Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe for Beginners

If you’re just getting started in barbecue and smoking meat, and want to know how to make smoked baby back ribs, you’re in the right spot. 

Quick Links to the products mentioned in this post and video:

• Grilla Chimp 2.0 portable pellet grill (Save 15% on select Grilla products: BBQLAB)
• Grilla power station (Save 15% on select Grilla products: BBQLAB)
• Pork Protocol BBQ Rub
• Essential Equation SPG Rub
• Smokin’ Pecan Pellets (First Time Customers save 10%: BARBECUELAB)
• Nitrile gloves
• Insulated gloves
• Pit Boss sprayer
• Thermapen One instant read thermometer
• Breville Control Freak induction burner
• Hexclad pot
• Thermoworks silicone basting brush
• Thermoworks Timestack
• Dalstrong slicing knife
• Hexclad XL cutting board
• Cuisinart Prep & Serve trays
• Pellet Smoking Tube
• Wood Chip Smoking Box
• Fontana Elysia outdoor kitchen (Use code BBQLABVIP for VIP pricing)
• RCS REFR2D fridge (Use code BBQLAB for VIP pricing)

Barbecue Basics: Pork Ribs Recipe

In this article, I’m going to attempt to answer all your questions and guide you step-by-step so that you can confidently and successfully smoke baby back ribs on your pellet smoker. This article is geared toward beginners, who might not have a lot of experience in this style of cooking.

What you’ll need to make this smoked ribs recipe

• Pork Loin Ribs (also known as baby back ribs)
• Trimming knife
• Salt, or a salt source (like our Essential equation)
• Your favorite BBQ rub
• Apple cider vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Heavy Duty Foil
• Basting Brush
• Your favorite BBQ sauce

How to choose the right ribs to buy

You will likely find four different styles of pork ribs at the grocery store: loin back ribs (commonly known in the U.S. as baby back ribs), spare ribs, St. Louis style ribs, and country-style ribs.

Loin back ribs are shorter, leaner, and more tender, while spare ribs come from lower on the pig and are typically larger, meatier, and a bit fattier.

St. Louis style ribs are simply spare ribs trimmed into a more uniform rectangular shape for even cooking and presentation.

Country-style ribs aren’t actually ribs at all. They’re cut from a pork shoulder and contain no rib bones.

Loin back ribs come from the upper portion of the rib cage along the pig’s back, right where the ribs meet the loin muscle that runs along the spine. This is what makes them more tender and lean compared to the ribs cut from closer to the belly.

When selecting the perfect racks of ribs from the grocery store, here are a couple of tips:

1. Feel the thickness of the ribs on either end of the rack. You want a rack that has a relatively consistent thickness. There will naturally be a thicker and thinner end, based on where it comes from on the pig, but choose a rack that has the least amount of difference here.
2. Look for a racks of ribs that has a decent amount of fat. A lot of times, we’re trained to think “fat is bad” and we look for the leanest cut of meat. Don’t do that. Fat means flavor. Fat is going to keep your ribs from drying out.

What kind of grill do I need to smoke baby back ribs?

For this recipe we’re using a pellet smoker, which I think is the perfect choice for anyone just learning how to smoke loin back ribs or any other classic barbecue. Other grills commonly used to smoke ribs include propane or electric smokers, and charcoal smokers including kettles, kamado grills, and offset smokers. Less common, but still possible, you could even smoke ribs on a gas grill using a wood chip smoker box or pellet tube.

The most important thing is that the ribs are smoked at a low temperature, with no direct exposure to the flame. Depending on your grill, that may be achieved by setting up a two-zone fire or by utilizing a deflector, like what can be found in a pellet smoker.

What temperature do you cook ribs on a pellet grill?

I prefer smoking ribs with my pellet smoker set to 225°. A good rule of thumb is that the lower the temperature, the greater the smoke. You can certainly smoke ribs at a higher temperature, and likely get them finished faster, but they may not have as much smoke flavor. Pellet smokers already get a bad rap for not infusing enough smoke flavor.

Many will start their ribs even lower, in the 180-200° range for the first 90 minutes or so, and then increase the temperature later in the cook after the meat is finished taking on smoke.

How long does it take to pellet-smoke baby back ribs?

The short answer is… until they’re done. This is not baking, and the cook time is not going to be exact. For our recipe, it could take anywhere from 4-6 hours, depending on all kinds of factors.

For example, we just smoked 6 racks of ribs on 6 different portable pellet grills following this exact recipe, and they finished all over the place. There was probably a 90-minute difference between the fastest and slowest cooks, and we did everything the same. Sometimes grills run hot or cool, so there’s no exact answer when it comes to cook time.

However, there is an answer when it comes to temperature. In barbecue, you typically cook to temperature and not time. For me, the perfect ribs will temp between 203-205°. If you prefer fall off the bone ribs, go for a longer cook time and let the internal temperature climb higher, though you will run the risk of the meat potentially drying out.

How do you keep ribs moist while smoking?

I do not use a water pan when smoking ribs in a pellet smoker. Instead, I introduce moisture two different times before wrapping. First, around 90 minutes into my cook, I melt a 1/2 stick of butter and gently baste it over the top of the ribs. Then, after another 60 minutes, I like to spray them with apple juice or cider vinegar.

Do you wrap baby back ribs in foil when smoking?

When smoking ribs, I always wrap tightly in foil about half way through the cook. This is commonly known in the barbecue world as the “Texas Crutch”. I stack 2 large sheets of heavy duty foil on my counter and then lay 1/2 stick’s worth of butter slices across the middle, stretching the length of my rib rack. On top of the butter, I sprinkle some brown sugar and a drizzle of honey. Then I lay the ribs on the foil meat side down on top of the butter mixture and double wrap them up tightly. Then I place the foil wrapped ribs back on the grill grates, remaining meat side down.

This allows the meat to spend the last half of the cook to basically steam in the foil wrap and take on some new sweet flavors.

Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Was this your first time smoking ribs? Let us know how it went down in the comments!