St. Louis-Style BBQ Pork Ribs

Tags: #BBQ #Pork #American #Smoking Serving: 6 servings Total time: 6 hours 30 minutes

Classic St. Louis-cut spare ribs with a sweet-tangy rub and lacquered sauce, smoked low and slow for tender, bite-through ribs.

Ingredients

• 2,600 g St. Louis-cut pork spare ribs (2 racks)
• 45 g yellow mustard

Dry rub

• 60 g light brown sugar
• 24 g kosher salt
• 20 g sweet paprika
• 10 g smoked paprika
• 10 g garlic powder
• 10 g onion powder
• 8 g ground black pepper
• 6 g chili powder
• 4 g mustard powder
• 2 g cayenne pepper

Spritz

• 150 ml apple juice
• 30 ml apple cider vinegar

Wrap

• 30 g unsalted butter
• 20 g light brown sugar
• 30 ml apple juice
• 10 ml apple cider vinegar

St. Louis-style sauce

• 240 ml ketchup
• 60 ml apple cider vinegar
• 40 g light brown sugar
• 30 ml yellow mustard
• 20 ml molasses
• 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 4 g kosher salt
• 2 g ground black pepper
• 1 g garlic powder
• 1 g onion powder
• 1 g cayenne pepper
• 30 ml water

Steps

1. Trim excess flap meat and loose surface fat from the ribs.
2. Slide a blunt knife under the membrane on the bone side near a rib end.
3. Grip the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off in one sheet.
4. Blot the ribs dry with paper towels.
5. Mix all dry rub ingredients in a bowl.
6. Brush the ribs all over with the mustard.
7. Coat the bone side evenly with the rub.
8. Coat the meat side evenly with the rub.
9. Preheat a smoker to 120°C.
10. Combine the apple juice and vinegar for the spritz in a spray bottle.
11. Add hickory or apple wood to the smoker.
12. Place the ribs on the smoker bone side down.
13. Smoke the ribs for 3 hours.
14. Spritz the ribs lightly every hour during the first 3 hours.
15. Place each rack meat side up on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil.