No Wrap vs. Butcher Paper vs. Foil: Cooking St. Louis Style Ribs 3 Ways! | Heath Riles BBQ
Video Overview & Insights
Foil vs. Butcher Paper vs. No Wrap—which method makes the best ribs?
Foil vs. Butcher Paper vs. No Wrap—which method do you prefer? Like and subscribe for weekly recipe videos!
Have you ever wondered if wrapping your ribs in butcher paper or aluminum foil makes a difference? Maybe you’ve pondered whether even wrapping the ribs affects the cooking process. I know I have, so I decided to experiment on the smoker and cook Ribs 3 Ways. For this experiment, I left one rack of ribs unwrapped and wrapped one in butcher paper and the other in aluminum foil. I seasoned and cooked the ribs the exact same way, so there were no variables.
How To Trim St. Louis Style Ribs - https://youtu.be/niZsPPSELWc
Prefer the no wrap style on a low and slow… I love the crust outside and the tender meat inside….
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If you’re going to put it to the ultimate test, you’re gonna need a stick smoker. Just saying.
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Did 27 years of bbq cookoffs and nobody wraps the ribs in paper.
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Products Used:
It just comes down to what texture you prefer. If you like more bark, the unwrapped rib will likely be your favorite.
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub https://bit.ly/2yXvmD4
• Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Rub https://bit.ly/3d66DKT
Used to be the "ideal" temp for smoking anything was 185-225. Past couple years it has been 225-250. Now it's 250-285. Makes one wonder why bother with low and slow that isn't.
• Heath Riles BBQ Butcher Paper https://bit.ly/3JP0zcI
• Aluminum Rack/Tray https://amzn.to/4eN9Csn
Foil for me after 2hr. Back in the pit for 2 and minimal sauce at the end. I tried the no wrap thing once. I didn’t care for it.
• Black Latex Gloves https://amzn.to/3RPAqOQ
• Aluminum Foil https://amzn.to/3xHt2yf
One year later, it's July again. I'm about to do beef ribs for the first time tomorrow morning. Pork ribs are fast, easy, inexpensive and delicious. I prefer butcher paper, just trying to stay away from metal on my food.
• Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Charcoal Pellets https://amzn.to/3IQZfGH
• Thermoworks Thermapen One https://thermoworks.sjv.io/2a3BWg
You should have pulled the unwrapped rack out with the other two before wrapping them. That way it exposes the unwrapped rack to the same conditions. Nice video,thanks!
Ingredients:
• 3 Racks of St. Louis Style Ribs
Not really sure how this came up on my suggested vids, but as a BBQ loser by trade all I can say once I start seeing I am losing the battle I immediately foil, battle won, just saying.
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub
• Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Rub
No wrap is how I do it. I only wished you had an ideal temp for the unwrapped ribs. The edge went to the wrapped ribs as the higher heat was tolerated better due to the wrap. They actually steamed in the wrapper when the no wrap had to endure HELL ! Not apples to apples. This needs a redo!
Cook each at a temp the way they need to be done for the method you use. I think you lean and like wrap ribs so that is how it came out. Let me cook those no wrap ribs and see what you think!
Directions:
1. Fire up the pit: Stoke the Traeger Ironwood XL with Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets and heat it to 275℉.
Thank you so much for all that you do! I'm preparing a birthday dinner for, well, me tomorrow, and I wanted to do what my Kansas City family used to do when I was a kid. You are totally helping me get it done right. I'm going to use Gates BBQ sauce for this occasion, though, because that's what I grew up with. Thank you for being generous with your Q knowledge!
2. Trim the ribs: Unwrap the 3 slabs of St. Louis style ribs and trim to your liking, removing any stray pieces of bone and hard fat/gristle. (For more on trimming ribs, check out this post.)
3. Add seasoning: Season the trimmed ribs on both sides with Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Sweet BBQ Rub. Pat the seasoning in with your hands and let the ribs sweat for 5 minutes while the grill heats up.
Hard to trust any man that plugs his smoker in.
4. Start smoking: Place all three racks of ribs directly on the Traeger Ironwood XL and smoke for 2 hours, spritzing with water at the 1-hour 15-minute mark.
5. Divide and conquer: To test different methods, wrap one rack in aluminum foil, one in butcher paper, and leave one unwrapped. (Watch the video to see how I wrapped the ribs.)
Aluminum is a neurotoxin
6. Finish smoking: Return the ribs to the Traeger Ironwood XL and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 204℉. Remove the ribs from the pit and let them rest before serving.
Chapters:
The no wrap looks the best. Point, blank, period. Its all about the bark baby
0:00 Intro
0:19 Prep and Season Ribs
you said tareger im done trash
2:33 Place Ribs on Traeger
3:22 Add Pellets
I smoked a brisket, 3 links of V&V jalapeno sausage and 2 racks of baby back ribs on the 4th. I wrapped the brisket for the last few hours (after 9 hrs smoking at 225), but I don't wrap my ribs because I love the thicker bark on them. Just my own preference.
3:47 Spritz Ribs
4:06 Wrap Ribs
No rap for me
5:50 Temp Ribs
7:53 Take Ribs Out of Wrap
Foil wins 🙌🏽
8:45 Slice Ribs
9:55 Taste Ribs
Nope. no foil no butcher paper. never cook with either.... Parchment Paper is designed to cook with. been at this since 67.
12:10 Outro
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Those ribs look delicious. I would eat them all but that butcher paper rib is where I would start. I like how you didn’t use a binder and just went with the rub.
I have a question. When the rib starts to pull away from the bone, should I immediately wrap the rib or should I wait?
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'Won me a lot of money' great line I'm going to try it out thanks for the vid
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July 4th 2026, 50% humidity. Only because the feels like 103 caused the other 50% to evaporate. Foil today, sometimes paper sometimes naked.
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Garlic Jalapeño sounds so good!
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Heath Riles, pitmaster
Bullshit! I gave up cooking ribs years ago because none of these techniques work and it takes over an hour to remove them with a knife. PEOPLE – the EASIEST way is to order them at your favorite restaurant then have them delivered! Done!
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• 2022 and 2024 Memphis in May World Rib Champion
Who else is out here in JULY about to smoke some ribs?! ✋
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Surprised these were done in 3.5 hours... is that normal for St. Louis ribs? I did a similar experiment last weekend, one rack unwrapped and did 3-2-1 method with butcher paper with the other. 275 cook temp on Komodo style cooker. Both were dry, but the unwrapped were noticeably more dry. I was pretty bummed lol. But I’ll try going for less time
More User Perspectives
You’re spraying water on them?
@classicgunstoday1972Just found your channel. This is an interesting video. I grill my ribs. 45 minutes bone side down, 30 minutes bone side up. Then wrap in foil and cook bone side up until done. I figure the bone down melts some of the fat and lets it run off. Then the bone side up gets a good char on the ribs, and then soaking in the liquids bone side up in the foil helps keep the meat moist.
@CPUDOCTHE1Foil Guess Before Ended
@Srt_duBeen watching these videos the last couple days and they’re giving my confidence. Just got a Pellet smoker free from a friend and am smoking chicken wings and ribs for the 4th for the very first time. Gonna be wrapping them and seeing how it goes. Thanks for the education
@CaleobbThis is the best video ever. We are about to grill on the 4th of july and im looking forward on trying this out!!
@littlewitchling535Heath you're a LEGEND and we appreciate you!
@herzobaseIm a lazy griller so I always do no wrap. Keep temp grill temp between 300 & 350 degrees flipping every 20 to 30 minutes and just sprits with some apple juice or OJ on every flip if you did a st. Louis trim it'll be ready in about 2 - 2.5 hours
@shaund6226Always do atleast one of each. Unwrapped, and foil so my guest have choices.
@Infantryblue2008I'm an apartment dweller who used to get by with just an oven and I've been happy with results grilling/smoking + wrapping in foil for years. That said there's a Filipino place near me that uses banana leaves and that slaps pretty hard which I did not expect till I tried it.
@nadtzI need to go VEGAN, I can't watch these videos without my mouth watering. And I am HUNGRY.
a MFCKR VEGAN wouldnt never watch this.
Wrapping is not necessary. Foil is poison. Butcher paper, if it makes you feel better. Everything shown was wrong, but i am not revealing my methodology, i am still in business.
@Jimmyman58Please be kind, I've never had luck with gas grills , probably because the grill was garbage and controlling and maintaining the grill temperature was never accomplished. I know i need to invest in a good grill. Any entry level grills that you can actually keep at temperature? Thanks in advance
@mikeramirez9554Warning: Heated aluminum foil can leach aluminum into your food. Long-term health effects are still debated. Consider avoiding foil for grilling acidic or salty foods.🍖🍖🍖
@MiggiP587What were you spraying on the ribs?
@FitJourneywithGHeath Riles' accent alone tells me that he is legit
@cantdance3077I say foil but only because my recipe is a maple bourbon glaze rib. So after smoking for a couple hours you put them in foil with bourbon, syrup, butter and brown sugar for 2 more hours and make your glaze and unwrap and glaze and set on the grill for another half hour
@kmilli0313I steam mine in a covered aluminum pan with chicken broth up to the edges of the ribs cook for 1 hour 15 minutes at 350° check the broth level add if needed then let em ride another hour and 15 minutes then pull them out of the pan set on the cold side of the grill for a bit to soak in some smoke flavor then directly over flames top and bottom about 5 minutes each side to sear and give it the crunch... ribs done in under 3 hours Damn things fall apart trying to move the entire rack and grab a bone and itll just pull out wont be anything on it
@justinsmith4778Learned a lot! Thank You!
@MasterFalconer-pv8zbAluminum foil wrapped has that extra taste of metal in it of course you like it better
@gator8422For me I do no wrap or foil with the butcher paper I feel like you more so just oven cooking it
@MADDEN-DILEMMASpray a little beer on them.
@apriljohnson421any problems using royal oak pelets in a treager
@kentkoester3474This accent is automatically a guarantee of BBQ perfection. It’s like a blue checkmark
@DigitalicaEG