3-2-1 Ribs... But Keto.
![3-2-1 Ribs... But Keto.](/content/images/size/w2000/2019/10/ribs.jpg)
I, like many other people am a fan of fall-off-the-bone ribs. I know that won't ever win a Kansas City Barbecue Society event, but I make food for me, not those judges.
Also, I have had to swear off brown sugar and a full-sugar barbecue sauce. I've compromised down to 2.666 ounces of beer, a keto barbecue sauce, and ribs from my favorite butcher, including some of their amazingly low-priced smoking wood.
Beyond a few ingredient changes, this is a pretty standard 3-2-1 ribs recipe, and if you've got the six-plus hours to kill, and a decent smoker, it's totally worth it.
The magic is in the temperature. I try to keep my ribs between 200° F and 225° F the entire time.
First, you'll need a good wood for smoking and a good place to do it. I prefer charcoal with large woods, and Staple's St. Meat Market came through with a huge bag of smoking wood for only $6. It ended up being enough for 3-2-1 ribs and doing Smoked/Sous Vide'd/Seared Tri-Tips twice.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/wood.jpg)
When I bought the ribs, I seasoned them immediately, then tossed them in a FoodSaver bag, then off to the freezer. The night before cooking them, I pulled them out, put them in the fridge, and left them overnight. In the morning, they were mostly thawed, but still slightly too chilled; this was remedied by leaving them out in the kitchen for an hour or two - still sealed in the bag - prior to smoking.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/thawed.jpg)
By this point, the smoker should be ready.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/smoking.gif)
One of the best things about 3-2-1 ribs is the possibilities for the spicing of the ribs. The last time I did this, I used a myriad of different "European" spices. This time, it was a bevy of "Mexican" spices, including garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and a bit of cayenne pepper.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/meat_smoke.gif)
After three hours of smoking it "naked," we remove the ribs, and toss them on aluminum foil, and add liquid.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/after3.jpg)
Some great recipes suggest apple cider for the liquid. I opt for a little bit more variety than that, specifically with beer, bourbon, and apple cider vinegar.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/liquids.jpg)
After adding ⅓ cup each of the three liquids to the ribs wrapped in water-tight foil, it goes back on the smoke for 2 hours, staying between 200° F and 225° F.
![](https://tastynoms.menu/content/images/2019/10/bbq_sauce.jpg)
After five hours, the ribs are removed from the foil, put back on the grill bone-side down, and bathed in the sauce. Another hour at the same temperature - 200° F to 225° F.
After this, it's time to serve.
Ingredients:
- Rack of ribs
- Spices (freestyle this on your own)
- Smoking wood
- 4 oz sugar-free barbecue sauce
- ⅓ cup Black ale
- ⅓ cup Bourbon whiskey
- ⅓ cup Apple cider vinegar
Directions:
- Spice ribs as desired
- Smoke ribs for three hours over indirect heat - between 200° F and 225° F, bone side down.
- Wrap in foil filled with the three liquids
- Smoke another two hours over indirect heat between 200° F and 225° F, bone side up.
- Remove from foil, baste in barbecue sauce.
- Return to indirect heat, over smoke for an hour, bone side down.
- Serve.