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Perfect 3-2-1 Baby Back Ribs on a Pellet Smoker

Jason Hardee, Elite BBQ Smokers
Learn how to cook perfect 3-2-1 Baby Back Ribs with a juicy, competition-style bite. This step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to season, spritz, wrap, and glaze ribs for a meal that will wow your family or win a BBQ competition.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Rest Time 1 hour
Total Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Barbeque, BBQ, Smoked BBQ
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • Pellet Smoker
  • Heavy-Duty Foil
  • Spritz Bottle

Ingredients
  

Ribs:

  • 2 Racks Smithfield Extra Meaty Baby Back Ribs

Rubs:

  • 1 bottle Heath Riles Sweet BBQ Rub
  • 1 bottle Texas Oil Dust Piggy Bank
  • 1 bottle Kosmos Q Hot Dirty Bird

Spritz (mixed 50/50):

  • 8 oz Mott’s White Apple Grape Juice
  • 8 oz Apple Cider Vinegar

Wrap (per rack):

  • 1 Sugar in the Raw generous sprinkle
  • 1 Honey drizzle
  • ½ Stick Kerry Gold Salted Butter
  • 4 oz Mott’s White Apple Grape Juice

Sauces:

  • 1 bottle Yes Dear BBQ Red Sauce
  • 1 bottle Yes Dear BBQ Competition Sauce

Instructions
 

Prep the ribs

  • Remove the membrane from the back of each rack. Trim excess fat and silver skin.

Season the racks

  • Generously apply Heath Riles Sweet BBQ Rub, Texas Oil Dust Piggy Bank, and Kosmos Q Hot Dirty Bird to both sides of the ribs.
  • Let them sweat for 20–30 minutes.

Preheat the smoker

  • Heat your pellet smoker to 225°F using Royal Oak Charcoal Blended Hickory and Charcoal Pellets.

Smoke (3 hours)

  • Place ribs bone side down on the smoker.
  • Spritz every hour with the apple juice and vinegar mix.

Wrap (2 hours)

  • Remove ribs and place each rack meat side down on heavy-duty foil. Add Sugar in the Raw, honey, butter, and juice to each rack, then wrap tightly. Return wrapped ribs to the smoker for 2 hours.

Sauce (1 hour)

  • Unwrap ribs, flip meat side up, and brush with Yes Dear BBQ Red Sauce and Competition Sauce. Return to the smoker uncovered for 1 hour to set the glaze.

Rest

  • Remove ribs from the smoker and place in a cooler or warmer. Rest for 1 hour to keep ribs juicy.

Serve

  • Slice ribs, drizzle with wrap au jus or extra sauce, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

This recipe creates ribs with a perfect competition-style bite, not fall-off-the-bone texture. Spritzing keeps the ribs moist and helps develop deep color.
Resting is essential to lock in juices!
Perfect 3-2-1 Baby Back Ribs on a Pellet Smoker | Step-by-Step Guide
If you’ve ever wanted to cook ribs so good they could win a BBQ competition, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to make Perfect 3-2-1 Baby Back Ribs on a pellet smoker, with a juicy, flavorful bite that will wow your family or impress judges.
Whether you’re prepping for your July 4th cookout or any backyard BBQ, this foolproof rib method is your ticket to ribs with incredible flavor, perfect tenderness, and a sticky, competition-style glaze.
Why the 3-2-1 Method Works
The 3-2-1 method is loved by pitmasters everywhere because it creates consistently great ribs every time. Here’s the breakdown:
✅ 3 hours unwrapped builds bark and smoky flavor.
✅ 2 hours wrapped tenderizes the ribs with a flavorful braise.
✅ 1 hour sauced sets a perfect, sticky glaze.
This process makes ribs juicy and tender but still with that perfect bite — not overcooked and mushy.
Choosing the Best Ribs
I am using Smithfield Extra Meaty All Natural Fresh Pork Back Ribs. These baby backs have great marbling and extra meat on the bones, which is perfect for feeding a crowd or practicing your competition skills.
Building Layers of Flavor
For these ribs, I build flavor with a three-layer rub:
  • Heath Riles Sweet BBQ Rub – sweet & balanced base.
  • Texas Oil Dust Piggy Bank – classic porky richness.
  • Kosmos Q Hot Dirty Bird – for a kick of heat.
Generously coat both sides of the ribs with these rubs and let them sweat for 20–30 minutes while you fire up your smoker.
Setting Up Your Smoker
I cooked these on my Recteq pellet smoker set to 225°F, fueled with Royal Oak Charcoal Blended Hickory and Charcoal Pellets.
The 3-2-1 Process
3 Hours – Smoke Unwrapped
  • Place ribs bone side down on the smoker grate.
  • Spritz every hour with a 50/50 mix of Mott’s White Apple Grape Juice and Apple Cider Vinegar. This keeps the ribs moist and helps them develop a deep mahogany bark.
2 Hours – Wrap
  • Remove ribs from smoker.
  • Place each rack meat side down on heavy-duty foil.
  • On each foil sheet, layer:
  • Sugar in the Raw
  • Honey
  • ½ stick Kerry Gold Salted Butter
  • 4 oz Mott’s White Apple Grape Juice
  • Wrap tightly and return ribs to smoker for 2 hours.
1 Hour – Sauce & Set
  • Unwrap ribs carefully (watch the hot steam!).
  • Flip ribs meat side up.
  • Brush with Yes Dear BBQ Red Sauce and Yes Dear BBQ Competition Sauce.
  • Return ribs to the smoker uncovered for 1 hour to set the glaze.
Don’t Skip the Rest
When the ribs are done, remove them from the smoker and place them in a cooler or warming box to rest for 1 hour. This step locks in juices and helps you slice clean ribs that stay tender.
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Keyword 3-2-1 ribs, BBQ, BBQ Ribs, Ribs