St Louis Ribs

St. Louis-style spare ribs are trimmed into a neat rectangular rack, rubbed with a classic barbecue spice blend, and smoked low and slow using the 3-2-1 method until fall-off-the-bone tender. A final glaze of barbecue sauce over direct heat caramelizes into a sticky, irresistible finish.

By YumYum Editorial · BBQ & Grilling

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 5 min · Total: 20 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 racks St. Louis-style spare ribs (about 3-3.5 lbs each), membrane removed
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard, for binder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup apple juice, for spritzing
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pats
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Flip the racks bone-side up and remove the thin membrane by loosening a corner with a knife and pulling it off in one piece for better rub penetration and tenderness.
2. Rub both racks with a thin coat of mustard, then season generously with a mix of brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.
3. Preheat a smoker to 225°F using fruit wood like apple or cherry.
4. Smoke the ribs bone-side down for 3 hours, spritzing with apple juice every 45 minutes to keep the surface moist.
5. Remove the ribs and wrap each rack tightly in foil with pats of butter and a drizzle of honey ("the 2" in 3-2-1). Return to the smoker for 2 hours.
6. Unwrap carefully (steam will escape) and check for tenderness — the rack should bend deeply and the meat should have pulled back from the bone ends.
7. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce and return to the smoker unwrapped for 30-45 minutes ("the 1") to set and caramelize the glaze.
8. Rest 10 minutes, then slice between the bones and serve with extra sauce on the side.