Traeger Ribs (Salt-Only, No-Sugar Adaptation)
By Chris Bennett · Athlete + Injury Recovery · Updated 2026-05-08
Standard Traeger pellet smoker baby back ribs without the sugar rub. 225°F super smoke for 3 hours, wrap with butter for 2, finish 1. Carnivore-strict.
Carnivore Traeger ribs are baby back pork ribs cooked on a pellet smoker (Traeger or any brand) using salt-only seasoning instead of the sugar-heavy rubs that dominate Traeger recipe sites. Run at 225°F with the Super Smoke or P-3 setting for 3 hours, wrap in butcher paper with 2 tablespoons of butter for 2 hours, then unwrap for 1 final hour to firm the bark. A 1.5 to 2 pound rack feeds 2 to 3 adults. Pull at 198 to 203°F internal where the bark cracks at a 90-degree bend. A 6-ounce cooked serving delivers 32g protein, 22g fat, and 320 calories. Pellet smokers run hotter than offset smokers at the same dial setting (a 225°F pellet smoker is typically 240 to 260°F at the grate), so subtract 25°F from the recipe target if you're cross-referencing offset-smoker recipes. Use hickory, apple, or competition-blend pellets — avoid anything labeled with sugar or 'sweet rub seasoning.'
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 oz baby back ribs cooked (per serving) | 32g | 18g | 280 |
| ⅔ tbsp butter wrap (per serving) | 0g | 7g | 60 |
| Coarse salt | 0g | 0g | 0 |
| Per serving | 32g | 22g | 320 |
Macros per serving (after cooking and any fat draining). Source: USDA FoodData Central.
Instructions
- 1
Remove silver-skin membrane from the bone side. Slip a butter knife under and pull off in a sheet.
- 2
Salt both sides with 1 tbsp coarse salt. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes while Traeger preheats.
- 3
Set Traeger to 225°F with Super Smoke (or P-3 setting if your model has it). Use plain hickory or apple pellets; avoid blended-with-sugar pellets.
- 4
Place the rack bone-side down on the grate. Cook for 3 hours uncovered.
- 5
Lay 2 sheets of butcher paper, place 2 tbsp butter in the center, set the rack meat-side down on the butter, wrap tightly.
- 6
Return wrapped rack to the Traeger for 2 hours at 225°F.
- 7
Unwrap, return bone-side down, cook for 1 final hour to firm the bark.
- 8
Pull when bark cracks at a 90-degree bend with cracking visible on the surface. Rest 10 minutes, slice between bones, serve.
Nutrition per Serving
Frequently Asked Questions
Why no Traeger 'sweet rub'?
Traeger's branded rubs (Coffee Rub, Sweet Rub, Pork & Poultry Rub) are 30 to 50% sugar by weight, plus paprika, garlic, and other spices. All disqualified for strict carnivore. The bark color most Traeger users associate with their setup comes from caramelized sugar in those rubs — salt-only bark is darker and drier rather than the glossy sweet bark sugar produces. Same cook, different bark.
Pellet smoker vs offset smoker — which is better for ribs?
Different trade-offs. Pellet smokers (Traeger, Pit Boss, Rec Tec) are set-and-forget — temperature holds within 10 degrees, smoke flavor is milder. Offset smokers (Yoder, Lang) require 5-minute attention every hour to feed splits, but smoke flavor is richer and the temperature gradient lets you cook multiple cuts at different doneness in one session. For ribs alone, pellet smokers are easier and produce competition-quality results.
Are pellet temperatures accurate?
Pellet smokers run 15 to 30 degrees hotter at the grate than the dial setting because the heat source is concentrated under one half of the cook chamber. A Traeger set to 225°F typically reads 240 to 260°F at the grate. Place an oven thermometer at grate level to verify. Adjust your dial down by 25°F if you're cross-referencing offset-smoker recipes — for this recipe, stick with the 225°F dial setting since cook times are calibrated for pellet behavior.
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