2-2-1 BBQ Baby Back Ribs

If you like your baby back ribs with a little bit of bite, not falling off the bone tender, you should try the 2-2-1 method.

This simple twist on the popular 3-2-1 ribs method works is perfect for smaller baby back ribs.

For all you cherry lovers out there, I’ve included a few different ways to add cherry flavor to your bbq ribs. 

2-2-1 Smoked Baby Back Ribs

The 2-2-1 method breaks the smoking process down into three phases:

• Smoke the rubs for two hours.
• Wrap the ribs with a mix of butter, honey, and sugar and smoke for a further two hours.
• Unwrap, glaze the ribs and then smoke for a final hour.

I prefer using the 2-2-1 method for smoking baby back ribs when I don’t want the ribs to completely fall off the bone.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Baby Back ribs
• Yellow mustard
• Butter – unsalted.
• Honey
• Brown sugar
• BBQ rub – I’m using Cherry Republic BBQ Rub, which has a nice balance of spices mixed together with cherry powder. For an easier to find option, you can’t go wrong with Heath Riles BBQ Cherry Seasoning.
• BBQ sauce – For the sauce, I used Traeger’s Sugar Lips BBQ sauce, a sweeter BBQ sauce that compliments the cherry flavor really well. If you can’t get your hands on a cherry rub, you could also go with a homemade cherry barbecue sauce
• Spritz – 50/50 mixture of 1 part apple cider vinegar and 1 part apple juice or water.

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker 
• Wood – Since these are cherry ribs, cherry wood is what I recommend. The cherry wood will add a mild and slightly sweet flavor that compliments the cherry-themed ribs. However, you can also use apple or hickory wood if you can not find cherry wood.
• Instant read thermometer
• BBQ Sprayer
• Heavy Duty Aluminum foil or butcher paper.

How to make 2-2-1 Cherry Glazed BBQ Ribs

1. Fire up the Smoker

You want to heat up your smoker to 250°F and set up your smoker with cherry wood.

The cherry wood will impart a mild and slightly sweet flavor that compliments these cherry-themed ribs. However, you can also use apple or hickory wood if you can’t find cherry wood.

2. Prep the Ribs

Start by removing any excess moisture and patting your ribs dry.

Most ribs will still have the silver skin on the back (Costco ribs come with them already removed), so you can either peel the silver skin off using a knife or your fingers. If unsure, check out our guide on How to Remove the Membrane.

Alternatively, if you don’t remove the silver skin, you can score it to help the flavors penetrate better. 

3. Season

Evenly coat both sides of the ribs with a thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil. This will be your binder and help the seasoning stick better.

Generously sprinkle BBQ rub over the ribs, making sure you cover the ribs entirely.

4. Smoke

Once your smoker has reached 250°F, place your rib meat side up on the grates and close the lid.

You will want to let these smoke for 2 hours, spraying them every 45 minutes to keep them moist.

I like to use a mix of 50/50 apple cider vinegar and apple juice, but you can also use water.

5. Wrap

Lay out a couple of sheets of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap each rack in.

Take your butter, honey, and brown sugar and evenly add them to sheets of aluminum foil.

After 2 hours of smoking, remove the ribs from the smoker. 

Place your ribs, meat side down, directly on top of the butter, honey, and sugar. Tightly wrap your ribs in the foil to create a sealed package. Make sure to check that there are no openings or rips.

Place your wrapped ribs back in the smoker and smoke for another 2 hours.

6. Glaze

Remove the ribs from the smoker and open up the foil. Carefully place your ribs, meat side up, back into the smoker, directly on the grates.

Brush a generous layer of Sugar Lips BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce) over the ribs. 

Close the lid and cook for a final 30 minutes to 1 hour. The internal temperature of the ribs should reach around 195°F to 203°F, and the sauce set and sticky.

7. Serve the ribs

Remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest for at least 10 minutes. Resting your ribs will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the entire rib.

After they have rested, slice the ribs between the bones and serve them with your favorite BBQ sides. Enjoy!

So many ways to make ribs

• Gochujang BBQ Ribs
• How to Make Ribs in an Electric Smoker
• Competiton Style Pork Spare Ribs
• Smoked Beef Ribs
• St. Louis Pork Ribs
• Grilled Lamb Ribs