My Best Ribs Yet—Thanks to Coffee and MSG

Everyone loves ribs night, and I’m not gonna lie—I nail it every time. That confidence comes from years of watching and listening to the best. It was Adam Perry Lang who taught me the secret of coffee in a BBQ rub, and several chefs I look up to helped form my consensus around the 3-2-1 method. Of course, I’ve put my own spin on both.

I add a little MSG to the rub and I treat the 3-2-1 as a ratio, not a rule.

The 3-2-1 method is straightforward: cook the ribs low and slow for 3 hours uncovered over indirect heat, 2 hours wrapped tightly in foil over that same heat, and finish with 1 hour unwrapped over low direct heat with sauce.

My spin is this: if you don’t have six hours, scale it down and use the 3-2-1 rule as a ratio. If you’ve only got 4 hours, go 2 hours uncovered, 1 hour and 20 minutes wrapped, and 40 minutes unwrapped. Just work with the time you’ve got, and adjust the temperature as needed. When I’m rushing it, I usually bump the heat slightly during the wrapped phase.

Grab the best ribs you can find, and let’s cook! (If you click that link, you get 10% off from The Butcher Shoppe)

Ingredients

For the meat:

• 2 racks of baby back ribs, membrane removed

• Optional: 4–6 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs

For the rub:

• 3 tbsp light brown sugar

• 3 tbsp kosher salt

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp Spanish or hot paprika

• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder

• 1 tbsp MSG

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes

• 2–3 tbsp freshly ground coffee

For the finish:

• Your favourite BBQ sauce

Equipment

• Grill with lid (set up for indirect heat)

• Paper towels (to remove membrane)

• Wire rack and sheet tray

• Aluminum foil

• Small mixing bowl (for the rub)

• Basting brush (for BBQ sauce)

• Tongs

Method

Step 1: Prep the Ribs

• Remove the membrane from the back of each rib rack. Use a paper towel to get a good grip and peel it off. This helps the rub penetrate the meat.

Peel the membranes off your ribs

Step 2: Prep the Rub

• In a small bowl, mix all rub ingredients by hand.

Mix the rub together

• Apply generously to both sides of the ribs. Don’t be afraid to overapply and really grind it in–you can brush off the excess later.

• Place the ribs on a wire rack set over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours–overnight is best.

Step 3: Grill Time!

• Preheat your grill to 220°F (indirect heat). Use the 3-2-1 method:

  • 3 hours uncovered on the grill. Lay the ribs flat on the grill, bone side down.

  • 2 hours wrapped in foil. Remove the ribs from the grill and tighly wrap them in at least one layer of foil. I always do two, but if you have a super-duty BBQ foil, that works great.

    • If you're adding chicken, about halfway through this step is the time to place the rubbed chicken legs on the grill, alongside the wrapped ribs. Let them cook low and slow during this phase.

  • 1 hour unwrapped with your favourite BBQ sauce brushed over both ribs and chicken.

    • This stage is done over direct heat! So, depending on the type of grill you are using you may have to remove the grill to adjust things. I’ll trust you know what you are doing.

The 3-2-1 Method: 3 hours uncovered, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour over heat (with sauce)

Step 4: Make Your Sides

• Keep flipping the chicken and ribs, and coating with any remaining BBQ sauce, while you prep any sides.

• I highly recommend some grilled asparagus, a salad, and maybe some butter steamed potatoes.

Serve outside with some ice-cold beer or chilled wine and let the good times roll. Cheers!