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February 07, 2023
Fire up the grill and loosen your belt; the countdown to amazing ribs starts now. My 3-2-1 Ribs Recipe has an easy-to-remember cooking method, making it perfect for beginners. Nothing about this recipe tastes novice, though.
The ribs are seasoned with two of my world-famous rubs, bathed in my unforgettable Butter Bath and Wrap, and topped with a layer of my sticky-sweet BBQ sauce. They cook low and slow, giving you the ultimate pit-master experience.
This cooking method produces juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned meat. The ribs have a total cook time of 6 hours, which may seem like a lot. I promise it’s worth every second and more.
I always say, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!” This method of cooking ribs is considered “old-school,” but some things never go out of style. For decades, this cooking style has created tender, rich, juicy cuts of meat. My 3-2-1 Ribs are some of the best-tasting BBQ you’ll ever have. Who knows, this might become your favorite recipe.
My 3-2-1 Ribs Recipe pulls out all the stops. Butter bath, sauce, zesty rubs..this cut of meat lacks nothing. You won’t use the entire jar of rub, so save the remainder for another fabulous recipe. Here’s what you need to add to your shopping cart.
Here’s a quick rundown of the setup I used. You can find more of my grilling must-haves in the equipment and tools sections.
You can find a detailed demonstration of this recipe in the recipe card and video. Here’s the clif-notes version of how I pulled these ribs together.
These ribs cooked for a total of 6 hours, making this the longest I’ve ever waited for a plate of ribs. It was worth every minute. The ribs were juicy and falling off the bone. This old-school recipe had a classic taste that melts in your mouth. 3-2-1 Ribs are definitely one for the books!
You can always serve my ribs as a standalone meal, but sometimes you want to impress a crowd with a spread. Try one of these delicious side dishes!
I can’t guarantee you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, you can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Before reheating, wrap your ribs tightly and thaw them in the refrigerator. If freezing, you may have to resauce the ribs, so they retain that sticky goodness.
Traeger Timberline 1300 ,Royal Oak Charcoal, paper towels, cutting board, heavy-duty aluminum foil, baking trays, Hi-Temp Silicone Brush, insulated gloves for handling meat.
Cheshire Pork Spare Ribs
Yellow Mustard, or binder of your choice
Heath Riles BBQ Hot BBQ Rub
Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Rub
Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath (1/4 cup per slab of rib you are cooking)
Apple Juice (3/4 cup per slab of rib you are cooking)
Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce
Get Traeger Grill or grill of choice up to 225º. We used Royal Oak Pellets for this cook.
Trim ribs to your liking, remove the membrane.
Rub ribs with mustard or binder of your choice.
Season ribs with Heath Riles BBQ Hot BBQ Rub and then Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Rub.
Flip ribs and repeat steps 3 & 4.
Put ribs on the grill for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, remove ribs and wrap with Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath (1/4 cup butter bath to 3/4 cup of apple juice for each slab of rib you are cooking) in foil.
Place ribs back on the grill for an additional 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove ribs from the grill.
Unwrap ribs and sauce with Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce or sauce of your choice.
Return ribs to the grill for an additional 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove ribs from grill.