Dry rubbed first, these St. Louis Style Ribs get basted with apple juice, wrapped and then basted again with BBQ sauce for that fall off the bone, tender rib. Let me show you how on the grill or in the oven! Did you know that St. Louis Style Ribs doesn’t refer to a dry rub or BBQ sauce, but the cut of the rib itself.
How to Make St. Louis Style Ribs
Third in my Ribs Series are these beautiful St. Louis Style Ribs!
St. Louis Style Ribs doesn’t necessarily refer to a dry rub or BBQ sauce, but the cut of the rib itself. What we’re looking for are ribs dry rubbed and mopped while grilling or smoking, then basted with a BBQ sauce until lacquered and fall apart tender! Let me show you how on the grill or in the oven.
Did you know that the sparerib comes from the belly area and are typically fatter with more meat on them. They are cut down into a rectangular shape, have flatter bones and when the cartilage and breastbone is trimmed away they are known as a St. Louis Style Sparerib.
Below you can see the baby back ribs on the left and the St. Louis style cut of spareribs on the right.
(Image credit: Christine Gallary)
This rack of St. Louis Style Ribs came three to a pack and were gigantic! Thanks Costco and Mr. Pig Farmer.
I gave these guys a nice bit of my Dry Rub for Pork Ribs after rubbing both sides with yellow mustard and let them rest for 30 minutes minimum (or 8 hours, covered if refrigerated).
Preheat your grill to 350°F. For these we will be grilling using indirect heat. For gas grill do the 2 Zone set up which is either half the grill is lit to achieve desired temperature and the meat is placed on opposite side, or have sides lit leaving the center NOT on or lowest temperature. To grill using indirect heat on a charcoal BBQ or smoker, ignite charcoal and place it to one side of the grill, creating a space for the food or the center with meat you’re cooking not directly over those lit coals. Typically use a drip pan under the meat to avoid any flareups.
Place the rack, bone side down on the grill, close the lid. Let these St. Louis Style Ribs cook for 30 minutes.
At this point one would mop the ribs on the grill with apple cider vinegar for a tangy flavor or use apple juice for a sweeter rib.
After 30 minutes on the grill, I like to take the ribs off the grill and place on 2 sheets of aluminum foil. Fold up the sides around the ribs and pour apple juice over the ribs.
Wrap the foil up and around the ribs tightly. You want this as watertight as possible after pouring in the apple juice. We are going to steam these ribs to cook and stay moist.
Place the wrapped St. Louis Style Ribs back on the grill, close the lid and increase temperature to 375°F for 30 minutes.
Turn the heat down to 250°F. Unwrap the ribs, remove them from of the foil, and place them back on the grill. Baste each side every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes with your favorite BBQ sauce.
You’re going to want to cook the ribs until the internal temperature is 145°F. Allow to rest 10 minutes, slice and serve. The meat should have pulled back from the end of the bones a 1/4 inch.
Look at these beauties!
If you have any leftover ribs I love to use the meat in my BBQ Pork with Cheesy Grits. For other rib recipes check out my Pineapple Five Spice Pork Ribs, or How to Make Baby Back Ribs, and serve them with Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts or my Classic Potato Salad. Enjoy!
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How to Make St Louis Style Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 lbs St Louis Style Ribs
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup apple juice (See Note 1)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds (See Note 2)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds (See Note 2)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds (See Note 2)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp ground cayenne
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dry mustard
Instructions
- Toast the fennel, coriander and cumin seeds in a sauté pan until fragrant and oils have been released. Grind in a spice grinder until in powder form. Feel free to use ground spices if you prefer, but use a 1/2 tsp LESS of each.
- In a small bowl whisk together the toasted/ground spices and all the remaining dry rub ingredients. Set aside.
- Peel membrane off from the back of ribs. Apply mustard on both sides of the ribs. Sprinkle dry rub all over both sides of the ribs.
- Let sit for 30 minutes minimum (or 8 hours, covered if refrigerated).
Grill Method
- Preheat gas grill or smoker to 350°F. Grill using indirect heat (See Note 3).
- Place the rack, bone side down on the grill, close the lid. Let the ribs cook for 30 minutes.
- Take ribs off grill and place on aluminum foil. Fold up sides, pour apple juice (mop sauce) over and wrap tightly in foil. You want this as watertight as possible after pouring in the apple juice.
- Place the wrapped ribs back on the grill, close the lid and increase temperature to 375°F for 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to 250°F. Unwrap the ribs, remove them from of the foil, and place them back on the grill. Baste each side with BBQ sauce every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145°F. Allow to rest 10 minutes, slice and serve.
Oven Baked Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the rack, bone side down on the foil lined baking sheet and let the ribs bake for 30 minutes.
- Take ribs off baking sheet and place on a new sheet of aluminum foil (maybe use 2 sheets of aluminum foil to accommodate ribs). Fold up sides, pour apple juice (mop sauce) over and wrap tightly in the foil. You want this as watertight as possible after pouring in the apple juice.
- Place the wrapped ribs back on the baking sheet and increase oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to 250°F. Unwrap the ribs, remove them from of the foil, and place them back in the oven. Baste each side with BBQ sauce every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 145°F. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.
Notes
- I'm using the apple juice as a mop sauce substitute here. For a tarter mop sauce, substitute apple cider vinegar for the apple juice.
- If you are not using whole spices, use a 1/2 tsp LESS of each ground spice.
- Grill using indirect heat: For gas grill do the 2 Zone set up which is either half the grill is lit to achieve desired temperature and the meat is placed on opposite side, or have sides lit leaving the center NOT on or lowest temperature. To grill using indirect heat on a charcoal BBQ or smoker, ignite charcoal and place it to one side of the grill, creating a space for the food or the center with meat you’re cooking not directly over those lit coals. Typically use a drip pan under the meat to avoid any flareups.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
I used to cook st Louis ribs using both the grill and oven method (similar cooking temps) described until I discovered the low and slow method followed by a searing finish. The higher temp quick method is hit or miss especially grilling but even in the oven you end up with a tougher rib compared to a 225 to 250 cooking temp. The grill is almost impossible to end up with a consistent doneness if your cooking multiple slabs. In my opinion unless you like a dry chewy rib with the exposed bones burned which also imparts a negative flavor… Read more »
Thanks for the tips here John.