3-2-1 Ribs
The 3-2-1 method involves smoking your baby back ribs 3 separate times to get a juicy and delicious finish.
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Ingredients
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baby back ribs
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pork rub (your favorite brand)
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1 stick unsalted butter
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foil
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1.5 cup chicken stock
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1 cup maple syrup
Spritz Ingredients & Supplies
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spray bottle
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chicken stock
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red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
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soy sauce
1 Food Prep
Combine your spritz ingredients and add your mixture to a spray bottle.
Then, generously coat each rack of your pork ribs with your preferred pork rub.
Select a rib with the fresh date being as far in the future as possible. Choose ribs that are a reddish/pink color as opposed to pale pink, they will have more moisture retention after cooking. Also, look for a rib with plenty of internal marbling to ensure juiciness and flavor.
Although there is nothing wrong with frozen ribs, a fresh rib will provide a bit more of a vibrant meat flavor so go with fresh ribs whenever possible. Supermarket pork ribs are commonly sealed in packaging to extend their freshness from a few days to a few weeks. But because of this packaging, the closer you get to the fresh date, the more susceptible the meat is to being past its prime.
Credit: World Champion Pitmaster Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
2 Grill Prep
Fuel: We recommend Kingsford® Original Charcoal Briquets.
Method: The Charcoal Snake
Temp: 250°F (Low Heat)
Carefully hold your hand about 5” to 6” above the grate, and refer to the temperature settings below:
• High Heat (450° to 550°F):
2 to 4 seconds
• Medium Heat (350° to 450°F):
5 to 6 seconds
• Low Heat (250° to 350°F):
8 to 10 seconds
Make sure your clothing doesn’t touch the grate, and always move your hand away from the heat before you feel discomfort.
When you’re at temp, put cooking oil on a folded paper towel. Grab the oiled paper towel with long-handled tongs and oil the grate thoroughly.
3 The Cook
When you’re at temp, put cooking oil on a folded paper towel. Grab the oiled paper towel with long-handled tongs and oil the grate thoroughly.
Place your ribs on the grate and smoke them for 3 hours at 250°F, spritzing them every 30 minutes to an hour to keep them moist with added flavor throughout your cook.
After 3 hours, remove your ribs from the grill and wrap them individually with foil. If you like, you can add a couple pats of butter on top of each rib rack when wrapping.
Smoke your ribs for an additional 2 hours at 250°F.
Towards the end of the 2 hours, begin preparing your dip. Combine 1½ cups of chicken stock with 1 cup of maple syrup, stirring until combined.
When the 2 hours are up, carefully remove your ribs from the grill, unwrap them and dip each rack into the mixture.
Place your ribs back on the grill unwrapped, and cook them for 1 more hour at 250°F, spritzing again when you’re 30 minutes into the hour.
Your ribs are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove them from the grill, allow them to rest for 3 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
For safe meat preparation, reference the USDA website.
Frequently Asked Questions
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