There are many ways to cook ribs including the 3-2-1 method, wrapping ribs, etc. But this recipe is by far the EASIEST method that will give you perfect results every time. The no wrap method is not only easy it is the best way to smoke a delicious rack of pork ribs low and slow. You will not be disappointed with this recipe!
Why you will love this recipe
Easy: This is a very simple recipe and only takes a few minutes to prep before your pellet grill does all the work.
Delicious – Smoked ribs that melt in your mouth cannot be beaten. This No Wrap Rib recipe produces a rich crusty bark that your friends and family will rave about.
Forgiving – St. Louis spare ribs are meaty and have plenty of fat so they are pretty forgiving to cook. If you are a beginner you don’t have to worry about drying out the ribs if you let them cook a bit too long.
How to Cook No Wrap Ribs on Your Pellet Grill
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious No Wrap Ribs. Also, there are only a few simple steps to follow before you are eating perfectly smoked ribs!
You will smoke your ribs for the entire cook unwrapped on your pellet grill. This is the perfect beginner recipe with very few steps. Not only is it easy, but the results will also be a tender rack of ribs with a perfect smokey bark that is crazy delicious.
Type of Ribs
For this recipe, I like to use St Luis ribs over baby back because they are more uniform in shape and have a bit higher fat content. This means the ribs are a bit more forgiving to cook. Read more about the other cuts of pork ribs in my guide here.
Wood Pellets
For this recipe, I used apple wood pellets. I think the sweet, mild flavor of apple is perfect for pork ribs. You can also use other fruit wood pellets like cherry that compliments the pork. I would stay away from hardwoods that have a strong flavor like mesquite and oak which can overpower the ribs.
Rib Rub and Binder
The binder is needed to help keep the seasoning or rub on your ribs. The binder does not add much flavor to the ribs. Yellow mustard or olive oil works great. A light coating all over the ribs is all you need.
The rub is one of the most important parts of smoking a great rack of ribs. It provides a sweet and spicy flavor that brings out the natural flavor of the pork. You can use any store-bought rub or make your own rub by combining a few common spices. One of my favorite store-bought rubs is Ozark Heat by R Butts R Smokin. If you want to make your own rub my signature Pork Dry Rub is a real crowd-pleaser. I think you will find that it’s sweet with just a tiny hit of spice, that really shines on ribs. My rub recipe is all about building bark for maximum flavor.
Low and Slow BBQ Pork Ribs
Many popular rib recipes include an extra step during the cooking process; wrapping the ribs in foil. Wrapping the ribs halfway through the cook with some butter and apple juice (or barbecue sauce) helps keep the ribs moist and imparts another layer of flavor. This is an especially great technique if you like to eat your ribs slathered in sauce.
The major drawback with this technique is it can be difficult to know when the ribs are done since they are wrapped in foil. It takes a bit of practice to learn when to pull your ribs when wrapping them, so I always recommend this no-wrap recipe for beginners. It takes a bit of stress out of the cooking since you are not trying to guess when the wrapped ribs are finished. With this recipe you can see the ribs during the entire cook, and learn how a rack of ribs cooks throughout the entire smoking process.
Adding some moisture during the cook is always a good idea. Since this recipe skips the wrapping step which imparts a ton extra moisture, you must keep them moist another way. The best way to do this is to set a small pot or tinfoil pan with some water in the corner of your pellet grill during the entire cook. This is a tried and true technique that many of the world’s best pitmasters like Aaron Franklin also use.
How to Smoke No Wrap Ribs
These No Wrap Ribs are cooked low and slow on your pellet grill over indirect heat. The temperature of the grill should stay below 275 degrees F and the smoke will roll over your ribs for 4-6 hours until they are cooked to perfection. Low and slow ribs are cooked exactly like the name suggests, slow…so don’t rush it.
Ingredients
- 3 Racks St. Louis Cut Pork Spare Ribs
- 1/2 cup yellow mustard
- 6 Tablespoons Dry Rub
Prep the Ribs and the Rub
Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Trim off any excess fat on the ribs and remove the membrane on the back of the ribs using a paper towel for some extra grip. Read my in-depth article on How to Remove the Membrane from Pork Ribs to learn the best way to remove the membrane quickly and easily.
Preheat your grill
Preheat the pellet grill to 275 degrees F. I like to use apple wood pellets to smoke pork ribs, but you can use other fruitwood like cherry. The pork is very mild and can absorb a lot of smoke flavor quickly. Hardwoods like oak or mesquite have a strong flavor and can overpower the ribs.
Season the Ribs
Before you apply a dry rub you first need to add a binder so that the spices will stick. My go-to is yellow mustard, but olive oil will work too.
Squeeze a few tablespoons of mustard onto the ribs and use your hand to make sure both sides have an even light coating. You don’t need a thick layer of mustard, just enough to coat the surface so your rub will stick. Place the ribs on a baking sheet with a wire rack if you have one, but a cutting board will work fine too.
Place down so the bone side is facing up, and apply rub to this side of the ribs first. Use a shaker or small bowl to generously coat the ribs with the dry rub. Hold the shaker or bowl 12″ above the ribs and use quick even movements to evenly apply the rub. You want a nice uniform coating so the whole rack is covered. Flip the ribs over so the bone side is now facing down and apply rub to the meat side.
Let them sit uncovered as the grill heats up for at least 10 minutes. This helps the dry rub set on the ribs.
Smoke
Place the ribs directly on the grill grates bone side down (the meaty side should be facing up). Close the lid and go relax for 3 hours. There is no reason to open the lid or check on the ribs. You should periodically make sure the temperature of your pellet grill remains consistent and the hopper is full of pellets. This recipe is meant to be easy so don’t stress out about checking on the ribs every 15 minutes. Let the pellet grill do all the work.
At the 3 hour mark, you should go check on your ribs. At this point, they will start to develop a nice dark red color. Since this is a no-wrap recipe I like to introduce a little liquid and give the ribs a quick spritz with some apple juice or apple cider vinegar from a spray bottle. This keeps the meat from burning and helps develop better color.
After smoking for about 4 hours you should check on the ribs every 30 minutes or so for doneness. They will be done sometime between 4 – 5.5 hours so keep a careful eye. Use a pair of tongs to lift the rack up in the center. Once you get a nice bend you know they are close. Once they are cooked to your liking take them off your pellet grill and cover the ribs with a piece of aluminum foil.
Rest and Serve
Let the ribs rest for 3o minutes covered with foil. If you are not quite ready to eat you wrap the whole rack in foil and a towel and store them in a drink cooler for up to 3 hours. The insulation of the cooler will keep the ribs warm and ready to serve.
How Long to Smoke
The biggest unknown when smoking meat, like spare ribs is trying to predict exactly when they will be done. Although it’s impossible to pin down an exact time since the cook will take hours, you can plan for about 5 hours. You should always start your cook early so you are not keeping hungry people waiting. If the ribs finish early it’s no problem. You can wrap the finished rack in a piece of tin foil, then store them in a regular cooker for up to four hours. The small space and insulation from the cooler will keep those ribs hot for hours without drying them out.
How do you know when the ribs are done?
But how do you know when the ribs are done? There are four different criteria to meet to determine doneness:
- TEMPERATURE Ribs are done when they reach an internal temperature between 185 and 190 degrees F.
- BEND Pick up the ribs with some tongs. If the ribs “bend” or droop a bit so that the two ends touch the grill when you lift up the center 3-4″ the ribs are done.
- CRACK When testing for the bend, if the surface of the ribs crack slightly, they’re ready for eating.
- PULL These St. Louis ribs do not fall of the bone. They should, however, pull off the bone easily.
Once the ribs meet all 4 criteria, you can feel confident they are ready to remove from the heat and get into!
Easy No Wrap St. Lous Ribs
Equipment
- 1 Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
- 6 Tbsp Dry Rub
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar or Apple Juice Add to a spray bottle for easy spritzing, You can also use a bowl and baste the ribs
Instructions
- Preheat the pellet grill. Preheat pellet grill to 275 degrees for 15 minutes
- Prep the ribs. Dry the ribs by patting with a paper towe. Trim off any excess fat of small bones. Remove the membrane from the bone side.
- Season. Coat the entire surface of each rack with yellow mustard then season with your dry rub
- Smoke. Place the ribs directly on the grill grates bone side down (the meaty side should be facing up). Close the lid and cook for 3 hours without opening the lid.
- Spritz. Open the lid at the 3 hour mark and check on the ribs. They should have developed deep red color. Spritz the ribs (or baste) with apple cider vinegar or apple juice. Close the lid and continue smoking for another 1-2 hours.
- Check for doneness. Check the ribs every 20-30 minutes for doneness. You can use the bend test or a meat thermoter (I like to pull my pull them at 190 degrees).
- Rest and serve. Once the ribs are done pull them from the griill and let them rest for 30 minutes covered under aluminum foil before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Purchase R’ Butts R’ Smoking Ozark Heat Dry Rub
- Make a rib rub from scratch using my signature Rib Rub.