Smoked Baby Back Ribs (Easy, Fall-Off-the-Bone Tender!)
These smoked baby back ribs are one of my favorite things to serve when Memorial Day weekend rolls around—or anytime we’re hosting a backyard BBQ, Father’s Day cookout, or laid-back summer gathering. The meat turns tender and flavorful with layers of smoky spice, tangy sauce, and a final glaze that caramelizes beautifully. Whether you’re a seasoned smoker or just getting started, this method gives consistently great results—and I’ve included an oven variation for those without a smoker, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These baby back ribs come together with just a few straightforward steps, and the flavor payoff is absolutely worth the time. The dry rub infuses the meat with smoky-sweet depth, the foil wrap ensures ultra tender ribs, and a final brush of barbecue sauce brings everything together with a sticky glaze.
I’ve tested this method dozens of times using my Traeger pellet grill—it's a foolproof recipe that's always a huge hit for summer gatherings or casual weekend dinners (it's also my husband's very favorite dinner). Plus, you can prep the ribs ahead of time and even finish them in the oven if needed—more on that below.
Nicki's Tip: I love serving these ribs with my Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins or Herbed Oven Fries. Check out more delicious pairings in the serving tips below. If you're making these to kick off the summer, check out this make ahead Memorial Day menu in my newsletter!
Ingredients You’ll Need
No special sauces or spice blends required—just pantry staples and your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Baby back ribs – Two racks of ribs, membrane removed from the bone side.
- Brown sugar – Adds subtle sweetness to balance the spices and smoke.
- Kosher salt + black pepper – For depth and seasoning throughout.
- Chili powder, garlic, onion, smoked paprika – These make up the homemade dry rub that gives the ribs their flavor base.
- Butter – Dotted on before wrapping for added richness and tender meat.
- Apple cider + apple cider vinegar – Helps steam and flavor the ribs in the foil packets.
- No apple cider? Apple juice works in a pinch for a touch of sweetness.
- Favorite BBQ sauce – Store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce if you have one you love.
You can prep the spice rub and apply it up to 2 days in advance for even more flavor.
How to Make Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Step 1: Remove the thin white membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Slip a small knife under the edge, grab it with a paper towel, and pull—it should come off in one piece. This is key for tender meat. (If not, ask your butcher to do it for you.)
Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, pepper, and spices to make your homemade dry rub. Rub it all over both sides of the racks of ribs. If time allows, wrap and refrigerate the ribs for up to 48 hours. This step is optional but enhances flavor.
Step 3: Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 225 degrees F. Place the ribs meaty side up directly on the grill grates and smoke uncovered for 3 hours.
Step 4: Transfer each rack to a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Brush with half the BBQ sauce, drizzle with apple cider and vinegar around the edges, and dot with cubes of butter. Wrap tightly to create an airtight pocket for each rack.
Step 5: Return the foil-wrapped ribs to the smoker and cook for 2–3 more hours, until the ribs are super tender and yield easily to a knife. Carefully open the foil, reserving the juices, and brush with remaining BBQ sauce. Smoke uncovered for 15 minutes more to create a sticky glaze.
Step 6: Transfer to a cutting board, let them rest for a few minutes, then slice between the bones and serve with the reserved juices.
Oven Method (No Smoker? No Problem.)
You can make these delicious ribs even if you don’t own a smoker.
- Apply the dry rub and wrap the ribs tightly in foil.
- Bake at 300 degrees F. for about 2 hours, until tender but not falling apart.
- Pour the juices from the foil packs into a bowl and whisk with BBQ sauce, apple cider, and vinegar.
- Grill or broil the ribs for 10 minutes, brushing with the sauce, until caramelized.
It’s an easy way to bring out smoky, slow-cooked flavor—no grill required.
Tips for Smoking Ribs
- Use a pellet grill (like a Traeger) or any smoker that maintains a consistent low heat. I own a Traeger pellet smoker.
- Rub the ribs ahead of time for the best results and deeper flavor.
- Wrap tightly in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil to trap steam and juices.
- Don’t skip the final glaze step—it creates that irresistible sticky coating.
- Use the right wood: Apple, cherry, and hickory wood pellets all pair beautifully with pork ribs.
- These ribs go great with my Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Healthy Red Cabbage Coleslaw and Skillet Cornbread.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Ribs still feel tough after 5 hours? Let them cook another 30–60 minutes wrapped in foil until they’re knife-tender.
- Too smoky or bitter? Try fruit woods like apple or cherry and avoid over-smoking with mesquite or hickory.
- Dry ribs? Make sure your foil packets are fully sealed. Steam inside the foil is key to locking in moisture.
*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!
Recipe FAQs
Typically 5–6 hours total: 3 hours uncovered, 2–3 hours wrapped in foil, plus a short finishing glaze.
This recipe is close to the 3-2-1 style but skips the final 1-hour smoke. The 15-minute glaze step achieves the same effect with less risk of drying out.
Yes. It doesn’t break down during cooking and will leave a tough, papery texture.
Yes! Cool and refrigerate them in the foil packs. Reheat in a 350–400 degrees F. oven until warmed through.
Any favorite BBQ sauce will work. My favorite store-bought BBQ sauce is Stubbs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, which doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup and has a robust, peppery flavor (it’s also gluten free).
Smoked baby back ribs are one of those satisfying weekend recipes that bring people together—and this method helps you get consistently delicious ribs whether you’re firing up your Traeger or turning on the oven.
Watch the video!
P.S. More Grilling Recipes:
Get the recipe!
Smoked Baby Back Ribs (Easy, Fall-Off-the-Bone Tender!)
Equipment
- Smoker
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
Ribs
- 2 racks baby back ribs
Spice rub
- 3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion (or onion powder)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Sauce
- ⅔ cup barbecue sauce, divided
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Loosen the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs by slipping a small sharp knife between the rib bone and the membrane. Using paper towels for grip, hold the membrane tightly and pull it off (check out the video above to see how I do this, or you can ask your butcher to do it for you). Discard the membrane.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion and smoked paprika. Rub both sides of the ribs with the rub. If you have the time, cover the ribs and refrigerate them overnight (or for up to 2 days).
- Preheat your smoker to 225˚F.
- Place the rib racks on the smoker, meaty sides up, and cook for 3 hours.
- Pull the ribs off the smoker (keep the smoker on with the lid closed). Arrange each rack on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Brush the ribs with with ⅓ cup of the barbecue sauce (reserve the rest for later). Drizzle the apple cider and vinegar around the edges of the ribs. Dot with the top of the ribs with butter. Tightly wrap each rack in a double layer of foil to create a leak-proof packet. Return the ribs to the smoker and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 2-3 hours longer.
- Carefully unwrap the foil to expose the meat (be careful not to let any of the liquid in the bottom of the packets drip out—you will use it later!). Brush the racks with the remaining ⅓ cup barbecue sauce, and cook 15 minutes longer, or until the sauce turns sticky.
- Transfer the rib racks to a cutting board (reserve the juices in the foil packets) and cut them into portions. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with the reserved juices. Serve with plenty of paper towels!
Notes
- You will need a smoker for this recipe. You can use any brand or model you have, as long as you’re able to monitor and maintain the cooking temperature. I own a Traeger pellet smoker.
- For the best flavor, rub the baby back rib racks with the spice rub 1-2 days before smoking.
- Be sure to use heavy duty aluminum foil when wrapping the ribs, and double up on the foil to create airtight packets.
- You can use any barbecue sauce you like on these ribs. My favorite store-bought brand is Stubbs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, which doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup and has a robust, peppery flavor (it’s also gluten free).
- I serve these ribs with my Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins or Herbed Oven Fries. Below are some of my other favorite pairings with smoked ribs!
- If you don't have a smoker, you can cook these ribs in the oven! Rub the ribs with the spice rub as directed. Wrap each rubbed rib rack tightly in aluminum foil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake the ribs in a 300˚F oven until they are very tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours. Let the ribs cool (reserve the juices in the foil). Pour the juices into a bowl or measuring cup, and whisk in the barbecue sauce, apple cider and apple cider vinegar. When you're ready to eat, grill the rib racks, brushing them with the barbecue sauce mixture and turning them often, until they're heated through and caramelized in spots (about 10 minutes). Cut the racks into portions, arrange them on a serving platter, and drizzle with more of the barbecue sauce mixture to taste.
Absolutely delicious! It's not hard to make, and it is the best I've ever had. I strongly recommend it.
Woohoo! I'm thrilled to hear. 😊
Nicki,
I’ve tried many different methods of making ribs on my Big Green Egg and have been very successful many times however your recipe beats them all due to the simplicity. This method will now be the only way I will make ribs from now on.
Thank you so much for posting this!!
Hi Robert, this makes me so happy to hear!
I've searched and sampled too many recipes and methods to count on my Vision smoker, only to be never totally satisfied. Game over Nicki. These are the best by far. Thankyou for posting this recipe and video. They're winner ribs and I recommend them to anyone looking for a great recipe.
I'm so glad you enjoyed, and thank you for your comment!
My husband smoked these on our big Green egg and they were the best ribs we’ve ever had! I just went through my cookbooks and threw out all my other recipes! Have this printed and pinned and will only fox ribs this way from now on. Thank you!
Hi Libby, this just made my day. I'm so glad you enjoyed!!
I made these ribs tonight on my Masterbuilt Gravity Feed Charcoal Smoker. These were the best. I have made good tasting ribs in the past but they were never so juicy as these were. My cook time was somewhat less also. I did about 2 hours at 235 degrees. At this point, the internal temp. was already at 200 degrees. So then I wrapped them in heavy aluminum foil and added the bbq. sauce, butter and apple juice in the foil before sealing the ribs. I cooked for another 1/2 hour, opened the foil, added more bbq. sauce and cooked for another 20 minutes. These were the best and juiciest ribs and the only recipe I will be using from this point on. Thank you.
Hey Michael, I'm so glad to hear you loved the ribs, and thank you for your tips about the timing on the charcoal smoker!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Thank you for your comment, and I'm so happy to hear that you and your family loved the ribs!
I bought a smoker from a friend earlier this summer. I don’t really cook and had never smoked anything before but always have enjoyed grilling. I found this recipe and thought it sounded like a great thing to try first. The whole family LOVED the ribs! I’m making them for the third time this weekend! This is my GO TO RECIPE!!
Hi Mike, this is so great to hear! Happy smoking!!!
I have a new found love for my smoker, this rib recipe is the bomb. Had friends over for dinner and they said best ribs they ever had, thought I was a gourmet chef. A big Thank you is in order.
Hi Tracy, this makes me so happy to hear!! You definitely deserve the title of gourmet chef :). Happy smoking!
Great post.The easy technique creates fall off the bone, sticky ribs with the most incredible flavor.
Awesome!!! Thank you so much!! ; )
These sound amazing but don't have a smoker, wondering how they would turn out on a regular gas grill? Any thoughts?
Thank you!!!
Hi Lillian, if you don't have a smoker you can cook these ribs in the oven! Arrange the rubbed ribs on a baking sheet and cover them tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the ribs in a 300 degree oven until they are tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours. Let the ribs cool (reserve the juices). Pour the juices into a bowl or measuring cup and whisk in the barbecue sauce, apple cider and apple cider vinegar. When you're ready to eat, grill the ribs, brushing them with the barbecue mixture, until heated through and caramelized in spots (about 10 minutes). Cut the ribs into portions, transfer them to a platter, and drizzle with the remaining barbecue mixture.
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