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Smoked Ribs

What are ribs?


Ribs are one of the most recognizable cuts of meat. They’re the less meaty part of the animal, and are most often cooked as a rack or slab rather than separated and cooked individually. In American cuisine, we most commonly cook and eat pork ribs and beef ribs.

What are pork spare ribs?


Pork spare ribs are ribs cut from the belly area of a pig. They’re surrounded by the belly meat where bacon is cut. Even though that belly fat is trimmed when spare ribs are being cut, they still have delicious marbling and flavor. St. Louis-style ribs are a type of spare rib that has the tips removed for more uniform cooking and less cartilage.

What are baby back ribs?


Baby back ribs are cut from the back of the pig rather than the belly. They’re shorter than spare ribs (thus the name “baby”), and they’re leaner and more tender. As a result, they tend to be more expensive than spare ribs.

What are beef short ribs?


Short ribs are cut from the beef chuck part of the cow. They’re called short ribs because they’re too small (or “short") for quality steaks. Rather than being tender like ribs from farther back on the cow, they’re muscles that are heavily used. However, they have a lot of flavor when cooked low and slow.

How to Cook Ribs


If you’re looking to master smoking pork ribs, look no further than this guide. All you need are some St. Louis spare ribs, our Pork & Poultry Rub for ribs, and some ingredients you probably already have at home.

 How to Make the Best BBQ Ribs

Winning World Competition Ribs


How do your baby back ribs stack up against competition winners? In this guide, we explain exactly what judges look for when determining which ribs are going to get that award in a competition.

 Winning Competition Ribs

How to Prep and Smoke Ribs on a Pellet Grill


Chad Ward, legendary BBQ competitor, 7-time grand champion, and owner of Whiskey Bent BBQ, is a self-taught BBQ pro. Below are a few tips from the pit master himself! But before you start smoking baby back ribs or spare ribs, you need to learn how to prep them.

3-2-1 Ribs Method


There are a lot of opinions about smoking ribs out there, but many swear by the 3-2-1 method.

3-2-1 Ribs Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins.

Cook time: 6 hrs.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 2 Rack St. Louis-style ribs
  • Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub as needed
  • 1/2 Cup brown sugar, divided
  • 1/3 Cup honey, divided
  • 1 Cup Traeger BBQ Sauce or your preferred sauce

3 hours of smoke: Set your Traeger to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and place the ribs meat-side up on the grill. After 3 hours, your ribs should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

2 hours of low and slow: Remove the ribs from the grill and place in a rimmed baking sheet. Raise the grill temperature to 225 degrees. While waiting for the grill to heat up, wrap your ribs in two sheets of foil, crimping the foil together to prevent leaks. Grill for 2 more hours.

1 hour of final touches: Remove the foil from the ribs and place them directly on the grill grate until the internal temperature is 195 degrees. Slather with BBQ sauce and cook for 10 to 20 minutes longer or until your internal smoked ribs temperature is 203 degrees. Let them rest for a few minutes, and serve.

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Top Ribs Recipes


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What to Serve with Ribs

One of our favorite things about smoking ribs is that they pair well with so many foods. You can keep it simple with some mac and cheese and collard greens, or you can branch out with unique takes on other picnic-friendly foods like our grilled mango coleslaw.


What's the Best Wood for Smoking Ribs?


  • Cherry and Pecan - Our favorite wood pellet combination is one-half cherry and one-half pecan wood pellets. The slight nuttiness paired with its rustic richness makes it a full-bodied smoke that we love wrapping our ribs with.
  • Hickory - If you want your ribs to have a sweet, but hearty flavor, hickory is the best choice for you. However, be careful to not use too much hickory or you might overpower the flavor of the meat. Using a blend with hickory can get you that hickory taste without being overpowering.

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