How Long to Cook Ribs on Pellet Grill?

Food tastes the best when it is cooked at the right temperature for the right duration.

The same goes for barbecue and grilling. Whether you are grilling your hamburger patties, ribs, clams, or anything, you should know how long to cook them.

However, there are different ways to cook ribs. But when you cook ribs on the grill, it adds a delicious smoky flavor to them that everyone will absolutely love.

So, in this article, we have brought a complete 101 guide to cooking ribs on a grill.

For the best results, cook ribs for almost 6 hours.

Here, you will find every tiny piece of information related to cooking ribs on a pellet grill. From what a pellet grill is, and how it works, to how long to cook ribs on pellet grill.

What Is a Pellet Grill?

Before getting to know how to cook ribs on a pellet grill, you should obviously know what a pellet grill is.

A pellet grill, sometimes called a pellet smoker, is a type of grill that uses two main elements. These elements are wood pellets for burning and a fan for distributing the heat evenly.

Pellet grills are much like outdoor convection ovens.

With these, you can grill, smoke, bake, or even braise your food. Almost everything you can think of making in a standard oven can be easily made in a pellet grill.

How Does Pellet Grill Work?

Some wood pellets are stored in a chamber called a “Pellet Hopper”. These pellets travel all the way from the Pellet Hopper to the Fire Pot through an auger. In the Fire Pot, they start to burn and heat the whole cooking chamber.

Now comes the turn of the fan. As the heat is generated through the burning of wood pellets, there must be something to distribute this heat evenly throughout the cooking chamber. This is done by a fan along with giving the food a smoky and tasty flavor as well.

Read Also: How to grill in the rain?

Can Pellet Grills be Used as Pellet Smokers?

Many people often ask questions like can we use our pellet grill as a pellet smoker? Is the pellet grill the same as the pellet smoker? etc.

So, the answer is YES!

Since pellet smokers use wood pellets as fuel, hence, smoke is the key part of a pellet grill. Which can be used to smoke the food and for the smoky flavor as well.

How to Grill on a Pellet Grill?

Grilling on a pellet grill is like a charm. All you need to do is fill the pellets in, turn the grill on, and put the food in the cooking chamber.

However, the above-mentioned processes are not as simple as they look. So for your better understanding, we have described all the steps thoroughly.

Have a look! 

1. Starting a Pellet Grill

The first step to grilling on a pellet grill is to start it.

The starting procedure of a pellet grill is so simple that most people think it’s the easiest to start among all the grills. 

All you need to do is put the wood pellets in the pellets hopper. You can easily find it on any one side of the grill. Most of the pellet grills have a line marker in their hopper to tell you how much you should fill.

Once you have finished filling the pellets, plug your grill in and start it.

Please note that always use your pellet grill outdoors, because there is a risk of carbon monoxide suffocation.

Pro Tip: Always try to use the best smoker for ribs. Check out our list to choose the best one available on the market.

2. Preheating the Pellet Grill

Pre-heating the pellet grill is a much more important step just like it is for the oven.

Also, setting the temperature on a pellet grill is just rotating a thermostat away. Read the recipe you are going to make, find out the preheating temperature, set the thermostat to that temperature, and wait 10 minutes before putting any food inside.

3. Flipping the meat

Pellet grills do not have a direct flame on the food. As defined earlier, it uses a fan system to evenly distribute the heat to the food. So, there is no chance of burning one side of the patties or ribs. Furthermore, due to the distribution of heat, the food will also be cooked completely.

Hence, there is no need to flip the food when you are using a pellet grill or pellet smoker.

However, if you want some nice-looking grill marks on both sides of your food, then you can always flip the food. There is no issue with it.

The 3-2-1 Method for Cooking Ribs on A Pellet Grill

The cooking method of ribs on a pellet grill is a long and slow process. But when you cook the ribs with this method you will definitely come to know that it’s worth the while.

So, the cooking process is divided into three parts. Let’s see what happens in which part.

• Step 1

First, take your marinated ribs and put them directly on the pre-heated pellet grill with the meat side down. Cook the ribs for 3 hours at the same temperature. 

• Step 2

Now comes the second part which is 2.

After the completion of the first part, take out the ribs and wrap them in aluminum foil. Put them back on the pellet grill and cook for 2 hours.

• Step 3

After that, take out the ribs again, unwrap them, and put them back on the grill. Now cook the ribs for 1 hour.

Read our review: 8 best grills for apartment balcony

How Long to Cook Ribs on Pellet Grill?

The above-mentioned method of cooking ribs on a pellet grill is the most common and loved method.

So the best duration of cooking ribs on a pellet grill is anywhere around 6 hours.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully, after reading the whole guide now you know how long to cook ribs on pellet grill. And that is almost 6 hours for the best results.