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sliced st louis style ribs on a black background with one rib at bottom
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4.57 from 154 votes

Smoked St. Louis style ribs

Many pitmasters use the tried-and-true 3-2-1 method when cooking St. Louis Style Ribs. This recipe and video will show you how easy it is.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 racks St. Louis Style Ribs
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/4 cup BBQ rub
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup apple or grape juice
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

  • Heat Grill: Heat your grill or smoker to 225F degrees with an indirect heat zone.
  • Remove membrane: Flip the ribs, so that the bones are facing up. Using a paper towel, pull off the membrane and discard.
  • Trim: Trim off the flap of meat on the backside. Trim and remove any excess fat on top of the ribs.
  • Season: Rub the backside of the ribs with mustard and season with rib rub. Let the ribs rest for 15 minutes. Flip and rub the topside with mustard and rib rub. Rest for 15 more minutes.
  • Smoke: Place the ribs on the smoker meat side up. Smoke with the lid closed for 3 hours.
  • Wrap: Place two sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the counter. Crimp the edges so the liquid doesn't fall off. To the foil, add 4-5 pats of butter, 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, a liberal drizzle of honey and 1/4 cup juice. Place the ribs on the butter, meat side down. To the bone side of the ribs, add 4-5 more pats butter, 1-2 more tablespoons brown sugar and another drizzle of honey. Wrap tightly, crimping up the ends.
  • Braise: Place the ribs back on the smoker meat side down and cook for 2 hours.
  • Sauce: Remove from the smoker and unwrap from the foil. Flip the ribs over. Brush with sauce on the top side of the ribs. Return to the smoker bone side down for one more hour.
  • Slice: Remove from the smoker. Let rest a few minutes and slice.

Notes

For my ribs, I like to use my award-winning Pork Rub and Code 3 Spices Patriot Sauce.
If you add more juice, your ribs will be more tender. If you're competing, be careful you don't add too much. Judges don't like their meat to completely fall off the bone. They like it to have a little bite.
Instead of juice, you can also use beer or wine.
Nutritional content will vary, depending on how much mustard, sugar, honey and BBQ sauce you use.

Nutrition

Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 443IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 3mg