Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs (2024)

These delicious St. Louis ribs are topped with a mouthwatering rib rub and smoked to absolute perfection. The combination of flavors and the tenderness of the meat make these ribs an irresistible treat for any barbecue lover.

This recipe and video will show you just how easy it is to achieve incredible results right in your own backyard.

What are St. Louis style ribs?

You guessed it, St. Louis style ribs originated in the St. Louis area of Missouri. Essentially trimmed down spare ribs, these are extremely tender and meatier than other cuts. They come from the belly of the pig, have a bit more fat and are more flavorful than lean rib cuts like baby back ribs.

A full rack of spare ribs includes the brisket bones, which are often used to make riblets or rib tips. Once those are removed, the rectangular rack or ribs is called a St. Louis cut.

PRO TIP: St. Louis ribs usually cost a bit more per pound than spare ribs, so to save money, you can purchase spare ribs and trim them down yourself.

One end of a rack of St. Louis style ribs will be thicker and fattier. The opposite end will have smaller thin bones. Each rack usually has at least 11 bones and weighs 3-4 pounds.

When you look at the sides of the ribs, you’ll see that one side has obvious hard bones. The other side includes a strip of cartilage. If you want to trim your bones to be a certain length like for a barbecue competition, trim them from the cartilage side.

The meat rests on top of and in between the bones. The backside of the rack includes a strip of meat that is usually trimmed down before they’re packaged. Most of the time, the bones are covered with a membrane, also called silverskin. This should be removed before cooking.

For best results, cooking your St. Louis pork ribs low and slow using a 3-2-1 method is the secret to perfection. This method makes the meat incredibly tender and juicy.

You will be amazed at the tenderness and flavor of these ribs. Once the ribs are cooked, they are ready to be served. They can be eaten as-is or with your favorite barbecue sauce for extra flavor.

The smoke and the spices from the rib rub blend together to form an amazing flavor and make for a recipe making the best ribs. You will definitely want to return for more.

Ingredients

• St. Louis Style ribs
• Yellow mustard
• Your favorite dry rub seasoning: Pork ribs taste great with a rub that is a little bit on the sweeter side.
• Butter: The butter helps the ribs to stay moist and fall-off-the-bone good.
• Brown sugar
• Honey: This adds a hint of sweetness, along with the brown sugar.
• Juice: Use grape juice or apple juice as a braising liquid.
• Your favorite barbecue sauce

Substitutions: Instead of buying a pre-made BBQ rub, you can also make your own by combining kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Add a little brown sugar for sweetness and cayenne or chili powder for heat. 

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

How to cook St. Louis ribs

St. Louis style ribs can be cooked on any type of grill or smoker at 225F degrees over indirect heat.

If you have a kettlecharcoal grill, push the lit coals to one side and smoke the ribs on the grill grate over the side without coals.

If you’re cooking on a charcoal ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe, insert the diffuser plate and adjust the vents until you reach 225F degrees.

For agas grill, turn on one burner. Adjust that burner until the grill temperature reaches 225F degrees. Cook on the side with the burners turned off. To add smoke, usewood chips in a foil pouch.

If you have apellet grill, simply set the temperature to 225F degrees.

For theNinja Woodfire Grill, add pellets to the smoke box, set the function to smoke and the temperature to 225F degrees.

PRO TIP: Pecan, hickory and apple woods are the best choice when choosing smoking woods for ribs.

1. STEP ONE: With your fresh pork ribs bone-up, pull off the thin membrane and discard. This connective tissue is called the silverskin. The easiest way to remove the membrane it is to grip it with a paper towel.

2. STEP TWO: With a sharp knife, trim away any excess fat on top and the flap of meat on the backside.

3. STEP THREE: Rub the backside of the ribs with mustard and your favorite spice rub. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. The rub will start to sweat. Flip and repeat on the top side of the ribs.

4. STEP FOUR: Place the seasoned ribs on the grill over indirect heat with the bones facing down. Smoke with the lid closed for 3 hours. After three hours, your ribs should have developed a nice mahogany bark.

5. STEP FIVE: Place two sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the counter. Crimp up the edges so the ingredients don’t flow off. Using a butter knife, add 4-5 pats of butter, 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, a liberal drizzle of honey and 1/4 cup juice onto the foil. Place the ribs on the ingredients, meat side down. Add 4 pats butter, 1-2 more tablespoons brown sugar and another drizzle of honey to the bone side of the ribs. Wrap tightly, crimping up the ends.

6. STEP SIX: Place wrapped ribs back on the grill with the meat side facing down. Smoke for 2 more hours.

PRO TIP: Wrapping the ribs creates a braising environment, which ensures the ribs will be nice and moist.

7. STEP SEVEN: For the final step, you want to unwrap the ribs and get that lip-smacking candy sauce gloss on the ribs. Remove them from the smoker and unwrap them from the foil. Flip the ribs over and brush the meat side with barbecue sauce. Return to the smoker with the bones down for one more hour.

How to serve St. Louis ribs

Allow the ribs to rest for about 15 minutes. Then, place them on the cutting board with the bones facing up. Slice between the bones with a long serrated knife.

I personally love serving St. Louis ribs with some delicious sides like corn on the cob, macaroni salad or potato salad.

For those who like it extra saucy, serve them with a bowl of your favorite BBQsauce on the side.

Storage

After the meat is cooked, you can freeze for up to four months or refrigerate for three to five days. You’ll want to ensure that whatever method you use to store creates an airtight environment.

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