Traeger Pork Ribs Burnt Ends – Recipe and Cooking Guide

Hey Smokers and welcome to my post where we will run through my Traeger pork ribs burnt ends recipe and cooking guide. As you may or may not know, this site is all about cooking on my Traeger Pro 22 Pellet Smoker and seeing where we can take things. And today, that is into the land of the burnt end!

Now, this cook and post have come about after asking my 12 year old what he would like as an after school snack. As always, he asked for pork belly burnt ends – which I normally say no too as I don’t have the time to cook them all the time.

Today however I did but when I went to get the pork belly, there was none to be seen, so I got ribs and decided to see what I can do burnt ends wise..

Let’s get into it all below:

Check out my: Traeger Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe and Cooking Guide

Traeger Pork Ribs Burnt Ends: What You’ll Need

Ok, so below is what I used to cook me some burnt ends style pork ribs on the Traeger Pellet smoker:

Ingredients:

• 2 racks of pork ribs, membrane removed
• 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ rub
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce – I used Baby Rays this time
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Half cup apple cider vinegar – for spritzing

You can add honey to the above as well if you like – I didn’t have any so I didn’t

Equipment:

• Pellet smoker
• Cake grill tray or similar (optional)
• Aluminum tray and foil
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife (to make your ribs party ribs)

The Cooking Process

This is what I did and when:

1. Preheat Your Pellet Grill

Start by preheating your pellet grill to a low-medium heat, around 225°F (107°C).

Use pellets good for Pork such as Hickory, Cherry or Apple. As this is quite a sweet dish by design I am using Apple this time.

2. Prepare your Pork Ribs

As the smoker is pre-heating, prepare the pork ribs as follows:

1. Separate the pork ribs: we are making party ribs here so once the membrane has been removed, you will need to cut the ribs between the bones to separate them .
2. Season: Place the party ribs in a large bowl (I just used the aluminum tray). Add the BBQ rub and then toss until each piece is evenly coated.

3. Smoke the Ribs

Spread the ribs out on a cake tray or directly onto the smoker’s grill grate, ensuring they’re not touching so the smoke can circulate around each piece.

Smoke for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the ribs have a deep mahogany color and have rendered some of their fat (they will usually pull away from the edges of the bone as well). Spritz every hour or so for moisture as well.

My cook took almost 3 hours at 107°C to reach this point

4. Braise

Braising is where we start to turn our ribs into those candy flavored sticks of goodness that we all love here. Once you are happy with the look and color, transfer them to the disposable aluminum baking pan and add your brown sugar, butter and then cover it all with BBQ sauce.

Cover the tray tightly with aluminum foil and return to the smoker then cook for another 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender.

If time is of the essence you can increase the smoker temperature to 250°F (121°C) here as well.

5. Glaze

Again, once you are happy with the tenderness of your ribs, carefully remove the foil and return the pan to the smoker, uncovered, and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is sticky and caramelized.

6. Rest and Serve

As always, once they are cooked, let the pork rib burnt ends rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the sauce to set a bit and makes them less messy to eat.

Serve the pork ribs burnt ends as an appetizer or as part of a meal.

Tips for Perfect Pellet Smoked Pork Party Ribs Burnt Ends

In my experience, the following tips are crucial in the effort for some perfect pork ribs burnt ends:

• Feel free to customize the BBQ sauce by mixing in flavors you love, such as adding a bit of heat with hot sauce or a smoky element with liquid smoke.
• Keep an eye on the internal temperature of the ribs. They should be around 195-205°F (90-96°C) when they are done..

FAQs

Conclusion

So there you have it, my recipe and cooking guide for some Traeger pork ribs burnt ends action. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below. I would also love to hear of your own experiences, preferences or suggestions here as well.

Are there any other products you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.

Until next time

Have fun and get smoking!

Paul