3-2-1 Ribs

5 from 3 votes

Fall-off-the-bone smoked ribs have never been so easy! My 3-2-1 Ribs recipe is paired with tangy Carolina BBQ sauce for incredible flavor!

Prep Time5

Cook Time6

Total Time6 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 3-2-1 smoked ribs, 321 method ribs, 321 ribs, smoked pork ribs

Servings:

Calories: 1596kcal

See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

Preheat the smoker to 225°F, and prepare a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar. While the smoker heats, grip the corner of the silver membrane on the back of the ribs, and peel them off. Season, starting with salt.
1 rack Baby back ribs, 2 Tablespoons Coarse salt, 2 Tablespoons Black pepper, 2 Tablespoons Garlic powder
Place the ribs in the smoker and let them smoke for 3 hours, spritzing the ribs with apple cider vinegar every hour to keep them moist.
Apple cider vinegar
Remove from the smoker, and wrap the ribs tightly in foil before placing back in the smoker (or in the oven at 225°F). Let cook another 2 hours, without spritzing.
While the ribs cook, prepare the BBQ sauce. Place the brown sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until dissolved.
2 cups Apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons Ketchup, 1 Tablespoons Hot sauce, 1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Black pepper, ½ teaspoon Salt
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir, then reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat until the ribs are ready.
After the additional 2 hours, remove the foil wrap and coat the ribs in homemade BBQ sauce. Cook one more hour in the smoker, uncovered.
Carolina BBQ sauce
Remove from the smoker, coat with another layer of BBQ, and rest for 5 minutes. Then slice between the bones with a sharp knife and enjoy!

I like using hickory pellets, but any fruit wood pellet would be delicious with these ribs.

To save on pellets, feel free to use the oven for the wrapped portion of the cook time! Heat it to 225°F and just finish the ribs off in the smoker for the last unwrapped hour of cook time.

Wrap the ribs nice and tight- this is an important part of ensuring the right flavor and tenderness.

Don't worry if the BBQ seems thin. Carolina BBQ is a thin and tangy sauce not meant to stick like Texas BBQ.
This recipe will cook the meat until it falls off the bone. For meat that clings to the bone, lower the wrapped cooking time to 1 hour, and the second smoke time to 20 minutes.