3-2-1 Barbecued Ribs
8-10     6 hours     Smoke     Cherry
I didn’t invent the 3-2-1 method for ribs but I love it, primarily because it’s easy to remember. It may be a surprise to you that most competition pitmasters think “fall off the bone” is over cooked. I disagree, but feel free to tweak the times a bit to suit your desired doneness. The final hour of cook time in this technique will allow you to tighten up the bark and help hold everything together with a glaze of sticky sauce.
4 slabs baby back ribs, full racks
1/3 cup mustard
1½ cups Memphis Dry Rub (found in Rubs & Pastes ) , divided
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup orange juice
1½ cups Slap Yo Mama BBQ Sauce (found in Top This ) , divided
  1. Preheat the smoker to 225°F and add wood.
  2. Loosen the thin skin on the back of a rack of ribs and grasp with a table knife and a paper towel. Pull hard to remove, and repeat for each slab of ribs.
  3. Generously coat the ribs in the mustard and apply 1 cup Memphis Dry Rub all over the slabs.
  4. Pour the vinegar, juice and ½ cup of Slap Yo Mama BBQ Sauce into a clean spray bottle. Set aside.
  5. Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours, without peeking.
  6. Place each rack on a separate piece of butcher paper or aluminum foil. Sprinkle remaining Memphis Dry Rub all over each and spray generously with the juice mixture before sealing each rack tightly.
  7. Put the individually wrapped slabs back in the smoker and continue smoking for 2 more hours.
  8. Unwrap the ribs completely, spray with the juice mixture, and then baste with ½ cup Slap Yo Mama BBQ Sauce. Any remaining BBQ sauce is for serving. Discard any leftover juice mixture.
  9. Smoke for 1 more hour until the sauce is hot and sticky.
  10. For optimal “fall off the bone” texture, remove the ribs from the heat when the meat shrinks away from the ends of the bones, and the internal temperature is 190°F, or above.
  11. Let the ribs rest for 5-10 minutes before serving with the remaining Slap Yo Mama BBQ Sauce.
Rib Tip tip. Trim up the full slab of spares into a St Louis style, as described earlier in this chapter. Be sure to smoke the scraps and enjoy them as a snack that will also help you test your cooking progress.