Smoked St. Louis Ribs
These ribs go low and slow over cherry wood with an apple cider spritz, wrap with an apple cider glaze until probe tender, then get finished sticky right on the grates. Cider, brown sugar, honey, and a dash of cinnamon glaze means these smoked St. Louis ribs taste like fall in your mouth.
Author’s Notes
These Take Time, and They’re Very Rewarding
These do take time, but they’re very rewarding. You wanna cook these when you have enough time on your hands, so make them when you’ve got a few hours to let the smoker do its thing. They can be enjoyed really for dinner, and you can even cook them in your house oven at the same temperature, they just will not have that smoky flavor.
The reason why I recommend spare ribs is because there’s more fat in them, and fattier is more juicy. That fat keeps them juicy and flavorful the whole cook.
And the easiest way to slice the ribs, put the meat side down with the bone side up, so you can see how the bones are running, and then you can just slice them with a knife. Serve them with your favorite sides, baked beans, some macaroni and cheese, you know, any of your favorite sides.
Miguel
What Makes a St. Louis Cut
St. Louis ribs are spare ribs that have already had the knife work done for you. The rib tips and dangly cartilage get trimmed off leaving you with a squared-up rack that cooks evenly from tip to tip. The racks I get are almost always 12-13 bones unless it’s just one big fat bone kind of rack. You’ll also want to trim any extra flap meat or thin bits of meat that aren’t part of the square rack. You want an even rack so that it cooks more evenly vs one side being more done than the other.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| St. Louis cut spare ribs | Two racks of ribs here, anywhere from 12-13 bones per rack. Most likely they will be partially trimmed already, but make sure anything hanging off gets trimmed. |
| Sweet BBQ rub | Grab your favorite Sweet rub. We’re keeping these sweet tonight, not spicy. |
| Mustard | Optional binder, but honestly the ribs usually don’t need it. |
| Apple cider, apple juice, apple cider vinegar | The spritz. This mixture sprayed over the ribs throughout the cook keeps the surface from drying out and adds in apple flavor from start to finish. |
| The glaze | All made up in one pot. Apple cider, brown sugar, honey, BBQ sauce, cider vinegar, butter, cinnamon, garlic powder, and a little of that rub you got sitting around. Everything simmers together till it reduces down thick and glossy. |
| Brown sugar and butter | Also optional, but if you want them richer and sweeter add these to the foil wrap. |
| Cherry wood | Mild smoke flavor with deep color. It’s also super complementary to cooking with apple. |
Grab the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements.
Here’s How We Make Them
- Start by squaring up the racks if needed. Trim off any thin meat or flap meat so you’re left with even racks that sit flat, about 12-13 bones per rack.
- Removing the membrane is up to you. Some people swear by it, others don’t think it makes that much difference. I personally score mine with a knife. Quick shallow cuts across the fatty backside of the ribs, not cutting into the meat.
- Season ribs on both sides liberally with your favorite sweet rub. No binder needed, though if you want to use mustard as a binder go ahead.
- On to the smoker they go at 275 degrees over cherry wood, about 2.5 hours till the bark has formed and the ribs are sitting around 175 internal.
- Spritz these babies every time they look like they have a dry surface. Build up that bark!
- While the ribs smoke, let’s make that glaze. Toss all those ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes till it reduces down thick and glossy. Set aside when finished.
- Bark formed? Time to wrap. Place each rack of ribs on a large piece of heavy foil. Brush them both sides generously with glaze, top with brown sugar and add pats of butter if you’re feeling rich. Wrap up tight and back on the smoker till they reach around 203 and are probe tender.
- The tong test. Pick one rack up by the middle as shown. It should bend easily and you’ll see a slight crack form across the top of the meat.
- Slather them with more glaze, meat side up, unwrapped this time. About 10 minutes on the grates till the sauce gets tacky.
- Rest for 10 minutes, slice, and serve.
How to Slice St. Louis Style Ribs
Start by flipping the rack over so the ribs are meat side down. You can see exactly where each bone runs so you just slice straight down between them. Cutting into ribs with a knife starting from the meat side is how people end up chopping one super meaty rib and one where all the meat got sliced off into the tray.
Why Finish at 203?
The fat and collagen inside of spare ribs needs to break down before the meat becomes tender, and that doesn’t happen at 165 like safe-to-eat according to food safety. It happens up around 200 degrees. By wrapping them the inside of the foil it traps steam which helps the ribs hit that last few degrees without completely drying them out. It’s the difference between ribs that tug on the bone and ribs that let go clean.
If You Don’t Have a Smoker
This entire cook goes in the oven at the same temps. You’ll miss out on the cherrywood smoke, but everything else about this recipe plays exactly the same.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make ahead, the glaze will keep for days in the fridge covered. Rewarms really fast, just like BBQ sauce. Leftover smoked St. Louis ribs keep covered in the fridge a few days. Reheat on low heat wrapped in foil so they don’t dry out, then unwrap the last few minutes if you want to get that glaze sticky again.
Tips from Miguel
- The first thing you want to do is square the rack. Even cooks evenly.
- Score the membrane if you’re going to leave it on. Keeps the rack intact while still allowing flavor to penetrate through the back.
- Keep that spritz close once you start to see good bark forming. A dry surface will stop coloring.
- The glaze is pretty thick so don’t drown them. Layer it on in coats.
- Don’t rush it. These are a cook you plan your day around, not squeeze into your meal plan.
Smoked St Louis Ribs FAQ
Should I remove membrane from St. Louis ribs?
The membrane is your choice. Removing it allows smoke and seasoning easy access to the back of the ribs. Scoring the membrane with shallow cuts from a knife does most of the same thing without removing it from the rack. Feel free to score it if you hate pulling membrane.
What’s the difference between St. Louis ribs and spare ribs?
St. Louis ribs are spare ribs trimmed. The cartilage attached rib tips are removed to create an even looking rack that cooks evenly.
How do you know when St. Louis ribs are done?
Ribs are done when they reach about 203 and are probe tender. If you try to eat these ribs at a lower temperature, they may be technically done and safe to eat, but they won’t be tender at all. The collagen and connective tissue break down at the 200-203 range which is why we cook ribs to what seems like a really high temperature.
Related Recipes
More ribs off my smoker: the Smoked Ribs Recipe with Apple Whiskey Glaze trades the cider for whiskey on the same low and slow foundation, my Honey BBQ Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs run this same cut sweeter and stickier, the Hot and Fast Party Ribs are the answer when you don’t have all afternoon, and the Easy Apple Smoked Spare Ribs are where this apple and pork combination started for me.
Smoked St. Louis Ribs with Apple Cider Glaze
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Square up the racks. Trim any thin meat or flap meat hanging off so each rack sits even, about 12 to 13 bones per rack.
- The membrane is optional to remove. Scoring it works too. Make quick shallow cuts across the membrane without cutting deep into the meat.
- Season the ribs generously on both sides with your sweet BBQ rub. No binder needed, or use a thin layer of mustard if you like one.
- Get the smoker running at 275°F over cherry wood. Smoke the ribs about 2 1/2 hours, until the bark is set and they read around 175°F internal.
- Combine the spritz ingredients in a spray bottle. Spritz the ribs whenever the surface starts looking dry to keep the bark building without drying out.
- While the ribs smoke, make the glaze. Add the apple cider, brown sugar, honey, BBQ sauce, vinegar, butter, cinnamon, garlic powder, and rub to a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. Set aside.
- Once the bark is set, lay each rack on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Brush generously with the glaze, and add a little brown sugar and a few pats of butter for a richer, sweeter finish if you like.
- Wrap tightly and return to the smoker for about 1 hour, until the ribs reach around 203°F and are probe tender. Pick a rack up from the middle with tongs. It should bend down easily with a slight crack forming across the meat.
- Unwrap and place the ribs back on the grates meat side up. Brush on another layer of glaze and cook uncovered about 10 minutes, until the sauce is tacky.
- Rest about 10 minutes. To slice, flip the rack meat side down so you can see where the bones run, and cut straight between them.
Notes
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