Smoking baby back ribs 2-2-1 refers to how many hours each step of the process will take. Smoke unwrapped baby backs for two hours, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil (add some butter or liquid to take your ribs to the next level) and cook for another two hours. Then, unwrap the ribs and cook for a final hour.
I grew up using the 3-2-1 method but started playing around with other methods when I was crunched for time. That’s when I discovered the 2-2-1 method. My wife is a rib fanatic, and she has me grilling 2-2-1 ribs every weekend in the summer. Good thing I love ribs, too!
In this post, I’ll break down everything you need to know about the 2-2-1 method. I’ll hit you with all the tips and tricks you need to make this your new go-to method. Let’s grill!
Don’t let the name confuse you – it’s just an easy formula pitmasters use to smoke ribs to perfection.
It means you should smoke baby back ribs for two hours which lets them get sublimely smokey.
Then, cook the ribs for another two hours wrapped in foil with a liquid, which bastes the ribs and makes them ultra-tender.
Finally, when the two hours are up, you remove the foil and allow the baby back ribs to cook for another hour. This firms up the bark and lets the (optional) glaze set.
Here are a few things that you will need to know to get this technique just right:
First things first – you’ll need to trim them. Trim off any chunks of white fat with a sharp knife. Do this carefully so that you don’t remove too much.
Remove the membrane from the ribs. It’s a thin sheet on the bone side of the ribs. Use a knife to loosen it from a bone, then grab it with paper towels and pull it away from the ribs.
You can leave the membrane on, but it’s rubbery and chewy, and your ribs won’t get as smokey.
Removing the membrane can be tricky, but once you start smoking ribs on the regular, you’ll be peeling it off like a pro, I promise. And with my divine baby back rib recipe (keep reading), you’ll be making ribs every week, like me.
Once the excess fat and membrane have been removed, run the ribs under cold water. Then, pat dry with paper towels.
The species of wood chips or chunks is important due to the flavor that they lend to the ribs.
I would recommend apple, pecan, or cherry. I smoked some St. Louis cut ribs with hickory last weekend, and they were so good there were no leftovers, so feel free to give hickory a go, too.
You can also play around with a blend of woods to find your favorite.
If you’re new to smoking, controlling the level and quality of the smoke is far more important than wood species. Large billows of smoke are great when they’re selecting a new pope, but not when you’re smoking ribs. The smoke coming off your cooker should be thin and barely visible.
I would also suggest that you steer clear of mesquite. The robust flavor of the wood can overpower smoked ribs.
One debate that rages in the barbeque community is about using mustard as a binding agent. A number of recipes instruct you to slather mustard on the ribs before seasoning them and placing them in the smoker. Mustard can seem like an odd addition, and many people are hesitant to take this step.
So, which side of the debate do I fall on? I’m team mustard. I think it acts as a nice binding agent for the seasoning and helps crank out juicy, tender ribs. If you’re not convinced, you can skip the mustard and just season the ribs.
But, take it from me – after the smoking process, the mustard flavor is drowned by the seasonings, smoke flavor, and pork richness. By the time the meat is served, you won’t be able to taste the mustard.
Still not convinced? Here’s an idea. The next time you smoke ribs, cover half the rack in mustard, and leave the other half uncovered. Cook as normal and see which half you like better.
There’s no need to spring for anything expensive or fancy, either. Regular yellow mustard will be just fine.
Have a spritz bottle on hand, and be prepared to spritz those ribs if they start looking dry. Fill the bottle with water, beer, apple juice, or another liquid.
It should go without saying that your favorite barbecue sauce is the best accompaniment to these ribs. I would recommend using a high-quality BBQ sauce for this recipe. It’s a game-changer that can take your ribs to another level.
Just remember to brush the sauce on towards the end of the cook to prevent the meat from burning. Shoot for around 30 minutes before the ribs finish cooking.
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Here are the ingredients and steps for world-class 2-2-1 ribs:
Approximate cook time: 5 hours
Feeds: 4-6
Preheat the smoker to 250°F.
If you are smoking the ribs on a charcoal grill, gas grill, or kamado grill, set up for indirect grilling.
Remove any excess fat from the ribs and peel off the membrane.
Apply a thin layer of mustard on both sides of the ribs. Sprinkle the rub on all sides. If you don’t have a rub, make one up with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, brown sugar, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper.
Place the ribs in the smoker bone side down for 2 hours.
If using on a charcoal grill, place the ribs on the side without coals.
Cut out a large piece of thick aluminum foil. Add half the honey, chili sauce, and pats of butter to the middle of the foil. Place the ribs on top.
Place the ribs bone-side down onto the center of the foil. On the meat side of the ribs, apply the remaining honey, chili sauce, and butter. Then, wrap the foil around the ribs tightly to form a seal. Be gentle so you don’t work off the rub. You may need another sheet of foil to cover the top of the ribs.
Put the wrapped ribs back in the smoker for two hours.
Open the foil but beware of the escaping steam. Remove the ribs from the foil for the last hour and place them directly on the smoker grates. Reserve the juices in the foil and use them for basting.
Smoke the ribs for another 30 minutes, brushing the juices onto the ribs every 10 minutes.
After the 30 minutes is up, brush on the sauce and let it smoke for another half an hour. Remove from the smoker once the ribs hit your desired doneness. A probe or toothpick should slide into the meat with little or no resistance, and the finish temperature will be between 190°F and 205°F.
Let the meat rest for around 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Smoke your ribs at 250°F when using the 2-2-1 method – this is slightly hotter than the typical BBQ temp of 225°F. If you know even a little bit about barbecuing, you know that the temperature plays an important role – it isn’t just about time. Keep a close watch on the ribs to make sure that they don’t become dry. If they look dry, spritz them with some liquid.
If they are typical size (1.5-2 pounds), then you can follow the 2-2-1 method as a guideline and plan on the baby backs being done in 5 or so hours. Many factors, like wind, outdoor temperature, and fluctuations in the temperature of your cooker, can impact the time of your cook.
The ribs are done when a probe or toothpick slides into the meat with little to no resistance, and the internal temperature reads 190°F to 205°F..
A 3 and 1/2 lb rack of ribs will take around 6 hours to cook at 250°F. If you’ve found a 3 and 1/2 lb rack of baby backs, odds are good that there are two racks in the packaging, or you’ve actually got spare ribs. A 3 1/2 lb single rack of baby backs would have come from an exceptionally large pig.
One thing that a lot of my friends will complain to me about their smoked ribs is that it tastes fantastic, but despite their best efforts, the meat isn’t fall off the bone.
If you’re looking for fall-off-the-bone ribs, cook the ribs a bit longer. A probe should glide in with no resistance. The bones should feel very loose when tugged on. Shoot for an internal temperature beyond 200°F.
Just don’t cook fall-off-the-bone ribs if you’re cooking on the BBQ competition circuit. Judges here look for ribs with a little tug on them. This means that the ribs are well-cooked but still moist and tender. If you smoke ribs that fall off the bone, the judges will not be impressed.
Not really. The 2-2-1 ribs method is great for baby back ribs – also known as loin back ribs – because they’re smaller than spare ribs. Because they weigh less, they need to be smoked for a shorter period of time.
Spare ribs and St. Louis-style ribs are larger and meatier and need to be smoked for longer. Use the 3-2-1 method for St. Louis or spare ribs when you’re cooking at 250°F.
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There you have it – the ultimate guide to smoking baby back ribs with the 2-2-1 method. Cook for two hours unwrapped, two hours wrapped, and one hour unwrapped, and boom! Juicy, tender pork perfection awaits.
Now that you know the secrets, it’s time to try it out for yourself!
