Never stress over cooking ribs again. This Smoked St. Louis Ribs Recipe has the perfect smoky flavor, with cooked rib meat that falls off the bone. While there are many different ways to cook racks of ribs, this simple cooking process stands out above the rest. These St. Louis style ribs will be your favorite things to cook this summer in your smoker.
Everyone wants to enjoy bite after bite of juicy ribs, but most people don't realize it's simple to do. I've been making my own tender ribs for years now, and I've yet to come across a dry rub recipe better than this one. Not only do these St. Louis-style ribs give the perfect bite every time, but each bite of these St Louis ribs is loaded with the correct balance of seasoning, too.
Smoking the ribs is my cooking technique of choice because I love how the rib meat absorbs the smoky flavor. You can achieve this with a pellet grill or an electric smoker, so use what you have at home. Are you ready to dive into the details on how to make smoked St. Louis ribs? This rib recipe will be the hit of the summer.
Be sure to try these 3 2 1 Smoked Ribs or these Pellet Grill Ribs for more easy rib recipes, loaded with flavor.
Ingredients
- St. Louis ribs - St. Louis style ribs come from the belly side of the pig and are tender because of a higher fat content.
- Apple cider vinegar - Helps to tenderize the meat.
- Kosher salt - Salt enhances the flavors of ribs and the other dry rub ingredients.
- Smoked paprika - Adds great flavor to the ribs.
- Garlic powder - For a burst of garlic taste.
- Brown sugar - Great for adding sweetness to all sides of the ribs.
- Black pepper - A must for a rounded flavor profile.
- Yellow mustard - This is used on the front and back of the ribs to hold the BBQ rub in place.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Smoked St. Louis Ribs Recipe
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
Step One: Remove any excess fat or small chunks of fat from the ribs. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to remove excess membrane from the ribs. Some wrapped ribs have more of this than others.
Step Two: Rub yellow mustard on the rack of ribs. Sprinkle the bone side and front with the dry rub. Rub it in.
Step Three: Place the St. Louis style ribs on the grill for about 2 ½ hours. Take the ribs off, wrap them in butcher paper, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Step Four: Put the ribs on the smoker and cook while they are wrapped for another 2-3 hours. Unwrap the ribs and smoke for 20 minutes. Any sauces, like hot sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce, can be added to the St. Louis style ribs at this point. Remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest for 20 minutes, covered in aluminum foil.
Top tip
If you want bone tender, juicy meat, you can move the ribs to indirect heat for the last half hour of smoking. Just be sure that you're monitoring the internal temperature of these St. Louis-style ribs so that they're cooked all the way.
Substitutions
- Different rib meat - You can do this cooking process with spare ribs, rib tips, baby back ribs, and more. You'll just have to monitor the cook temp and time, as different cuts will cook and smoke faster than others.
- Apple juice - You can use this in place of the apple cider vinegar.
Variations
- Olive oil - Some people like to add a bit of olive oil to the back of these amazing ribs, but it's really not necessary due to them already having excess fat.
See these Sous Vide Short Ribs for tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs!
Equipment
I make sure that I have a good sharp knife, a cutting board, a water pan, a grill, and a smoker for this rib recipe.
Storage
Leftovers of these smoked ribs are easy to store. Simply let them cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container with a lid.
You can also freeze these cooked ribs and then thaw and reheat later.
Common Questions
You may not have smoked them long enough, or not cut off the excess membrane to make them tender and juicy. If you go to a local butcher to get your ribs, they'll be able to help you get the best cut.
You can season them and prep them in advance, as far as cutting off the fat and membrane. I don't like to let the seasoning rest for too long on the meat since it really absorbs the flavor.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Smoked St. Louis Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb St. Louis ribs
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Smoked Rub
- 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- .5 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225°F
- Start by removing any excess fat. Remove any membrane that might remain as well.
- Rub the rack of ribs with mustard.
- Sprinkle with dry rub. Rub it in.
- Cook the ribs on the grill for 2.5 hours.
- Remove ribs from the grill, wrap them in butcher paper, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Place on the smoker and cook wrapped for another 2-3 hours.
- Unwrap the ribs and smoke for another 20 minutes. You can add sauce at this point, if desired.
- Remove from the smoker. Rest for 20 minutes covered in foil.
Nutrition
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