Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs (Family Famous and Easy Recipe)
There’s something magical about a backyard barbecue, isn’t there? And a family backyard barbecue at that! Laughter fills the air, the drinks are flowing, and what is that floating throughout? The tantalizing aroma of the smoker as the Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs cook low and slow. In this post, I’m sharing the ultimate guide into the art of preparing the perfect smoked ribs—because every great gathering deserves a centerpiece that not only satisfies the palate but also nourishes the spirit. Get ready to fire up the smoker and create a dish that will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Jump to RecipeSmoked St. Louis Style Ribs
You may have heard of several smoked pork rib styles: St. Louis style, baby back, spare ribs and country style. Each bring their own unique flavors and textures to the table, so let’s break down some critical differences!
Spare ribs are from the belly area and are the largest and meatiest of the bunch, which greatly benefits from slow cooking and smoking. St. Louis style ribs are a butchered version of spare ribs. They feature a rectangular shape and a meatier, more substantial cut, perfect for absorbing smoke. Baby back ribs come from the upper portion of the pig’s rib cage and are smaller, more tender, and leaner. Lastly, country style ribs are not technically ribs at all as we discussed previously; they’re cut from the shoulder and feature more meat and less bone, offering a hearty option that’s versatile for grilling, smoking, or slow cooking.
Smoking Style
Although there are several options of ribs to smoke, the greatest thing about this recipe is its versatility! The preparation is the same for each style, and the only key difference would be time. However, when it comes to smoking, temperature is key. As you will see in the recipe, you will want to monitor the internal temperature of the ribs closely, more so than the time. This recipe will also outline measurements for a single rack of ribs, so adjust accordingly if making more than one. I have discovered that my smoker, a Pit Boss Wood Pellet & Gas Combo Grill, can fit 3 full racks. The only trick you will need to gauge yourself is how much to make as I can guarantee everybody will be asking for more!
How to Make the Perfect Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs
Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs (Family Famous and Easy Recipe)
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: SouthernDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes6
hoursThese Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs are a staple of any family cookout function, earning its title as “Family Famous.” Let the internal temperatures guide you, and the only problem you will face is never having enough as it will keep everyone wanting more!
Ingredients
1 rack of St. Louis Style Ribs
1/3 cup Yellow Mustard
1/2 cup Apple Juice, divided
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup dry pork rub
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Directions
- Prepping the Smoker and Ribs
- Preheat smoker to 180°F and allow to stabilize for at least 15 min.
- While smoker is preheating, prep your rack of ribs if your butcher has not already done so. There will be a silvery membrane on the bones side of the ribs that needs to be removed. Using a butter knife, slide it under the membrane between two bones on the longer side of the rack, and then using a paper towel (provides better grip), pull the membrane up. If you have a good grip, it is possible to do this in a single motion!
- Dry the prepped ribs completely with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix together the yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and half of the apple juice until homogenous.
- Using a basting brush, brush the binding mixture on both sides of the rack of ribs.
- Season the rack of ribs with the dry pork rub, ensuring all sides are covered. Gently pat the rub down into the binder to ensure it stays in place during transportation and smoking.
- Initial Smoke
- Transfer the ribs, meat side up, to the preheated smoker. Allow to smoke for ~3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Wrapping the Ribs
- Remove the ribs from the smoker and increase the temperature to 230°F.
- While the smoker is increasing in temperature, tear off a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil a few inches longer than the rack of ribs.
- Place the ribs, meat side up, on the center of the foil – there should be a few inches of foil both on the sides and above/below the rack.
- Drizzle half of the honey across the ribs, followed by sprinkling half of the brown sugar on top.
- Flip the ribs over, so they are bones side up.
- Repeat the honey drizzle and brown sugar sprinkle with the remaining honey and sugar.
- Pull the sides of the aluminum foil (long edges) up and gently crimp and fold over 2-3 times. Neatly fold one of the short ends fully towards the ribs, leaving one end open like a funnel. Using this funnel, add the remaining apple juice to the wrapped ribs before folding the open end up neatly, sealing the ribs fully.
- Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker, bones up, and smoke for an additional ~2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 205°F.
- Final Smoke
- CAREFULLY remove the foil from the ribs (a large amount of liquid will have been released and will be HOT).
- Brush the ribs on both sides with the BBQ sauce.
- Discard the foil and place the ribs directly on the smoker grill grates once again, meat side up, and allow to smoke for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce firms up.
- Remove the ribs from the smoker, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting up and serving!
Notes
- For the foil wrap, you can use extra long heavy duty aluminum foil which only requires one sheet. However, you can also you the more common normal width aluminum foil, in which you will want to stagger 2-3 sheets before wrapping.
