How Long to Cook Baby Back Pork Ribs (Grill, Two-Zone Indirect) in the grill
Specification: 1 rack baby back pork ribs (~2 lb, 12–13 bones), membrane peeled off the bone side, rubbed with kosher salt, pepper, and paprika and rested 30 minutes at room temp
3-Step Execution Protocol
Preheat grill to Two-zone indirect at 300°F (149°C), lid down, rack bone-side down on the cool half. Clean and oil grates. Prepare baby back pork ribs (grill, two-zone indirect) (1 rack baby back pork ribs (~2 lb, 12–13 bones), membrane peeled off the bone side, rubbed with kosher salt, pepper, and paprika and rested 30 minutes at room temp).
Cook for 1.5–2 hours (90–110 min indirect until bend test passes, plus 5–10 min direct glaze if saucing). Flip at the 60-minute mark for even browning.
Lifting the rack from the middle with tongs makes it bow into a deep U and the meat cracks open along the top of the bones, and a toothpick slides between two bones with no resistance. Confirm internal temperature reaches 200°F–203°F in the meat between two bones (collagen render window; USDA FSIS 145°F pork minimum is passed long before the ribs are tender enough to eat). Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
USDA FSIS 145°F safe minimum for pork; 200–203°F collagen-render target for tender ribs per Meathead Goldwyn's rib-doneness guide on AmazingRibs.com. Grill (as opposed to smoker) two-zone method and 300°F indirect time range from the Weber Grilling Guide baby-back-ribs chart and Steven Raichlen's Project Smoke grill-baby-backs technique.