Pit Boss Baby Back Ribs

Learn step by step how to smoke perfect baby back ribs on a PIt Boss pellet grill using one of our favorite homemade rubs.

We cover how to prep, season, cook, and sauce your baby backs using the 3 2 1 Method used widely in BBQ competitions

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 30

Servings people

Calories 1250kcal

Cost $35

Remove the membrane from the back each rack of baby back ribs using a knife to get it started in one corner, then grabbing on with a paper towel and pulling towards the opposite corner.
2 Racks Baby Back Ribs
Apply a thin layer of yellow mustard to the front and backs of each rack of ribs and rub to coat entirely.
2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
Use your favorite BBQ rub or mix the rub ingredients listed above together in a bowl or shaker.
1 cup Your Favorite BBQ Sauce, 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar, ½ cup Paprika, 2 Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper, 2 Tbsp Kosher Salt, 2 Tbsp Chili Powder, 1 Tbsp Granulated Garlic, 1 Tbsp Onion Powder, ½ Tsp Cayenne Powder
Apply a generous amount of rub to the fronts and backs of each slab of baby back ribs. Its ok to leave some rub leftover to apply more throughout the cook if needed.
Let the rub set on the ribs at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. This is a good time to start up your Pit Boss (see next section)
While the rub is setting and the Pit Boss is preheating, you can also mix the apple juice and apple cider vinegar together in a spray bottle for spritzing later.

Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side. Also, wrap the drip tray in aluminum foil to limit the cleanup needed later.
Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.
If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.
Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.
Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.
Fill an aluminum pan with water if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.
Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 250° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Once the Pit Boss temperature has dropped to 250°F, place the baby back ribs on the grill with the thickest sides to the right (the hotter end of the grill). Use a rib rack if preparing more than 4 racks of baby back ribs at once.
Close the lid and let the ribs cook for about 90 minutes. You can spritz gently as necessary to keep the meat moist if it begins to look dry.
½ cup Apple Juice, ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
After 90 minutes rotate the ribs if one side appears darker than the other and begin checking them about every 15-20 minutes.
While they are smoking, you can prepare your foil and wrapping ingedients.

Lay out 2 long pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil on top of each other on the counter, long enough to double wrap the rack of ribs front and back with the two pieces. Repeat with the other rack.
Spread ½ cup of brown sugar on each set of aluminum foil, then drizzle some honey, parkay squeeze butter, and Tiger Sauce on each. (this is optional)
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 2 drizzles Honey, 2 drizzles Parkay Squeeze butter, 2 drizzles Tiger Sauce
Once the ribs are a nice dark amber color and especially if you begin to see any very dark burning on the bones or ends, usually around the 2.5 hour mark, remove them from the grill using tongs or heat resistant gloves.
Place the baby back ribs face down into each pile of aluminum foil and ingredients.
If you would rather not use the wrapping ingredients listed above, place the ribs in the foil face up and add a small amount of apple juice, soda, or beer to the aluminum foil to add some moisture.
Wrap the ribs tightly in the double layer of aluminum foil and place back on the Pit Boss and continue to cook at 250°F.

Begin checking the wrapped ribs after about 45-60 minutes and every 15 minutes after that. Once you see the meat pulling away from the ends of bones and tenderizing, you can take them out of the foil. This may only take 1 to 1.5 hours rather than 2.
Carefully remove the ribs from the foil and save the juices in the foil to add to your sauce later. Place the ribs back on the Pit Boss, face up, and cook for about 30 more minutes at 250°F before saucing.
While the ribs are cooking, prepare your sauce by mixing you favorite sauce(s) together with some of the juices retained from the foil. Mix in a cup or bowl and set aside.
After the baby backs have been back on the Pit Boss unwrapped for about 30 minutes and firmed back up a little, gently brush the sauce on with a basting brush.
Close the lid and continue cooking for another 30 minutes to let the sauce thicken and set on the meat.

Remove the ribs from the Pit Boss and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
Turn the ribs upright on their edge so that you can more easily see the ribs running along the bottom up and own.
Using a good meat slicing knife cut from top to bottom between the bones in the center of the racks to serve a half rack to each person. Or you can cut them into 2-3 rib portions of serving ona. platter to a larger crowd.
Include some warmed up sauce on the side for guests to add extra if they desire and enjoy!

Calories: 1250kcal