Fireball Whiskey Baby Back Ribs Recipe | What's Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is the 3 2 1 rule for ribs? ›

Essentially, 3 2 1 ribs go like this: 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on the pellet grill. 2 hours wrapped in foil, still cooking on the grill. 1 hour of cooking, unwrapped and slathered in barbecue sauce.

A Few Words on The 2-2-1 Method

The initial 2 hour step is where the smoke flavor gets into the meat, the middle 2 hour step is where the super tenderizing takes place. The last 1 hour step is where the crust develops on the outside.

Back ribs are cut from where the rib meets the spine after the loin is removed. The upper ribs are called baby back ribs because they are shorter in relation to the bigger spareribs — not because they come from a baby pig. Baby back ribs are also sometimes called pork loin back ribs, back ribs, or loin ribs.

Texas Roadhouse Ribs use pork loin ribs, also known as baby back ribs, which is also what we used for this recipe. It's best to pick ones that have a good thick layer of meat around the bones.

321 Rib Method

This technique calls for 3 hours of smoking, 2 hours of wrapping, and 1 hour of cooking. The ribs are first smoked at a low temperature to give them the smoky flavor that many people love. Then they are wrapped in foil with some liquid such as apple juice or beer, and cooked for two hours.

Wrapping your ribs are key if you want to lock in all of the moisture and flavor! Double wrap each rack of ribs securely and enjoy some ribs in no time.

Meat Thermometer

Anything under that temperature and your ribs will be chewy, stringy, and tough. At 195 degrees F, that tissue starts to gelatinize and turn into tasty, melty deliciousness. Most ribs hit their sweet spot for doneness around 198 degrees F, but some take until 203 degrees F to be perfectly tender.

Season with a BBQ Rub. Add the mustard and bbq rub to both sides of the ribs. Cook on a smoker at 250 degrees uncovered for 3 hours. After they've been smoking for 1 hour start spraying them with cherry co*ke in a spray bottle about every 30 minutes for the remaining 2 hours.

For this reason, spare ribs tend to have more flavor than baby back ribs. Baby back ribs are more expensive due to the tenderness of the pork. It's lean, tender, and flavorful.

What's better St Louis ribs or baby back? ›

After conducting an internal poll, Baby Back Ribs came out on top as the clear winner. They're meatier and cook more quickly than St. Louis Style Ribs, making them a more convenient option for busy cooks. So if you're looking for tender, delicious ribs, go with baby back ribs every time!

Short Ribs

These are the meatiest ribs you'll find. They're traditionally taken from the steer in a flat, neat cut called a plate. Short ribs are cut parallel to the bone and are generally between 3-6 inches long and 3-5 inches thick. One rib can weigh more than a pound.

What makes their ribs so great is the process in which they prepare them. Each Texas Roadhouse location uses the exact same 3-day preparation process that includes their own unique blend of seasoning and signature BBQ sauce. The end result is meat that literally falls right off the bone.

Achieving an unforgettable ribs experience at Texas Roadhouse comes down to various factors, such as how the ribs are selected and hand-cut to ensure that each rib has a substantial amount of meat on the bone. Hand-cutting the beef, versus using a machine, makes for a smoother and a more consistent piece of beef.

"Riblets" is Applebee's branded name for button ribs or rib tips (as they are called at Walmart), which is a short cut trimmed from the back end of pork spareribs, packed with lots of connective tissue.

Smoke is only required during step 1: Place the ribs on the smoker grate unwrapped and let them smoke for about 3 hours at 225°F.

3-2-1 is typically used for spare ribs, while 2-2-1 is used for baby back ribs. If you're doing 3-2-1 for baby back ribs, they may be a bit tougher. For my personal preferences, I want mine to sorta fall off the bone, so the last hour where they are back on the grates bare, I shorten it to 30 minutes.

Smoke the ribs until they are as tender as you like them. This will probably take about 5 hours at 225°F (107°C) or perhaps an hour longer if the ribs have a little more meat on them.