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Smoking baby back ribs in the pellet grill is SUPER EASY with the 321 ribs method you’ll learn in this recipe guide. This smoker main dish has quickly become one of my go-to Traeger ribs for family dinners and BBQ parties where I want to feed a crowd. Let’s smoke ‘em…

Traeger Smoked 321 Ribs Babyback Pork Meat Covered With BBQ Sauce

Table of Contents

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What is the 3 2 1 method for ribs?

To put it simply, the 321 method for smoking ribs means that you cook the ribs 3 hours unwrapped first, then 2 hours wrapped in foil, then 1 final hour unwrapped with BBQ sauce on top.

What temperature do you smoke 321 ribs at?

I recommend smoking 321 ribs at 225 degrees F for the entire cook.

How long to smoke baby back ribs at 250 or 275?

Sure, they’ll cook a little faster, but I find you can still use 3-2-1 as a general timeline. And that last hour might be closer to 30 minutes, just keep a good internal temperature thermometer in ribs so you know when they’ve cooked to 200 degrees F.

How many hours does it take to smoke ribs using the 321 method?

It will take you a total of 6 hours to smoke ribs using the 321 method. Plus, a little extra few minutes here and there for when you need to wrap them in foil, etc. in between steps.

What ribs can you use to smoke using the 321 method?

You can use either Baby Back Ribs or make smoked St Louis style cut ribs made with brown sugar. Both will give you fall off the bone tender smoker ribs.

Pile of Traeger smoked pork babyback ribs 321 method

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make easy Traeger 321 ribs.

Baby back ribs
Mustard (optional, for flavor and use as a 3 2 1 rib rub seasoning binder)
BBQ rub – any pork dry seasoning you’d like (see my homemade pork rib rub)
For spritzing: water and apple cider vinegar (sub apple juice)
Beer (sub apple juice for extra moisture while your 3 2 1 ribs are smoking)

Smoking babyback ribs 321 method in foil — The second period of smoking 321 ribs, for 2 hours, is done with beer, wrapped in foil.

For the BBQ honey sauce for the final hour of smoking ribs

BBQ ribs smoke for the final hour in a tasty, sticky sauce that’s easy to make…

BBQ sauce
Honey

Smoking Traeger 321 baby back ribs with BBQ glaze in open foil packets — The final period of smoking ribs with the 321 method is for about 1 hour, and is done with ribs in an open foil packet with bbq honey sauce brushed on top. This gives it a nice crust.

How to smoke baby back ribs with the 321 method

Now I’ll walk you through it…

Infographic with recipe steps demonstrating how to make Traeger smoked baby back ribs with the 312 method with captions

Detailed recipe steps

Preheat Traeger Grills, Masterbuilt, Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
Prep baby back ribs for smoking by removing the membrane if not already done by your butcher. (To do this, pull off the extra white part on top of the rack of ribs as much as possible to reveal more surface on the actual pork meat, so the seasonings absorb better.) Then pat them dry with paper towels.
Pre-seasoning step (optional): before adding on your seasonings, you can add a “binder” to the ribs. It’s totally optional, and will definitely add more of a vinegar taste from the mustard. To do this, you’ll rub mustard all over the ribs before seasoning them.
Season baby back ribs all over with BBQ seasoning.
Make water and apple cider vinegar mixture. Mix the two ingredients together in a spritzing bottle.
For 3 hours: smoke the baby back ribs for 3 hours, directly on the grill grates, with the lid closed. Spritz with water and apple cider vinegar mixture every 30-60 minutes.
Wrap baby back ribs in foil before adding them to the smoker for a second cook. Remove partially-smoked baby back ribs from the smoker. Now you’ll wrap them individually in foil. To do this, lay a large sheet of foil on a flat surface with about an extra foot of foil on both sides. Make a rim so liquid won’t spill out of the foil. Add beer to the bottom of the foil. Top with partially-smoked 321 ribs, meaty side facing down and bones facing up. Secure foil all around rims, making sure any seams in the foil are on the top so liquid doesn’t escape as the ribs smoke. Return to smoking.
For 2 hours: smoke foil wrapped baby back ribs (meaty side of the babyback ribs facing down) with the lid closed.
Make BBQ honey sauce by mixing the BBQ sauce and honey in a small bowl.
Unwrap the foil and flip the baby back ribs, so the meaty side is facing up. Brush the tops of the ribs with the BBQ honey sauce. Return to smoking, resting on top of the foil. (Don’t close the foil packet, the top remains open during the final hour of smoke time.)
For 1 hour: smoke baby back ribs with BBQ sauce on top for a final 60 minutes or so, with the foil packet open.
Remove baby back ribs from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer.
Let smoked babyback ribs rest for 15 – 20 minutes and enjoy.