What Are St. Louis Style Pork Ribs?

Oven Baked St. Louis Style Ribs Recipe: These ribs are perfect with my favorite Perfect Boiled Corn on the Cob or Oven Fries. They are made in the oven and covered in BBQ sauce. For a summer potluck, you can pair them with this flavorful Mango Salsa.

The name St. Louis Ribs comes from the cut of the meat, not the seasoning or sauce used.

And of course, you can grill all weekend long and make these St. Louis-style ribs in the oven at the same time.

St. Louis style pork ribs are a popular cut of ribs that come from the belly of the pig underneath the sternum or breastbone. They are also sometimes called St. Louis cut spare ribs. These juicy flavorful ribs have a distinct rectangular shape that sets them apart from other rib cuts like baby back ribs.

A Closer Look at St. Louis Style Ribs

St. Louis ribs are cut from the spare ribs, which run along the belly of the pig. To make St. Louis style ribs, the rib tips are trimmed off, creating a tidy rectangular rack. The cartilage on the ends of the bones is also trimmed.

This leaves a rack of ribs with a meaty center section and straight, even bones along the sides. The bone ends are left exposed which helps the ribs develop a delicious caramelized bark when smoked or grilled.

Compared to baby back ribs which come from the loin, St. Louis ribs have more fat marbled throughout the meat. This extra fat basting the ribs as they cook makes them incredibly moist, tender and flavorful.

St. Louis ribs are usually wider and meatier than baby backs. A full rack can weigh 2-4 pounds. They take a bit longer to cook than baby backs but the payoff is worth it.

Why St. Louis Style Ribs Are So Popular

There are a few reasons why St. Louis style ribs have become a backyard barbecue favorite:

More meat – The rectangular shape means you get more meat compared to other rib cuts. The meat also has great marbling for added moisture and flavor.
Ideal structure – With the rib tips and cartilage trimmed, St. Louis ribs cook evenly from end to end. The straightened bones make them easier to cut and serve.
Great flavor – All that fatty marbling gives St. Louis ribs incredible richness and flavor, especially when seasoned and smoked low and slow.
Good value – You get a lot of tasty meat for the money compared to pricier baby back ribs.
Competition-worthy – The uniform shape and meat distribution makes them a go-to choice for barbecue competitions.

How to Cook St. Louis Style Ribs

There are a few keys to cooking competition-worthy St. Louis ribs at home:

Remove membrane – Peel off the thin membrane on the backside of the ribs so seasonings can penetrate and smoke can reach the meat.
Season generously – A salty, sweet rub will form a flavorful bark and help break down the meat. Let them sit for at least an hour before cooking.
Smoke low and slow – Indirect heat around 225-250°F for 4-6 hours lets the collagen melt for tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs.
Wrap if desired – For ultra-tender ribs, wrap them tightly in foil after a few hours to braise in their juices.
Finish with char – Unwrap and char the ribs over direct heat to caramelize the sauce and render any remaining fat.
Let rest – Let the ribs rest 5-10 minutes before slicing to allow juices to reabsorb.

Serving Suggestions

A rack of saucy, smoky St. Louis ribs is a meal in itself but it doesn’t hurt to add a few classic barbecue sides:

Baked beans
Coleslaw
Corn on the cob
Potato salad
Mac and cheese
Collard greens
Cornbread

A cold beer or homemade lemonade also pairs perfectly with a platter of finger-lickin’ ribs fresh off the smoker.

Why Make Them at Home?

Cooking St. Louis ribs yourself lets you personalize them with your favorite rubs and sauces. Homemade ribs can rival what you get from a restaurant or barbecue joint.

It’s also very rewarding to master smoking ribs and seeing your family or friends devour them. While it takes time and patience, the incredibly moist, fall-off-the-bone ribs are well worth the effort.

In Summary

St. Louis style ribs are a highly coveted cut of pork ribs prized for their abundance of flavorful, well-marbled meat. The rectangular shape with exposed bone ends gives them a classic barbecue look.

Seasoned well and smoked low and slow, St. Louis ribs become meltingly tender and develop an irresistible caramelized bark or char. Their meatiness and rich flavor make them a stellar choice for backyard barbecues. Learning to prepare competition-worthy ribs yourself is extremely satisfying.

what are st louis style pork ribs

How to prepare Ribs for cooking?

Step 1: Remove from the packaging and rinse with water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Step 2: Take off the membrane that’s on the bottom of the ribs.
Step 3: Apply the dry rub. You can leave it on for an hour or two, or you can start cooking the ribs.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 350F. Place rack in the middle. Wrap ribs in aluminum foil. Put the ribs on a baking sheet and bake them for about two hours, or until they are soft.
Step 5: Take the ribs out of the foil and cover them with a lot of barbecue sauce. Put it back in the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is hot and darker. Cut into individual ribs. Serve.

Can these ribs be cooked on the grill?

Some people like to cook ribs in the oven and then finish them on the grill.

I personally rarely do so, because it makes a mess.

After putting the barbecue sauce on the ribs, cook them on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them once. Let them finish cooking on the grill.

Update!!!

I’ve received numerous comments and you guys seem to love this recipe.

I’ve received a lot of questions on how to make these St. Louis ribs on the grill.

I like making them in the oven better because grilling them at 350F to 400F (not higher!) for about an hour and a half takes too much time for me, plus it costs a lot of money for gas.

If you’d like to cook these St. Louis Style Ribs on the grill, follow these steps:

Rub ribs with the seasoning
Preheat grill to 350F. Wrap ribs in aluminum foil and grill for 60 minutes.
Brush barbecue sauce on the ribs, then wrap them up again and grill for 15 more minutes. Take it out of the foil again, brush it with sauce, and then put it back in. Cook for 15-25 more minutes until tender.

St Louis Style Ribs Made Easy

FAQ

What’s the difference between regular ribs and St Louis style ribs?

Louis-style spare ribs are the meatier ribs cut from the belly of thehog after the belly is removed. They are usually trimmed down by cutting away the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage, otherwise known as connective tissue. St. Louis-style ribs are flatter than baby back ribs, which makes them easier to brown.

Are St Louis style ribs any good?

Perhaps a more well-known name for these ribs is “spareribs.” Compared to baby back ribs, this cut has more meat between the bones. They also have more fat between the ribs, which makes them a flavorful choice.

Why are they called St. Louis style ribs?

states that the reason we call the cut “St. Louis style” is due to the fact that many of the packing houses of the country were concentrated in the area. Pork Spareribs became popularized between the 1930s – 1960s. By 1930, ribs could be found at many barbecue stands across the country.

Which pork ribs are the best?

Being large and meaty, with defined bones and a copious amount of delightful fat, spare ribs are widely considered to be the most flavorsome and the go-to choice for barbecues and get-togethers everywhere.