Traeger Smoked Pork Ribs
These Traeger Smoked Pork Ribs went straight to the top of my favorites list the first time I made them. You're not rushing this one. It's a long, slow cook that gives back every minute in smoky, tender, sticky-sweet ribs. The 5-4-1 approach is my spin on the classic 3-2-1 method, and I'm not looking back. It brings deep flavor from the smoke, moisture from the braise, and a sticky finish that grabs your fingers and doesn't let go.
Traeger Smoked Pork Ribs
Competition rib purists, you can probably stop here. These ribs are not going to be for you. They are so moist, tender, and fall-off-the-bone delicious, you couldn't handle it. Me, on the other hand, I'll have your share too.
If you like to eat your ribs with a fork, these ribs are for you.
If you like rib meat so tender, its closest cousin is a great pot roast, this recipe is for you.
This recipe is also for those of you who want to throw down some delicious smoked barbecue for your friends and family, but don't want to be stuck cooking during the whole party. You can do the first two portions of this recipe the day BEFORE your party, and then just do the final hour right before serving.
Why You'll Love This Dish
- Seriously Tender Ribs - You're not pulling meat off the bone. It's falling.
- Simple But Rewarding - Just rub, smoke, braise, sauce, done.
- Great For Entertaining - Feeds a group, wows a crowd.
- Apple Cider Magic - Adds depth and sweetness during the braise.
- Foolproof Timing - Follow 5-4-1 and you're golden.
75+ of my FAVORITE Traeger Recipes
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Baby Back Ribs - Meaty and curved just right for even cooking. Easy to prep, great for long smokes.
- BBQ Rub - Go homemade if you have a favorite blend. If not, pick a quality store-bought rub with a good balance of sweet, salty, and spice.
- Hard Apple Cider - Adds moisture and mild acidity to the braise. Pairs well with pork.
- Dark Brown Sugar - Helps build that sticky bark and enhances sweetness.
- Barbecue Sauce - Homemade or bottled, pick something bold and sweet with a little tang.
- Cooking Spray - For greasing your pan before the braise phase.
- Aluminum Foil - To tightly cover your pan and keep moisture in.
Try my Smoked Party Ribs!
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Prep The Ribs And Grill - Preheat your Traeger to "Smoke." Remove the rib membrane and coat both sides with BBQ rub.
- Smoke For 5 Hours - Lay the ribs directly on the grates. Keep the temp between 125°F and 175°F. Let that smoke flavor build slowly.
- Braise In Cider For 4 Hours - Raise grill temp to 225°F. Transfer ribs to a greased baking pan (cut in half if needed), pour in the cider, and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Cover tightly with foil and return to grill.
- Finish On Grill For 1 Hour - Remove foil, place ribs back on grates, raise temp to 300°F. Brush with sauce every 20 minutes for an hour.
- Rest And Serve - Let the ribs rest a few minutes, then slice and serve. You'll have ultra-tender ribs with deep smoke flavor and a sweet, saucy finish.
Have some Creamy Coleslaw with this!
Recipe FAQ
SPARE RIBS are cut from the top portion of the rib cage. They have longer bones, and very flavorful meat and generally have a longer cooking time. These are very versatile ribs and are made using several different methods including grilling, smoking, and roasting. You will find these ribs with about 11-13 bones per package.
BABY BACK RIBS are cut from the bottom portion of the rib cage and are meatier than spare ribs. They don't take as long to cook, and you will find these types of ribs happily being grilled in the northern part of the United States. These ribs have about 10-13 bones per package.
ST. LOUIS STYLE RIBS are a cut that you will find in the southern part of the United States more often. This term became an official USDA cut in the 1980's. These are actually spare ribs with the rib tips cut off, as they are a little gristly and have little meat on them. These are famous down south, and are really amazing!
COUNTRY STYLE PORK RIBS sometimes are considered chops and are cut from the shoulder blade. They have a lot of meat on them and people like these when they don't want to use their hands to eat ribs. A knife and fork will do the trick for these "ribs".
Before you start with any large piece of meat on the grill, you need to rub it, and rub it good.
I like to use my homemade BBQ Rub. It hits all the right notes for an all-purpose barbecue rub, helps pull on all of that great smoky flavor, and just the right amount of heat.
If you want something pre-made, you HAVE to pick up my Spicy Pork Rub!
These particular are smoked on the wood-pellet grill for 5 hours. I know it seems like a lot, but it is a thing you are going to want to try.
I know if you do any googling, you're going to come across one of the most popular smoked rib recipes out there, the 3-2-1 ribs method. That calls for a 3-hour smoke, a 2-hour braise wrapped tightly in foil, and then 1 hour on the grill with barbecue sauce (or variations of that).
I've seen great things done with the 3-2-1 ribs recipe, but personally, I MUCH prefer my 5-4-1 method in both taste and tenderness.
Try for yourself and let me know what you prefer!
You can also cheat and use a pressure cooker for FASTER Smoked Ribs.
Don't have a smoker? You can make awesome Pork Spare Ribs in the oven too!
More Easy Traeger Recipes here!
Recipe Tips
- Don't rush it! Great barbecue takes a long time. Deal with it and just buckle up for a long drive. You can't escape it, and once you taste these, you won't want to either.
- Peel off the membrane! Most ribs have a membrane that runs all along the bottom of the bones. You'll want to get rid of that or it can make things less-than-ideal. Some grocers pre-peel their baby back ribs, and some don't. When in doubt, give it a shot.
- Make at least ½ rack per person. A full rack from grown men and women wouldn't be too crazy. These are amazing, and you're going to want extras.
- You can totally make these ahead of time. Just save the final grill with the barbecue sauce for right before you search them for the best results.
Try our No Wrap Ribs too!
Serve This With
Traditionally people like to make creamy coleslaw with their ribs, and I agree!
My Vinegar Coleslaw Recipe also is perfect with this almost-fall-off-the-bone rib recipe.
Since we are going really all out for this meal, you need to also make my jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins. Because you need a little health food in this dinner, steam up some broccoli or serve it with my grilled vegetable pasta salad.
Reader Reviews
"My family loved the ribs. My youngest son, who really loves ribs, sad they were the best ribs he has ever eaten. I used Traeger Pork and Poultry rub and Famous Dave's Texas Pit sauce on one slab of ribs and Curt's Medium sauce on the other slab. The meat just fell off the bones. I will definitely use your recipe the next time I make ribs. Thanks!"
~Dan
Pin For Later
Traeger Grilled Pork Ribs
My Traeger Grilled Pork Ribs leaped immediately to #1 on my favorite grill recipes list. These aren't quick, but they ARE easy. 5-4-1 take on the 3-2-1 method.
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- 1 cup homemade bbq rub {or your favorite ready-made variety}
- 2 12-ounce bottles hard apple cider
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 batches homemade barbecue sauce {or your favorite bottled variety}
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Instructions
- Turn your grill to smoke.
- Remove the membrane from the rib, and then coat with the barbecue rub.
- Smoke for 5 hours between 125-175 degrees.
- Turn the temperature of the grill up to 225 degrees.
- Remove the ribs from the grill, place them into a large high-sided baking pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray (you'll probably have to cut them into half racks), pour in the hard apple cider. Rub the brown sugar all over the top of the ribs after they are placed into the pan.
- Cover the pan tightly with tin foil and place back on the grill for another 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, remove the foil and place the ribs directly on the grill grate, turning the temperature up to 300 degree. Brush with barbecue sauce 2-3 times over the next hour, before removing from the grill and serving. The ribs should be fall-off-the-bone tender at this point. You might be serving boneless ribs. You won't be disappointed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1073Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 1663mgCarbohydrates: 111gFiber: 3gSugar: 99gProtein: 61g
I'm so excited to try this tomorrow! But by "bottle" of apple cider, what size bottle are you talking about?
Hey Jeanine! I use two 12oz bottles of hard apple cider. I'll clarify in the recipe! Thanks for the comment!
I looked and looked and looked for them and ran even have my paper towel in hand ready to pull the whole thing slowly off of both racks. Couldn’t find anything that was going to peel off. I am following a recipe completely and I just hope that even though I couldn’t find the membrane, that it will still turn out OK…
It should still turn out fine. Some ribs have them removed before-hand. I hope they were wonderful!
@Nicole Johnson, how about the score rather than removal technique for the membrane?
You can score it if you'd rather, and you can also just leave the membrane on. You'll still have great ribs at the end of the day.
Do you’ll have cooks books if so I wanted to purpose one
My name is Alonzo Reid if you’ll cooks books I wanted one
I tried these ribs. WOW! Definitely the best outcome I've had with ribs yet. Falling off the bone, moist, and full of smoke flavor. Huge crowd pleaser. Thanks so much for posting!
Yay! That's awesome to hear, Zeke. These are my favorites too. Share with your other Traeger friends, and thanks for stopping by!
I am going to make these for the 4th of July picnic. I am using a Traeger grill. Do you know if I need to preheat the grill to a higher temperature before lowering it for the first cooking temperature? Or just start it at the initial temperature?
Preheat the grill on the smoke setting. If you don't have that, go to 180°. Unless you have significant amounts of gunk on your grill grates to clean off before a cook, always just preheat to whatever temp you are initially cooking at.
If you DO need to clean your grates, fire up your T on smoke for 5-10 minutes, then crank it to high for 15-20. Brush off the gunk with a non-metal-bristle-brush or scraper, lower the temp back to smoke (or 180°), and just leave the grill open running at that temp for 5-10 minutes and it should come down to temp correctly before putting your ribs on.
10 hrs is a little excessive 3 2 1 works fine that’s long enough I have also done 1hr on 400 and surprisingly there not bad at all not fall of the bone but very tasty. And always baby back.
It is a little excessive, but it is my favorite rib – hands down. Some people prefer a less tender rib, and that's okay too. I like mine SUPER tender and JUST this side of fall-off-the-bone, and this method will definitely get you a tender, juicy rib. I've seen such a wild array of results from the 3-2-1 that I don't use it anymore because of the lack of consistency.
That being said, I'd be hard pressed to turn down a rib, so if you wanna make me some 3-2-1's I'll be over at 6. 😀
Can I put the ribs in the oven instead of the smoker for the second portion with the cider? Seems a waste of the pellets if the smoke isn’t reaching it.
Definitely can use the oven if you'd prefer for that portion! You can also use an Instant Pot and cut down the overall cook time quite a bit.
when do you put the second bottle of cider in? It only says to add one in the recipe
Whoops! You are right. That one you can either drink or pour into the pan with your ribs. Your choice! 😉
I used this recipe today for my first rib attempt on my new Traeger. I never post negative reviews, however, this recipe did not work for me. Did recipe as written, ribs came out dry, not the juicy ribs that I had hoped for. Did this recipe on the pro 34. This is the third cook on my pro34 and I’m still looking for my first success.. First two were my fault, but this one I followed the recipe 100%. I have done the 3-2-1 on other smokers in the past with success. Can’t figure out what went wrong here but I’m thinking I’ll go back to 3-2-1. Thanks for recipe anyway.
Hi Ron! I appreciate you stopping by. That's very strange! A lot of people have made this recipe and I've never had anyone report that it came out dry in the end. 🙁 Did you seal the ribs in with the hard cider? What temp was your grill running at during that time? With the pan sealed, the liquid shouldn't escape, but there are a ton of different factors at play here.
If 3-2-1 works well for you, definitely check that out again. This one has worked well for a ton of people though so I think this might have just been a fluke.
Happy grilling!
After reading your reply I did realize that I used Apple “juice” and not “hard cider” in with my sealed ribs. I’m not sure if that would be the reason for my ribs being dry, but it is a deviation from your recipe. The temp of the T while the ribs were sealed seemed to be running between 220 and 235. Please understand that the ribs were not throw away bad, just not as moist as I expected and have had in the past.
Tried the 4-5-1 method has a a very good flavor. We liked it a lot better than the 3-2-1. Tried that one 3 times never did get what we were looking for. Only issue was I cook a little hotter do to the temp out side,I’ll follow the instructions if need be I’ll just cook longer.
Hey Les! Thanks so much for letting me know how it went! I love the 4-5-2 texture also. What temp do you run it at? I'd love to know how they came out!
Hey guys here to help you with your dry rib problem. The biggest reason ribs are usually dried out is due to the over long process it takes to get them tender. The 5-4-1 method is much better than 3-2-1 as far as tenderness goes BUT the one mistake I see in the instructions is one of the biggest. You need to use a “mop” with your ribs while they are in the “5” stage as this is what helps the meat keep its moister. If you do not know what a mop is it is a combination of a fat (meat juices, butter) and dry rub you put on your ribs. You mix those together to make a flavorful liquid you rub on your ribs ever hour to hour and a half. Hope this helps!!! Happy smoking
@Connor Hamilton, I've been putting a throw away aluminum cake pan under the grates filled w/ water (sometimes I add apple juice/cider, or club soda). It makes a steam & your meat won't dry out. Great for ribs & brisket.
Where do you get the hard cider
Any store that sells beer or cider should have it.
The juice burned on the bottom of the ribs! The top half was excellent, but the bottom of the ribs couldn’t be eaten. Sorry not impressed! Followed cooking instruction to a T. The four hours an 225 was too much! Couldn’t even get part of it out of the pan. Need a new recipe, suggestions?
Yikes! That has not been a thing that has happened to us. Did you wrap tightly in foil? It sounds like your pan/ribs might have been over a hot spot. I'll add in an instruction to check halfway through to make sure that doesn't happen, but I've never heard of it with a tightly covered pan because the liquid shouldn't have anywhere to evaporate TO if the foil is sealed. I'm so sorry that happened though! BBQ is less a science and more an art, and any recipe is going to need adjustments based on environment or product. <3
Next time, you can try the 3-2-1 method which a lot of people like. That's 3 hours smoked, 2 hours wrapped with liquid, and 1 hour on the grill after. I, personally, like my ribs more tender than the 3-2-1 produce, but your mileage may vary!
My Traeger Pro 22 will run below 180 in the dead of winter but I'm lucky to get 200 degrees in the summer on "smoke" or the 180 degree setting. What Treager model do you have? I'm done the 3-2-1 method many times and always had great results. Maybe due to the higher temps?
We have a few different models around here, and also run some non-Traeger pellet grills too. 180-200° is a great range for the smoke setting though. For me, the 3-2-1 ribs just didn't quite get them to the place I wanted them. I like JUST shy of "fall off the bone", myself. That being said, sometimes we skip that last hour, and sometimes we adjust accordingly. It isn't an exact science.
Why do recepies say turn grill to "smoke" I have a pro 575, there is no smoke setting on it, just temperature.
Sorry about that! That should be set to about 180-200°, ideally.
5x4x1 turned out outstanding. I'd add that it's best to use a long pair of tongs (long grip area) after the 4 hour cook as I nearly lost half a rack from their no-kidding 'fall off the bone' separation. 3x2x1 works well but this recipe made them turn out like 'meat candy'. Used regular apple cider vs hard cider only because I had the reg apple cider in my fridge already. What difference will I notice with hard cider?
That's awesome, Andrew, and a great suggestion for the long tongs. Sometimes we even skip the last hour unwrapped on the grill because they are just SO good after the braise.
You probably won't notice a real difference using hard cider instead of soft cider. 😉 I just usually have the hard stuff hanging around and the kids get after the apple juice like 15 seconds after it enters our house.
If you took pictures, I'd love it if you shared on social media and/or in the Traeger facebook groups! If you tag the pic and link me, you can enter my giveaway that's ONLY for people who cook from OWYD. https://www.orwhateveryoudo.com/giveaways
Happy grilling!
I’ve used this 5-4-1 method several times now and never disappoints! My entire family calls to make sure I’m bringing the ribs to any family function. Many thanks!
THanks, Michael! I'm so glad that you and your family have enjoyed it!
Can't wait to smoke these on my brand new, first time ever, Traeger smoker. I'm OCD I'm sure but recipe says TWO bottles hard cider but instructions say to use One bottle. SO...shall I drink one and dump the other in the foil pan? LOL. Looks great and I love your site...going to go broke trying all your recipes for sure.
Nicole,
I have never tried the 5-4-1 method, but it's hard to imagine them being better than the 3-2-1 method I am used to. I am definitely willing (and eager) to try it and will let you know how they turn out!
It really just depends on whether or not you like REALLY tender ribs. These are fall-off-the-bone tender, and that's not everyone's favorite, but I love it. If you like some bite left on your ribs, you probably want to stick to the 3-2-1 timing.
Does time or temperature change if you are using spare ribs instead of baby backs?
Time likely will a little, but the temperature shouldn't. Just keep an eye on them during the braising phase in the middle, and take them off when they are as tender as you like them. The last (optional) hour on the grill is really just to set some sauce on them.
Using this recipe for first time on new Traeger. I’m used to the 3-2-1 method but my wife likes knife & fork tender ribs. I am smoking for 5 hours Sunday night and plan to finish tomorrow (Memorial Day). When I store over night in fridge, should I have it in
basting sauce in aluminum pan already? Or just wrap it and then put it in sauce before I smoke the other 4 hours?
I think either option would work really well. I hope your ribs are amazing today! I'm putting some on myself, too!
Do you use 1 12oz bottle of hard cider or 2?
Ingredients and Instructions conflict
I use both bottles, but honestly one would probably be fine. The goal is just to have a good amount of liquid in the pan with the ribs so they braise a bit.
I’ve tried several variations on the 3-2-1 method and have never had “fall off the bone” ribs as advertised. This is the first method that has ever worked as promised. Ribs were amazing! My family loved them. This is the only approach I plan to use from now on since it worked so well. Thank you for posting this!
Amazing! I'm so glad you like them. They are super consistent and delicious. Tell your Traeger friends!
First time I’ve ever tried the 5-4-1 method. I followed the recipe exactly and have to say I got mixed results. The top of the rack of ribs was almost too hard/dense, but the underlying meat was extremely moist, tender and juicy! The recipe doesn’t say how much dark brown sugar to use. Could it be that I put on too thick a coating?
Hey Don - very strange! I've never had that happen as you describe, and haven't had that feedback before either and this recipe has been made by well over 100 different people over the years. I suppose it could be too much brown sugar, but it would've had to have been an excessive amount of sugar to make that happen, I'd think. The recipe states 1 cup of dark brown sugar for the top of the ribs. Not sure why you weren't seeing an amount?
@Nicole Johnson, I only did one rack and halved all the ingredients except the brown sugar. I just poured that out of the bag and rubbed it on. I don’t think I used more than a half cup, but that’s a possibility. I’ll be more careful next time!
How do I adjust time if the lowest my Traeger will go is 175-180 degrees?
You don't really need to adjust much. 175-180 is a great temp for that first phase.