish the ribs and set the sauce.
- Rest and enjoy. Remove the ribs from the smoker and rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice into individual ribs and serve! I like to put extra sauce on the table for guests who enjoy their ribs extra saucy.
More Ribs Recipes
Are you a rib fan like me? Then you’ll absolutely love these other rib recipes on Hey Grill Hey:
321 Rib Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! Hey Grill Hey is here to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero. Head on over to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! for more behind-the-scenes action!
This post was originally published in April 2015. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
321 Ribs
Video
Equipment
- 1 Smoker I highly recommend this pellet grill!
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub recipe in notes section
- 1 cup apple cider apple juice also works
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup Everything BBQ sauce recipe in notes section
Instructions
- Preheat. Prepare your smoker by preheating it to 180 degrees F.
- Prep the ribs. Use a sharp knife to lift up the corner of the membrane on the back of the ribs. Using a paper towel, grip the membrane and pull firmly to fully remove the membrane. Trim any excess fat off the ribs as needed.
- Season. Liberally season both sides of the ribs using Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub, starting with the bone side.
- Smoke. Place the seasoned ribs on the smoker and close the lid. Leave them to smoke for 3 hours (The ribs should be somewhere around an internal temperature of 165 degrees F at the end of these 3 hours).
- Make the braise. Tear off a large piece of aluminum foil and place it on a large working surface. Transfer the ribs to the foil bone side up so the bones don't tear through the foil. Sprinkle the ribs with the brown sugar, top with the butter cut into small pads, and then pour in the apple cider. Tightly crimp the foil together to create an airtight seal.
- Continue smoking. Return the wrapped ribs to the grill and increase the temperature in the smoker to 225 degrees F. Let the ribs braise for 2 hours in the foil.
- Sauce. Carefully remove the ribs from the grill and place them on a large working surface. Open the foil package (be careful of hot steam) and use tongs to remove the ribs and place them back on the grill, bone side down. Discard the foil and excess cooking liquid. Next, brush the ribs with Everything BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce).
- Finish smoking. Return the unwrapped, sauced ribs to the smoker. Close the lid, and continue smoking for an hour (or less!) or until the ribs reach around 200 degrees F and the sauce is sticky and set.
- Rest, slice, and enjoy. Remove the ribs from the smoker and rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice into individual ribs, and serve with extra sauce, as desired.
Notes
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Sweet Rub
- Make it from scratch using this RECIPE: Best Sweet Rub Recipe
Everything BBQ Sauce
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Everything BBQ Sauce
- Make it from scratch using this similar RECIPE: Kansas City BBQ Sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can you cook ribs in a vertical rib rack using this method, or do they need to lay horizontally.
The liquid in the braising step makes hanging them difficult.
Last week I bought a pork butt at Sams. Took it home and cut the bone out then split it to half it’s thickness. Cut the pieces into “country ribs” about 1 -1/2″ wide. Seasoned them in “house seasoning” (1 C. salt,1/4 C.garlic pwdr, 1/4 C. B. pepper) let them sit for an hour then grilled on lowest setting on the gas grill. turned every 15 min. the fourth time basted with Sweet baby rays. Finished in one hour. “Ribs” to die for….
Did two St Louis style racks two weeks ago. Best ribs ever. Used a Smoke Hollow with four racks. Split the ribs in half and did one per rack. used your rib rub and then 1/2 cup apple juice each in foil. Then in foil with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce for the last hour. Kept temp at 240 deg whole time. They finished at 205 deg after 6 hours total. Best damn ribs ever! Thanks for the recipe…..Going to do them again next week.
Fantastic! I’m glad those worked out so well for you! Also, thanks for the stellar review!
I am planning to do two batches of six rib slabs, (16 lbs each in each batch) hanging in my electric smoker. Can I place the smoked ribs wrapped in foil, in my kitchen oven, while I smoke second batch?
Yes you can!
If I’m doing baby back ribs, what would my reduced time look like? I haven’t smoked baby back ribs before, and don’t want to over do them.
A lot of people do 2-2-1 for baby backs. Plan for about 5 hours and just keep an eye on them. When the meat has receded about a half inch off the bone they’re done.
Can you do baby backs on the pellet at 225° w/o the foil wrap? Would it just take longer to cook through? I just got a pellet grill, and have typically done ribs on a gas grill w/ a rib rack. Takes a long time…
You absolutely can! They’ll take a little bit longer, but not much.
Just had to try this, and I’m glad I did. I did do a few things different just because…. used my own sweet spice blend, completely forgot the brown sugar (blonde moment I guess) then couldn’t find any apple juice…so I used Pendleton Whiskey. Six hours later and delicious ribs for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy that came out great for you Sara! Way to nail it!
I tried these today with cheap 1 one pack of ribs get one free at safeway. They were cheap ribs but my first time using a smoker and first time with the recipe. They turned out to be some of the best ribs I’ve ate. I used the rub and method, with stubbs spicy bbq sauce, I mixed a cup of cider in the water I used in the pan as well. Will be printing and keeping this recipe thanks for sharing. It makes amazing ribs.
Heck yeah! Way to nail it! Keep it up!
Tried smoking these today. Turned out great. Will definitely be cooking these again. Only change I made was instead of wrapping in foil, I used a foil pan then just sealed the top with foil. Once that step was done, I split the ribs in half (which just pulled apart) and did one half with bbq sauce for my girlfriend while I used Buffalo Wildwings blazin sauce on mine. Omg they were delicious. I used hickory pellets. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad they turned out well for you David!
These were quite easy and very good. It was a hit. I used apple juice, no sugar, and only did 3 2. They were fall off the bone. Thank you for the recipe!
Yes! I’m so glad you nailed it!
I have made these several times and only change I made was using some cinnamon sugar in my rub. They always turn out delicious. We are goi g to the beach next weekend and the group has requested these again. My question is how can I freeze them and then re-warm them for the clan?
Reheat wrapped in foil on a grill or in the oven at a low temperature, like 225-250. The issue might be keeping them warm and getting them to the beach unless you have a way to reheat there. If you don’t, reheat them and stick them in one of those cheap Styrofoam coolers. That should help keep them warm.