3-2-1 Dr. Pepper Ribs

It’s summertime again, and that means barbecue time! One of the primary, time-honored standards of ‘que is the rack of ribs, and the 3-2-1 method is a popular way to make them come out tender and full of flavor. It means you smoke the meat for three hours on low heat, cook it wrapped for two, and unwrapped for one with a generous coating of sauce for that signature, candy-like shell that ribs are known for. (There’s another post with my recipe for Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.)

And everyone knows barbecue is made more enjoyable by Dr. Pepper, whether you’re drinking it, marinating the meat in it, using it in the sauce, or any combination thereof.

• 1 or more rack(s) of baby back ribs
• 1 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• Spray bottle of apple cider vinegar
• a sweet & smoky brown sugar rub
• Sauce and a brush
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• 1 foil pan, casserole dish or cake pan
• hickory wood chunks, chips or pellets for smoking

You may also wish to switch out the Dr. Pepper & apple cider vinegar mixture with my Dr. Pepper Bourbon Brine.

Baby back, or spare ribs, are smaller because they’re taken from the back where the ribs join the spine (i.e., not taken from piglets), as opposed to St. Louis style ribs, which are taken from the lower area around the side and under the belly, cut away from the breastbone. St. Louis style are, therefore, flatter and have more fat, being from the belly. Still, it’s not hard to keep baby backs juicy and flavorful.

Start out by using a table knife to get up under the edge of the silvery membrane on the back of the ribs and pull a little bit of it loose. Then carefully peel the rest of it off from end to end. Don’t worry if it tears here and there, just get it all. I started by placing it meat side-down in a foil pan. I could’ve fit two, but I wasn’t cooking for that many people this time. Pour in enough Dr. Pepper to cover the meat, followed by the apple cider vinegar. Let that sit for 30 minutes while you make the final preparations on your smoker.

After pouring the Dr. Pepper and vinegar mixture out, shake a generous amount of brown sugar rub on both sides of the ribs and place it on the smoker. Today I used my Traeger Jr. because I was only making a small amount of meat. So for the stick-burner purists who hate pellet grills, just ignore the photo.

3 Hours

Smoke on low heat, around 175 to 185, for three hours with hickory, spraying it every half hour or so with more apple cider vinegar, or a mixture of Dr. Pepper and vinegar. Some may prefer apple wood for pork, but you can’t beat hickory for a good, sweet smoke.

2 Hours

Come back after the smoke and pull out a sheet of foil long enough to wrap over the ends of the rack and lay it in the foil pan to form a sort of trough. Set it on a table or other surface next to the smoker and put the ribs in it, meat side down. Pour in a little bit of the vinegar or vinegar/Dr. Pepper mixture and wrap it shut with another layer of foil over the top. Put the wrapped ribs back in the smoker and cook them on a medium heat, around 275, for two hours.

1 Hour

When that’s done, carefully remove the foil and lay rack meat-side down, pour on the sauce and brush it all over. Turn it over and repeat, then continue cooking another hour. Bring it inside and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into portion sizes.

As awesome as good ‘que is, it’s important not to forget the sides. Today I made skillet potatoes along with the obligatory brown sugar baked beans. But the cold glass definitely called for Dr. Pepper!