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321 ribs on a wooden cutting board.
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4.89 from 142 votes

321 Ribs

321 ribs are a foolproof way to get fall off the bone tender ribs. The 321 rib method is based on smoking ribs at a certain temperature for 3 hours, wrapping them with liquid for 2 hours, and saucing them for the final 1 hour.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Resting Time15 minutes
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Barbecue
Keyword: 321 Ribs
Servings: 2 people
Author: Susie Bulloch

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.

Video

Notes

Sweet Rub

Everything BBQ Sauce

Nutrition

Calories: 709kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 733mg | Potassium: 749mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 5.4mg