Pellet Grill Smoked Ribs – Simple Pork Ribs Method

MMM… pellet grill smoked ribs… Pick your favorite style of pork ribs – baby back, Kansas City style, St. Louis style, or spare ribs –  and we’ll show you how to make them on the pellet grill in this simple step by step tutorial.

It’s actually quite easy.

I don’t know about you all, but we love a good piece of meat that’s been grilled or smoked. Whether it’s steak, smoked brisket, juicy ribs, or a simple hot dog, grilling makes (almost) everything better! 

For the longest time, making delicious ribs was a struggle for us. Most times they were a little dry and did not have that “fall-off-the-bone” softness we were looking for.

Until now.

Many bags of pellets, racks of pork ribs and hours later, this is the best way we currently know how to make tender ribs on the pellet grill. It’s not really a rib recipe, this is more of a rib method, I’d say. 

And it’s a method specifically for the pellet grill. (Our Weber charcoal grill is still the grill of choice around here, but you can hardly beat the ease of using an electric pellet grill!). 

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Ingredients for Pellet Grill Smoked Ribs

Pork ribs – the star of the show. Spare ribs, baby back ribs, St. Louis style ribs, or Kansas City style ribs: take your pick. The best thing about our recipe/method is you can use any style of ribs! (St. Louis style or baby backs are our favorites but we used spare ribs this time)

Seasoning – your favorite bbq rub or seasoning that is specifically for pork (it should say what it’s meant for on the can!). We used Honey Garlic BBQ rub.

Apple cider vinegar 

Butter – regular salted butter 

Brown sugar – dark or light brown sugar

We’ve got a handy little printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for your convenience!⬇

Supplies we used

• Pellet grill – we have the Daniel Boone pellet grill from Green Mountain Grills; Traeger makes a grill that is similar, I believe.
• Pellets – we’re not super picky when it comes to this: a mix of apple and competition blend pellets is what we used this time.
• Large pan or cutting board – a rimmed baking sheet like this one works great.
• Table knife – or something to slide under the membrane so you can get a hold of it to pull it off of the ribs.
• Grill brush – clean off the grill grates before grilling.
• Spray bottle – filled with apple cider vinegar to spray on the ribs while grilling to keep them moist.
• Wide heavy duty aluminum foil – it’s important to have wide, heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Meat thermometer – so you can tell when the ribs are done! We wouldn’t want to be without this thing, especially when grilling.
• Sharp kitchen knife – to cut the rack of ribs for serving.

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How to make Pellet Grill Smoked Ribs

You’ll want the rack of ribs to be at room temperature before beginning. (So if they’re frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for a few days or place in hot water for a couple hours.)

First step: make sure the pellet hopper is full of pellets (we used a mix of apple and Competition blend, though it doesn’t really matter!) then preheat the grill to 275 degrees. 

Place ribs on a large sheetpan or cutting board. On the bone side of the ribs there is a membrane (it looks like a white/silver skin) that you will want to remove. Take a table or butter knife, insert it between the membrane and the meat, grab ahold of the membrane and pull it off.

Season generously and let the meat rest for 5 minutes to somewhat soak up the seasonings.

After 5 minutes is up, flip the ribs over and season the other side generously as well and let the seasoned meat rest for another five minutes. (Waiting five minutes is an important step, see the Notes section)

Smoke the ribs

By now the grill should be preheated to 275 degrees. (Take a grill brush and brush the grill grates to clean if necessary!) Place the rack of ribs meat side up, bone side down on the grill. 

Check the ribs every 30 minutes to an hour; once they start to look a little crusty and dry, put a little bit of apple cider vinegar into a food-grade spray bottle and spritz the ribs with apple cider vinegar to moisten them about every 30 minutes throughout the cooking process. (The cooking process will be approximately 2 to 3 hours.)

Wrap the ribs

Once the ribs reach 165 – 180 degrees, (approximately 2 1/2 – 3 hours on the grill) it’s time to wrap the ribs! Roll out a double layer of aluminum foil, lay the ribs meat side down and remove any sharp bones at the corners that have the potential to puncture a piece of foil.

Flip the ribs over and place 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the ribs followed by a generous sprinkle of brown sugar. (You want a hint of sweetness in each bite!) Flip the ribs over once more, (holding the butter somewhat in place if you can!).

Wrap the rack of ribs as tightly as you can (the tighter the better!) in the double layer of aluminum foil, to keep those wonderful juices and steam inside. (see notes)

Place the wrapped ribs back on the grill, meat side down, leaving the grill temperature set at 275 degrees.

Check the internal temperature of the meat every 15 minutes or so until it reaches 200 – 205 degrees. (We go more by the meat’s internal temperature than the amount of time it’s been on the grill.)

Once the ribs have reached 200 degrees, they are done! Remove the ribs from the grill, remove the aluminum foil and lay it loosely over the ribs and let them rest for 15 – 30 minutes. 

Use a sharp knife to cut the rack into individual ribs and enjoy.🧡

Notes

★Pro tip: Letting the seasoning rest and soak in for five minutes per side eliminates the need for a “binder” such as yellow mustard, bbq sauce or olive oil to keep the seasoning sticking fast to the ribs.

It’s important to use a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil (not the cheap stuff!) in case the outer layer gets punctured you still have another layer to ensure that all the juice and steam doesn’t escape!

You can serve the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce if you wish.

For best results, we focus more on the internal temperature of the meat than the amount of time it’s been on the grill, so just know that the cook time will most likely vary a little depending on the meat itself. Don’t panic if the ribs get done too quickly; simply leave them wrapped in aluminum foil and then wrap in a towel or blanket as well to keep the heat in until you’re ready to serve them.

What shall I serve with my Pellet Grill Smoked Ribs?

Here’s a few of our favorite sides to go with ribs:

• Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes. Crispy, buttery, sweet and white potatoes tossed in a savory mixture and oven roasted to perfection.
  
• Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter. Creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes (made all from scratch!) loaded with lovely brown butter.
  
• Cheesy Corn. This is a crockpot recipe, so it’s absolutely perfect to pair with smoked ribs since the both have a longer cooking time.
  
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. Cauliflower and broccoli florets, crispy bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese topped with a creamy salad dressing.
  
• Eclair Dessert. Graham crackers and vanilla pudding layered in a pan and topped with a decadent chocolate ganache.

Storage

A fresh rib is definitely better than a reheated leftover rib… (so eat them all right away if possible!). Store the leftover ribs in an airtight container in the refrigerator and you’ll want to reheat and eat them within 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for a couple months. 

Have you tried our Pellet Grill Smoked Ribs method?

If so, leave a comment! We want to hear how it went for you.

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And…thanks!

Thank you so much for visiting our small town. We’d love to have you stay awhile and explore some more of our faves…

Delicious recipes made from scratch in our small town kitchen

’til next time,

Julie