Pork
Apartment-Friendly BBQ Ribs on Electric Grill
The idea that you need a massive offset smoker to make real BBQ ribs is a myth that benefits grill companies more than grillers. What ribs actually need is low, steady heat (225-250F), a long cook time (3 hours), and a small amount of wood smoke. Every one of those is achievable on a balcony with a quality electric smoker-grill. The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL was purpose-built for this exact use case, apartment and condo dwellers who want real smoked BBQ without owning a pickup truck to haul a smoker. The cook itself is straightforward if you accept one reality: electric grills do not produce as much smoke as a stick burner, so your ribs will taste slightly cleaner and less intensely smoky than a competition rack. That is a feature, not a bug, for apartment cooking. Strong smoke on a balcony is how you end up with a letter from the HOA. Gentle smoke is how you end up with ribs your neighbors want to be invited to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 lbs each)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 cup apple juice (for the spritz)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice
- 1/2 cup wood pellets (apple or hickory) if your grill has a smoke box
Instructions
- 01
Pull the silverskin membrane off the back of each rack. Slide a butter knife under the edge, grip with a paper towel, and peel. Skipping this step is the number one reason home ribs turn out chewy.
- 02
Mix the dry rub and coat both racks heavily. Let them sit at room temp for 20 minutes while the grill heats.
- 03
Preheat the electric grill to 225F. On a Ninja Woodfire, load apple or hickory pellets into the smoke box now.
- 04
Place ribs bone-side down on indirect heat and close the lid. Smoke for 2 hours, spritzing with apple juice every 30 minutes to keep the surface from drying.
- 05
Wrap each rack tightly in foil with a splash of apple juice. Return to the grill at 250F for 45 minutes, this is the braise stage that makes them tender.
- 06
Unwrap, brush heavily with BBQ sauce, and return uncovered for 15 more minutes to set the glaze.
- 07
Rest 10 minutes before slicing between the bones.
Pro Tips
From our kitchen
- ★The 2-2-1 method (smoke 2, wrap 2, glaze 1) works even at shorter times on a well-insulated electric grill because it runs more efficiently than a drafty offset smoker.
- ★Wood pellets on an electric grill give you about 60% of the smoke flavor of a dedicated stick burner, plenty of flavor, without the bark that offends apartment neighbors.
- ★If your building has a smoke detector within 10 feet of your balcony door, run a box fan blowing outward during the smoke phase.
- ★The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is the only electric grill with a dedicated wood pellet smoker box and Bluetooth monitoring, which matters when you are walking away for 3 hours.
We recommend for this recipe
Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951's 406 sq in surface and bluetooth app connectivity and 2 built-in thermometers make it our pick for this recipe. the woodfire smoke infusion delivers the deep flavor this recipe needs.
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