Updated on October 14th, 2022
If you’ve recently gotten yourself a new pellet grill, one of the first recipes you should definitely try is barbecued ribs. You’ll get tender ribs with a deliciously yummy quality, and cooking your ribs this way also offers the advantage of a classic smokey taste that you may not get using any other method.
This may be a recipe you’ve never tried before, but no need to worry if that’s the case. All you need are the right cooking instructions and appropriate timing guidelines in order to get the best results. This article has provided all of that, so make sure to pay close attention to get the best out of your cooking.
Ribs Nutrition Facts
Tips for Cooking Ribs on a Pellet Grill
The following helpful tips and guidelines are important to remember when cooking ribs on a pellet grill, so we recommend that you pay close attention:
Preparing the ribs for cooking – Starting with any huge fatty chunks that were leftover from the slaughtering and packaging process is always a good idea. Also, ensure that you take out any silver skin that you find on the rib racks. Failing to do this means that the silver skin gets a chance to thicken during the cooking process, making any piece of the resulting meat really difficult to chew and enjoy. As such, it’s in your best interest to remove the silver skin anywhere you see it on your ribs.
If you’re working with a full rack of spare ribs, it’s advisable to cut it into smaller pieces as well. Trying to achieve this recipe with a smaller pellet grill may also mean that you need to cut the ribs in halves or thirds so that all the pieces can fit on your rack.
Dry rub suggestions – Feel free to use whatever kind of dry rub you crave. Smoked paprika is one of the most used ingredients in rubs. For a quick rub, simply combine equal parts of smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and half a teaspoon of salt. For a whole rack of ribs, a tablespoon of each of these ingredients should suffice. You may even choose to prepare a larger quantity of whatever rub you prefer and save the rest in the freezer for future use.
Come up with your own rub recipe if you want. For a sweeter bark, try including some honey or brown sugar in the ingredients. Cooking the ribs with a moist barbeque sauce is however not recommended. Instead, serve them with a sauce to give another layer of taste. Note that this is entirely up to you; you can also decide to explore different styles and ingredients and have yourself a little cooking adventure.
View this post on Instagram
Cooking Time for Ribs on a Pellet Grill
Keep the following timing guidelines in mind when cooking ribs on a pellet grill:
| Cooking procedure | Cooking time |
| Cooking ribs on a pellet grill at 300 degrees Fahrenheit | 2 hours and 45 minutes |
Pellet Grill-Smoked Baby Back Ribs (6 Servings)
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back ribs
For the Spritz
- ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of apple juice
For the Dry rub
- 8 tablespoons of smoked paprika
- 6 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon of hot cayenne pepper
For the Wrap (per rack)
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1 tablespoon of spritz (apple cider vinegar and apple juice)
For the BBQ sauce (glaze)
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1 ½ cup of apple juice
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Take the membrane off the bones and trim the ribs. Afterwards, if the ribs are severely disproportioned, cut out any surplus fat and ensure that the ribs’ thickness is balanced out. Next, apply the dry rub on the ribs.
- Adjust the temperature on the pellet smoker to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Arrange the ribs inside the smoker and cook them for one hour once the temperature has reached the desired level.
- Examine the ribs for any dry areas after an hour, and spray the ribs again if necessary.
- Check the color for a beautiful rich mahogany quality and see if the rub can be scraped off using your finger (do this after the ribs have been on the smoker for about an hour and a half). Otherwise, now is the time to wrap the ribs.
- Wrap each rack in two layers of foil (ensure that the meaty side is facing down) with the wrap ingredients. Afterwards, return the ribs to the smoker for another hour.
- In a heatproof saucepan, combine the wet glaze ingredients and put the mixture in the smoker to get heated and thicken up.
- Check the ribs for tenderness using a probe after they have been kept in the wrapping for an hour; if the ribs are tender, take them out of the smoker
- To make a boat for each rib rack, roll up the foil’s edges. To expose the meat, turn both racks over.
- Allow one rack to crust up while the other is coated with the wet glaze that has been left to warm in the smoker.
- Return the ribs to the smoker for another 15 minutes. Take them out of the smoker after 15 minutes have elapsed, then slice into them and enjoy.
Cooking ribs on a pellet grill can’t be any easier than the procedure described above, and you can be sure to expect really delicious results. The entire cooking time for this recipe is 3 hours and 5 minutes, including a prep time of 20 minutes and an active cook time of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
If you’d like to see more recipe ideas for cooking ribs on a pellet grill, then make sure to check out this video recipe.
