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Apple cider glazed smoked St. Louis spare ribs, sliced and piled on a stainless steel sheet pan

Smoked St. Louis Ribs with Apple Cider Glaze

Two racks of St. Louis cut spare ribs smoke low over cherry wood with an apple cider spritz, wrap with an apple cider glaze until probe tender around 203 degrees F, then finish sticky on the grates.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ribs
  • 2 racks St. Louis-style spare ribs about 12 to 13 bones each
  • your favorite sweet BBQ rub
  • mustard optional binder
Apple Cider Spritz
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Apple Cider BBQ Glaze
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp BBQ rub the same one from the ribs
For the Foil Wrap, Optional
  • prepared apple cider BBQ glaze
  • brown sugar
  • butter a few pats per rack

Equipment

  • Smoker or charcoal grill set up for smoking
  • Cherry wood
  • Spray Bottle
  • Saucepan
  • Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
  • Tongs
  • Instant-Read Thermometer

Method
 

Prep
  1. 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.
  2. The membrane is optional to remove. Scoring it works too. Make quick shallow cuts across the membrane without cutting deep into the meat.
  3. 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.
Smoke
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
Wrap and Braise
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Glaze and Finish
  1. 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.
  2. 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

Doneness: Go by probe tenderness and the bend, not just the number. Around 203°F is where the collagen has fully given up.
No Smoker: The whole cook works in the oven at the same temperatures. You lose the cherrywood smoke, everything else plays the same.
Glaze: Keeps for days in the fridge and rewarms fast.
Nutrition: Values shown are estimates only. Every rack of ribs is different in size and fat content, so your actual numbers will vary with the racks you buy and how much glaze you use.

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