How to smoke ribs on a pellet grill

Enjoy greatly flavored BBQ with ease. Smoky, sweet, and get punched in the mouth with flavor from these Pellet Grill Ribs. Low and Slow. You can do it on the pellet grill.

Table of Contents Show

Rubs for Ribs
How to Make Pellet Grill Ribs
Tips for Cooking Spareribs
What to Serve with Pellet Grill Ribs
How long does it take to smoke ribs at 225 degrees?
How long does it take for ribs to cook on a pellet grill?
What temperature do you smoke ribs on a pellet grill?
Should ribs be smoked at 225 or 250?

I recently got a pellet grill and I wanted to see if I could pull off some of my favorite smoker recipes on the pellet grill. When I was researching the different pellet grills, I found that some offered a "super smoke" feature at a low temperature and others advertised that the lower the temperature you set the grill to, the more smoke the grill will generate to give you that classic bbq smoking taste. In my house, we love yummy, juicy, tender ribs. So I decided to start with that my first time cooking on the pellet grill.

Rubs for Ribs

What type of rub to use? Whatever I am in the mood for. I have a few classic rubs that I enjoy. One of my favorite ingredients in a rub is smoke paprika. Mix equal parts of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and half a part of salt for an easy rub. A tablespoon of each should provide enough rub for an entire rack of ribs. I will sometimes make a larger batch of rub and store it in a ziplock or small container for later use.

Feel free to make up your own recipe. Try adding brown sugar for a sweeter bark or even some honey. I typically keep away from cooking the ribs with a wet bbq sauce. We can add a sauce when we serve them for another explosion of flavor. But this is up to you. Experiment and have some fun.

How to Make Pellet Grill Ribs

Step One: I always like to start by cleaning any large chunks of fat that have still remained through the butcher and packing process. I will also remove any silver skin that might remain as well. If we don't the silver skin tightens while cooking and can make any piece of meat very tough to chew, so just remove it if you see it. If this is a full rack of spare ribs, I will typically also cut it down to more manageable-sized pieces. If you have a smaller pellet grill, you want to make sure it will fit on your rack, so you may also need to cut it in half or thirds.

Step Two: Sprinkle with rub seasoning and massage it in. make sure to work it into both sides as well as the edges. Once the ribs are prepared, go fill the pellet grill with pellets and preheat the grill to 225°F.

Step Three: Cook the ribs. Once the grill reaches 225°F, place the ribs in the pellet grill. Cook at 225°F unwrapped for 3 hours. Then place the ribs on a piece of foil along with a tablespoon of apple side vinegar(or bourbon) and wrap the ribs ensuring the liquid doesn't pour out. I used foil but you can use butcher paper as well. Place them back on the grill for 2 hours. After that, remove the foil and place them back on the grill for 1 more hour.

Step Four: Once the ribs have cooked at 225°F for 6 hours, remove them from the grill, re-cover and rest for at least 20 minutes. As you slowly open the foil, the aromatic smoky steam will envelop your senses and you will immediately feel incredibly hungry. For a nice presentation, go ahead and slice the ribs into sections and serve with your favorite sauce, like our sriracha BBQ sauce. I recommend offering quests something sweet and something spicy to make sure you have something for everyone. Whether you are using spare ribs or baby backs, these smoked pork ribs will fall right off the bone. Enjoy!

Tips for Cooking Spareribs

This process of cooking ribs, 3 hours unwrapped, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour unwrapped is referred to as a 321 cooking. So these were technically Traeger 321 ribs. This process is very common in BBQ, especially if you are looking for an easy way to manage the cooking time.

If you are having trouble getting the rub to adhere to the ribs, try first coating them with yellow mustard or honey. This will add stickiness to the surface to better hold the rub.

What to Serve with Pellet Grill Ribs

We served these with our Smoked Cheesy Potatoes but they are also great with Smoked Jalapeno Poppers, Grilled Broccoli, Foil Packet Potatoes, or a Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese salad.

Whatever your favorite bbq ribs recipe is, try cooking it on the pellet grill. There are so many wood pellet flavor options as well. If you like cherry, hickory, or any other wood, they have those options. Find your favorite flavor and have some fun using your pellet smoker to make smoked ribs.

Lastly, if you were planning on making ribs and you look out sound and it is a blizzard or a torrential downpour, don't let that stop you. Pull out the air fryer and give these Air Fried Spare Ribs a try.

Moist and flavorful this pellet grill ribs will be the best spareribs you have ever eaten. They are SO easy to make and worth every bite.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Calories: 550kcal

▢ 7 lb pork spareribs
▢ ¼ cup apple juice or apple cider vinegar or bourbon
▢ 3 tablespoon favorite rub homemade or store-bought is fine

Start by removing any large chunks of fat that have still remained through the butcher and packing process. Remove any silverskin that might remain as well. If this is a full rack of spare ribs, cut it down to more manageable-sized pieces. If you have a smaller pellet grill, make sure it will fit on your rack.
Sprinkle with rub seasoning and massage it in. Make sure to work it into both sides as well as the edges.
Preheat pellet grill or smoker to 225°F
Cook the ribs on the grill for 3 hours.
Remove ribs from the grill, wrap them in foil or butcher paper adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Place back on the grill and cooked wrapped for another 2 hours.
Unwrap the ribs and cook on the grill for another hour.
Remove from grill. Rest for 20 minutes covered. Then serve and enjoy!

How long does it take to smoke ribs at 225 degrees?

Smoke your ribs directly on the racks for 3 hours at 225°F. Remove the ribs from the racks and tightly wrap them in aluminum foil. Before closing the aluminum foil pocket, pour a little apple juice, wine, beer, or any other favorite flavor (about 1/8 of a cup) into the packet to enhance the steam process.

How long does it take for ribs to cook on a pellet grill?

They should be starting to take on a red color from the smoke. Cover and cook until they are deep red, 30 to 45 minutes. Spray the ribs once more, then brush the meaty part of each rack with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Close the grill and cook for another 15 minutes so the sauce can set.

What temperature do you smoke ribs on a pellet grill?

You can season the ribs up to 24 hours ahead of time. Keep them covered in the refrigerator until it's time to fire up the smoker. The first part of the cooking process is when the majority of the smoke will flavor your ribs. Fire up your pellet grill and set the temperature to 225°F.

Should ribs be smoked at 225 or 250?

The ideal temperature for smoking ribs is between 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range will allow the ribs to cook slowly and evenly, resulting in tender and juicy ribs. If the smoker is too hot, the ribs will cook too fast and they will not be as tender.