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Fall-Apart Smoked Pork Ribs

By the man who convinced me we needed three grills.
These are the ribs that ruined restaurant ribs for us. Fall-apart tender, deeply smoky, and perfectly balanced between sweet and heat — even after living in Kansas City and just about every major food city, these still win.
APT (my husband, resident grill enthusiast) cooks these low and slow on the Traeger using hickory pellets, but the real secret is patience, generous seasoning, and a proper foil wrap. The result: ribs that pull clean from the bone, caramelize beautifully at the end, and disappear faster than you planned. Knowing everyone's grills can be a bit different, finish cooking until internal temp is 200°
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 –2 racks pork ribs baby back or St. Louis–style
  • Hickory pellets or pellets of choice
  • Meat Church BBQ rubs one spicy, one sweet
  • Orange juice for spraying
  • Water for spraying
  • 4 –6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • BBQ sauce for finishing
  • Pepper jelly - optional but elite

Method
 

Prep the ribs
  1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Season generously on both sides — spicy rub on one side, sweet rub on the other. Let ribs sit at room temperature for 30–40 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
Preheat the grill
  1. Preheat Traeger to 275°F. (Anywhere from 250–285°F works — higher heat means slightly less cook time.)
Smoke the ribs
  1. Place ribs directly on the grill, uncovered. Cook for about 2 hours, spraying twice per hour with a mixture of orange juice and water to keep ribs moist.
Wrap and tenderize
  1. Remove ribs from grill. Wrap tightly in foil, meat side down, with butter, brown sugar, and pepper jelly if using. Return wrapped ribs to the grill and cook for 1½ hours, until ribs are dark in color and very tender.
Unwrap and sauce
  1. Carefully unwrap ribs and brush generously with BBQ sauce. Place ribs back on the grill, uncovered.
Caramelize
  1. Cook for an additional 40 minutes, until sauce is caramelized and bones are showing about ¼–½ inch.
Rest and serve
  1. Remove ribs from grill and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

  • Two-stage cook: smoke first for flavor, wrap later for tenderness
  • Sweet + spicy seasoning on opposite sides for balance
  • Orange juice spray keeps them juicy without washing off the rub
  • Final uncovered finish gives you that sticky, lacquered exterior
  • Hickory pellets give the best classic BBQ flavor, but use what you have.
  • Pepper jelly adds an incredible sweet-heat layer — highly recommended if available.
  • Ribs are done when the meat pulls easily from the bone and bends without breaking.

Notes (No Smoker? No Problem.)

To Make on a Regular Grill (Gas or Charcoal):
  • Set grill up for indirect heat (one side on, one side off).
  • Maintain grill temperature around 250°F with lid closed.
  • Place ribs on the cool side of the grill, uncovered.
  • Follow the same timing as the smoker:
    • ~2.5 hours uncovered, spritzing with orange juice + water
    • Wrap in foil with butter and brown sugar for 1½ hours
    • Unwrap, sauce, and return to indirect heat to caramelize
  • Finish briefly over direct heat only if needed to tighten the sauce — watch closely.
To Make in the Oven:
  • Preheat oven to 275°F.
  • Place seasoned ribs on a baking sheet and cover tightly with foil.
  • Bake for 2½–3 hours, until very tender.
  • Remove foil, brush with BBQ sauce, and return to oven uncovered for 30–45 minutes to caramelize.
  • For extra char, finish under the broiler for 2–3 minutes (optional).
Flavor Tip:
You’ll lose some smoke without a pellet grill, but the butter + brown sugar wrap and final caramelization still deliver fall-apart, restaurant-level ribs.