Fall Off The Bone Baby Back Ribs Recipe – Made On A Pellet Grill

Making fall off the bone, tender, baby back ribs couldn’t be easier, especially when there are so many fantastic pellet grills and smokers on the market.

One of my favorite, fail-proof recipes to make when cooking outdoors are ribs. They turn out perfect every time!

By following the 3-2-1 method, your ribs will be cooked to perfection. However, I like to tweak this traditional cooking method a little so that the bones can literally be pulled away from the meat itself with just a single tug.

What Is The Best Way To Cook Baby Back Ribs

Although you can get a delicious slab of ribs by using a variety of cooking methods, hands down, the best way to cook baby back ribs is in a smoker.

Whether you use a lump charcoal smoker like the Big Green Egg, a pellet smoker like my favorite Z Grills Pellet Grill, or a plug in electric smoker, the ribs are going to taste the best when they are cooked low and slow.

Of course, you could also make Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs, oven baked ribs or even ribs that have been cooking all day in a slow cooker. However, you won’t get better flavor or texture unless you cook them in a smoker.

The Best Method To Smoke Baby Back Ribs On A Pellet Grill

One search on the internet about how to smoke ribs, you will find the most common method used is the 3-2-1 method. This simply means that you cook the ribs 3 different ways, each having its own specific time period.

3 – The first three hours that the ribs are in the smoker are done directly on the cooking grates. Typically the ribs have been seasoned with a dry rub before being cooked.

2 – After the first three hours of smoking, the ribs are then transferred into an aluminum foil packet. Here liquid is added to the packet so that the ribs can continue to steam while being in the smoker.

The number 2 stands for the number of hours that the ribs will cook while in the foil.

1 – The 6th and final hour of cooking is done after the ribs have been removed from the foil. Most often, a barbecue sauce mixture is slathered all over the ribs and then they are placed back on the cooking grate.

Once the hour is up, the ribs are ready to be enjoyed! Baby back ribs can safely be consumed once they reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).

However, any barbecue pit master expert will agree that in order to achieve, tender, fall off the bone, baby back ribs, the final temperature needs to be much higher than that.

The Internal Temperature To Get Tender Baby Back Ribs

If you want the meat to literally fall off the bone, you must continue to cook the ribs until the internal temperature reaches 190 – 205°F. This could take an additional 2-3 hours after the ribs have initially cooked using the 3-2-1 method.

However, to keep things simple, you will still use the 3-2-1 method. However, the 1 (the last hour of this cooking process) may turn into the number 3 or 4.

So you would start your ribs on the grate for 3 hours, place them in foil with liquid for 2 hours, and finally, cook them until the internal temperature reaches 190 – 205°F.

Then you will have fall off the bone baby back ribs that are better than any award winning rib that you have ever tasted!

How To Make Fall Off The Bone Baby Back Ribs In A Pellet Grill

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 rack Baby Back Ribs
• 2 Tbsp Prepared Yellow Mustard
• 4 Tbsp. Dry Rub (Recipe Below)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided
• 1/2 c. All Natural Apple Juice, divided

Dry Rub Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
• 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. Onion powder
• 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the membrane on the bone side of your rack of ribs. Do not skip this step!

Start by running a small paring knife under the membrane at the thinner side of the ribs. Pull the membrane up until you can pull it with your fingers.

Use a paper towel and pull the membrane towards the other end of the ribs until it pulls completely off. You may need to repeat the process if it doesn’t come off in one section.

Discard the membrane. Then pat the ribs dry with paper towels and place the rack on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Spread the prepared yellow mustard on both side of the ribs until they are completely covered. Set aside.

Mix the dry rub ingredients together until well incorporated. Sprinkle the rub on both sides of ribs, completely covering the entire rack.

Lightly pat the dry rub onto the surface of the ribs so that it adheres. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to overnight.

When you are ready to grill, take the baby back ribs out of the refrigerator to warm to room temperature. and heat your pellet grill to 225°F (107°C) following your manufacturer’s guideline for preheating.

Z Grills Pellet Grill Preheating Instructions

I used a Z-Grills Pellet Grill for this recipe which requires me to get the smoke started with the lid up. Once the white smoke appears, I simply close the lid and set the grill to the desired temperature. It is that easy!

Once the smoker gets up to temperature, place the ribs, bone side down, directly on grate. Close the lid and smoke for 3 hours.

In a spray bottle, add 1/4 cup apple juice and 1/4 cup water. Spritz the baby back ribs every 30 minutes on the top surface with the apple juice/water mixture.

After 3 hours, remove the rack of ribs to a sheet of heavy duty foil. Mix together the barbecue sauce and remaining apple juice and pour it over the ribs.

Seal the foil around the ribs so that the liquid can not escape and return the foil packet to the smoker. Continue to smoke for 2 hours at the same temperature.

Once the 2 hours are up, carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place the rack back on the grate. Brush the entire top surface with barbecue sauce.

Continue to smoke for 1 hour. At this end of the hour, the internal temperature should be 145°F (63°C) and the ribs are safe to eat.

Internal Temperature For Fall Off The Bone Ribs

However, to get fall off the bone baby back ribs, continue to cook on the smoker until the internal temperature reaches 202°F (94°C).

On my Z Grills Pellet Grill this took another 2 1/2 hours of cook time. Remove the ribs from the smoker, cover and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

There you have it! A fail-proof method for making tender and delicious ribs on a smoker!

Enjoy! Mary

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