St Louis Style Ribs

5 stars (1 review)

Learn how to make the best St. Louis-style pork ribs at home, no matter where you live! Grill or bake them in the oven, slathered with Dijon mustard and your favorite BBQ sauce for fall-off-the-bone spare ribs that practically melt in your mouth.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 40

Course: bbq, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: -4 Servings

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Sommer Collier

Ingredients

1 rack st louis pork ribs AKA spare ribs (3-4 pounds)
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pork rub seasoning
1 cup bbq sauce

Instructions

Remove the silverskin: Flip the rack of ribs over. There is a membrane on the back side of the ribs. Sometimes you can grab the corner of the membrane and pull it off in one large sheet. If this proves to be difficult, take a butter knife and scrape the membrane off the ribs along the edges of each rib bone.
Season the ribs: Place 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard on the ribs and rub over both sides. Then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of pork seasoning on both sides. Do not be tempted to add extra seasoning; the ribs hold in the salt and can become too salty!
Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil and press around the edges. Bake the ribs for 2 hours.
Remove the ribs from the oven and turn the heat up to 425°F. Bake the ribs for an additional 10 minutes uncovered, then brush the ribs with ½ cup of barbecue sauce and place them back in the oven for 10 minutes. Take the ribs out again, brush with a second ½ cup of barbecue sauce, and place back in the oven for 10 more minutes. This last uncovered cooking portion creates the "bark" around the exterior of the ribs. Cut and serve.
Grill method: Preheat a gas grill to 325°F. Wrap the rack of ribs in aluminum foil, and cook for 1 hour, 30 minutes per side.
Then unwrap the ribs and place them back on the grill top-side-down for 10 minutes. Turn the ribs over, and brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes. Continue brushing and flipping the meat every 10 minutes until it has cooked for 1 hour uncovered. The ribs should cook for at least 2 hours total time, but up to 2 ½ hours if they do not seem as tender as you like.

Video

Notes

Use our homemade pork seasoning, a store-bought bbq seasoning, or make a quickie rub with: 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp paprika.

Storing Leftovers - Store leftover ribs together in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing - Ribs freeze well! Wrap each individual rib in a layer of plastic wrap, then bundle together and tightly wrap in aluminum foil. For extra protection from freezer burn, I suggest also placing the foil-wrapped ribs in a plastic ziploc bag. Store St. Louis pork ribs in the freezer for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating - Reheat the ribs in the microwave in short bursts at 50% power. Check after each burst so that you don't overcook them. Alternatively, you can wrap them loosely in foil, and bake them on a baking sheet for 15 minutes or so in a 350 degree oven.

Nutrition