3-2-1 method BBQ ribs

If you want tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs using your Weber kettle BBQ then this step-by-step guide breaks down the 3-2-1 method for perfect smoked ribs every time.

This is my guide on how to smoke baby back ribs on your BBQ. The 3 2 1 method has three separate stages of cooking, allowing for a longer time for the flavour to enhance into the meat. Even better, the pork ribs has a fall off the bone texture making them really easy to eat.

Contents

• Introduction to 321 BBQ Method
• Preparing The Smoker
• BBQ Preparation For 321 Ribs
• Dry Rubs & Sauces For Ribs
• BBQ Ribs Cooking Temperature
• BBQ Ribs Cooking Time
• BBQ Ribs Internal Temperature
• The Recipe
• Your Comments

Introduction to 321 BBQ Method

Do you cook 3-2-1 ribs bone side up or down?

There is a lot of debate about which way is correct when it comes to cooking these ribs. My method (which works well for me when I do this cook) is Up Down Down:

• 3 hours cooked uncovered meat side up
• 2 hours cooked meat side down, covered in sauce and wrapped in foil
• 1 hour cooked meat side down again but with the foil undone

Why is it called the 3-2-1 Method BBQ Ribs?

The name comes from the time it takes to cook ribs using this method.

So a total cook time of 6 hours. This is one of the simplest dishes to cook on the Weber Smokey Mountain or any other BBQ smoker for that matter. A tasty dish and is difficult to get wrong and now you know why it is called the 3-2-1 Method BBQ Ribs? .

3-2-1 method BBQ Ribs are simple yet have outstanding taste.

Preparing The Smoker

Finding time to cook on the smoker is not easy but when you can take the opportunity to crack open a beer and throw on the charcoal it feels great. Trying to light the BBQ is sometimes a challenge when the weather is not great. But using a Weber chimney starter kit is a sure fire (pun intended) way of getting the flames going.

With only a few coals in the bottom, spark up a firelighter and place the chimney starter on top. I really like these Weber natural firelighters as they are low smoke and are all natural too. I generally use a couple of these but they do help get things cooking quickly and simply. I have a full on how to guide to setting up a BBQ for further advice.

Charcoal Snake Method

To enable a long slow burn of coal, I like to use the snake method on my WSM smoker. This can also be used on a kettle style BBQ such as the Weber Master touch (other brands are available.) Line up the coals in rows of two around half of the charcoal area to form a snake.

Add a block of smoking wood every 6 or so coals. These will catch and smoke at various intervals along the cook.

Once you have a nice glow of coals, normally its around 15 minutes and the top coals are white then it is time to use them. From here you can tip them carefully on the BBQ onto the rest of the unlit coals.

Top Tip - Keep in mind this does get VERY hot so it's probably worth investing in some BBQ gloves. There are so many styles and types to choose from that I can't recommend a specific set but will suggest that you cover your wrists as well as hands to save from catching on the edge of the BBQ.

For more information on charcoal, where to buy it and how to set it up in your BBQ then take a look at my charcoal 101 post.

BBQ Preparation For 321 Ribs

Ribs Preparation for 321 Cooking

Dry Rubs & Sauces For Ribs

Deciding what to cover over can be difficult to choose when it is time to coat the ribs with sauce. Again, lots of choice and this all comes down to personal preference. A standard bottle of Heinz BBQ sauce will do the trick, but for something extra special you can get some ideas from these BBQ gift selection sets. This way it is possible to get a variety of different sauces to try on your 3-2-1 method BBQ ribs without breaking the bank.

Dry Rub vs Sauce

A dry rub will generally crisp up an give you a crunchy coating on the meat. This is ideal for a chicken or cut of meat with fat such as pork belly or rib.

I prefer to use sauce when doing a longer cook to keep the juices and succulence in the meat. This recipe calls for both types of flavourings however you can get experimental. The rub will absorb in the meat and also help it stop burning.

Sauces such as hot sauce or BBQ sauce will give some additional taste to the meat and take on the smoke flavouring produced by the smoking wood in the charcoal.

Coke As A BBQ Rub? Really?

Yes, a can of Coca Cola works well as a BBQ flavouring. You could try adding some coke to the foil before the ribs go back on for the 2 hours. This will steam up and the sugar sticks and gives a real American Sticky Rib type result.

Make sure to use full fat coke and not diet coke or Coke Zero. It's the sugar that gives it the sticky flavour.

Beer Flavoured BBQ Ribs

What else has sugar? Beer has sugar. There is usually plenty of beer flowing at a BBQ too so why not try it? To add a beer flavouring, pour the beer at step 2, before the ribs go back on for 2 hours. It will be used as a replacement for the BBQ sauce.

These ribs are an ideal recipe for anyone who is new to smoking meat or cooking on the Weber Smokey Mountain or other type BBQ smoker. They are difficult to get wrong, but even if you do then you can be safe in the knowledge that ribs are not an expensive cut of meat!

If you cook these to perfection, you'll have some meat falling off the bone and people wanting to come back for more!

BBQ Ribs Cooking Temperature

The key to having a successful rack of ribs when cooking in foil is to make sure that there is a consistent temperature throughout. For these BBQ ribs you need to aim for a cooking temperature of 120C or 250F. This can be achieved no matter what type of BBQ you opt for but some take more skill than others.

For Weber Smokey Mountain, Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe type setups, the snake method above works well and the ceramic inserts of the Egg style will keep the temperature steady.

Tip Top Temp - Steady Temperature Control

For other grills such as the kettle BBQ style (like a Weber Master touch) you can use - Have you ever had the issue with trying to control the temperature? Even a normal BBQ (anything with temperature control vents can benefit from one of these beauties. It has a dial which can be set and the vent opens and closes automatically to keep a steady temperature throughout the cook.

So here is a unique simple little gadget called the Tip Top Temp and is a smoker temperature controller. So simple yet so effective.

A wise investment for anyone who uses a smoker and will only cost the same as a big lump of brisket. Risk it for a brisket? Check them out here on Amazon.

Other Types Of BBQ

If you have a pellet grill like a Traeger or Pit Boss pellet smoker, then seek a method on how to maintain a steady temperature as that is the key to success in tasty baby back ribs.

For an electric smoker such as the Ninja Woodfire, maintaining the steady temperature should be fairly simple providing you set it to 130C.

BBQ Ribs Cooking Time

3-2-1 vs 2-2-1 Method

The 3-2-1 method provides a total of 6 hours cooking time to smoke BBQ ribs. There is the option to reduce this time by using the 2-2-1 method. The best way to achieve this is to have a hotter start to the cook, so opt for 140C for the first 2 hours.

A quick cook initially at a higher temperature will mean it doesn't take as long but you won't get as much smoke flavouring expected with a longer cook. We can be sure they will still taste great though!

BBQ Ribs Internal Temperature

We're looking for the ribs to be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 92C to 96C (198F to 205F) in the meat (try the middle rather than closest to the bone to get an accurate result.) Use a meat thermometer like this Inkbird to get an accurate result.

The Recipe

Let me know how you get on with your 321 baby back rib smoking. Leave me a comment and tell me how this recipe worked for you.