Pork Ribs 3-1-1 Style

Yesterday, I made pork ribs for the first time on the BGE. Thanks to a number of the posters here and their websites, the ribs were a success. Here’s how I did them.

Pork Back Ribs in 3-1-1 Style

First, I made a rub of the following ingredients: sweet Hungarian paprika (abt ¼ cup), coarse brown sugar (abt ¼ cup), smoked ground chipotle chili (1 T), garlic powder (2 T), onion powder (1/2 T), mustard powder (1 T), cumin (2 tsp). I mixed it well in a bowl. This was just enough for 2 slabs.

I started the fire in my large BGE.

I got some pork back ribs from a local butcher shop. I prepared the ribs removing the membrane on the back side. Once got it started, I used a paper towel to grip it better. I smeared the rub on both sides. Then, smeared yellow mustard on both sides and coated again with the remaining rub. I cut the slabs in half. I let these rest on the counter while letting the fire in the egg get above 200 deg F.

A relatively low temp fire was needed – I was trying to keep the temp around 250 deg (during Phase I it moved between 225 and 275 but averaged about 250 deg – after about the first hour it was fairly stable). Of course, I used lump charcoal – not briquettes. When the fire was hot enough, I added a mixture of apple and cherry wood chips (dry) to the charcoal and added the plate setter and grid. I put some foil on the plate setter and a drip pan on top of that (under the grid). I put some water in the pan so that the drippings didnt burn and produce smoke. I added the ribs (see photo) and cooked them for 3 hours turning about every 45 min to 1 hr. I added some soaked apple and cherry wood chips partway through. This is Phase I – 3 hours.



Next I took the ribs off the egg and brought them into the kitchen. One at a time I put each half slab on a sheet of foil and basted with honey (I use a local honey, which is sweeter than clover honey). I added about an ounce of apple cider vinegar and sealed up the foil. The foil-covered rib slabs were placed on the egg for another hour at 250 deg. Phase II – 1 hour.

I took the ribs out of the foil and placed them back on the egg. Again they were cooked at 250 deg. After about 30 min, I basted them with Maull’s Sweet-n-Mild barbecue sauce. I let the temp get up to 275 deg for the last half hour. The second photo shows the ribs at the end. Phase III – 1 hour.



The ribs were left to settle on the stovetop while we ate our salads. The ribs were moist and tasty, not overly spicy. I could still taste the meat and they had that fall apart quality without disintegrating into a pile. They definitely met my expectations but I am open to improvements for next time.