St. Louis-Style Ribs

A rack of glossy, seasoned ribs is bound to be the star of any summertime spread. Luckily, you don’t have to have a professional smoker setup or even an outdoor grill, because this succulent rack of ribs is made exclusively in the oven. St. Louis-style ribs are ideal for both beginner and experienced rib wranglers. The ribs are covered in a smoky barbecue seasoning, brushed with your favorite barbecue sauce, and then broiled until sticky and caramelized. They’re so good they’ll disappear as soon as they hit the table!

St. Louis ribs are cut from the belly area where the breastbone has been removed, and are usually uniform in shape. They may also be labeled as St. Louis-style spareribs or breastbone-off pork spareribs.

• Make spice rub.
• Remove membrane.
• Brush ribs with mustard and apply spice rub.
• Rest ribs in the refrigerator.
• Wrap each rack in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake for about two hours.
• Unwrap and bake for about two more hours.
• Brush ribs with barbecue sauce.
• Broil until the sauce is bubbly and sticky.

Cooking ribs bone-side down prevents the meat from becoming waterlogged in its own juices as it cooks in the foil packet. 

If your St. Louis ribs are tough and dry, it has more to do with how you prepare and cook them than it does the style of ribs. Here are a few tips for ensuring juicy, tender St. Louis-style ribs.

• Remove the thin membrane. This membrane on the underside, or bone-side, of the ribs is made of the same stuff as silverskin on pork or beef tenderloins. No amount of cooking will soften this type of connective tissue, so it’s best to remove it before you begin. 
• Apply the spice rub early. Applying a dry rub that includes salt is the same thing as dry brining. Through the process of osmosis, the salt pulls moisture from the meat, the salt and seasonings dissolve in that moisture, then over time the liquid is reabsorbed back into the rib meat. Apply the rub hours or up to a day in advance so that all of the meat — not just the surface — is seasoned and retains moisture.
• Bake low and slow. Ribs contain a lot of other connective tissue (aside from the aforementioned membrane). That tough tissue will dissolve over time when cooked at a low temperature, resulting in juicy, tender meat. 
• Know when the ribs are done. Fall-off-the-bone ribs are the result of overcooked ribs, and decidedly not what we’re looking for. After all, the best ribs have a bit of chew to them! Using tongs to pick up each rack in the center, the ribs should bend in an upside-down rainbow, or “U” shape, and the spice-rubbed crust should crack and expose the meat below.