St. Louis ribs are the most popular smoked ribs because they are so flavorful and juicy. Learn how to smoke amazing St. Louis style ribs right at home and you will be the talk of every barbecue party.
Take the ribs out of the package and pat them dry with a paper towel. Turn the ribs over onto its back and you will see a thin white covering on the bones all along the rack. Starting at one end, use a small knife to slide right under the membrane and gently pull up, but don’t cut it.
Grab the membrane with a paper towel and slowly but firmly pull the membrane off the entire rib. 9 times out of 10 it will come off nice and smooth with no problem.
Rub a little bit of canola oil all over the top and bottom of the rack.
Mix all the ingredients for the dry rub in a bowl and spread dry rub all over the top of the rib racks, pat and massage the seasoning all over to spread it evenly, and flip. Do the same to the bottom of the rack.
You can smoke the ribs right away or, for best results, let the ribs marinate for as little as 2 or as long as 24 hours.
Place the ribs on a large baking sheet or into a large aluminum pan. Cover it air-tight and refrigerate for as little as 2 hours or as long as 24 hours. Pull the ribs out of the refrigerator before starting the smoker so they can warm up on the counter.
Smoking the ribs:
Set up your smoker and preheat it to 225°. I highly recommend including a water pan or water/drip pan to the lower rack of the smoker, under the ribs. Use a digital oven thermometer to track the temperature on the grill grate. Don’t rely on the thermometer built into the lid of the smoker, they are usually at least 20 degrees off.
(If using wood or charcoal smoker, maintain the temperature right around 225° but don’t let it get below 225° or over 250°).
When the smoker temperature is at 225°, place ribs on the grate and close the lid.
Smoke ribs for 6-8 hours, depending on their size. (Large, meaty racks could take a little longer and if you stack more than 2 racks in a rib holder, expect to add at least 1 more hour to total cook time.)
For the sauce: combine all the ingredients in a sauce pot, mix well, and bring it to simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time. Take off heat until ready to use.
When ribs are done, take them off the smoker and close the smoker lid right away so you don’t loose heat. Glaze the ribs with sauce all over the top and bottom of each rack.
Place ribs back onto the smoker for 10-15 minutes.
Take the ribs off and let them rest for 15 minutes before cutting. You can glaze them with more sauce if you wish or serve with sauce on the side.