St. Louis Ribs

Summer may be coming to an end in some parts of the country, but here in the South we had about 5 days of fall and now we’re back to 80s. As my favorite coffee mug says, “Insert Eye Roll Here”. I love Fall and cannot wait for it to stick around. But, since we still have warm weather, we can continue to enjoy some summer favorites. This is one of them. This recipe uses the oven, but you can also use a smoker if you have one, and I’ve included a note about that at the bottom. We have used our smoker on the hottest of days where we can relax outside with our feet in the kiddie pool and a drink in our hand. The smoker adds that great smoky flavor, but y’all, cooking them in the oven makes amazingly juicy, tender ribs, too. And using Smoked Paprika in the dry rub helps to add a hint of smokiness. Ribs pair well with a lot of different side dishes, so make your favorites and enjoy a good meal with family or friends.

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BBQ Dry Rub
Makes 1 c
Prep time: 2 min

• 1/4 c dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried chipotle pepper powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground mustard

1. Mix everything together in a small bowl.
2. Store leftovers in an air-tight container.

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St. Louis Ribs
Serves 6
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 hrs

• 1 rack St. Louis style ribs (approx. 6 lbs)
• 1/2 c BBQ Dry Rub

1. Evenly spread dry rub on both sides of the rack of ribs.
2. Place on a wire rack on top of a large baking sheet. I covered a commercial-use half sheet pan with foil first, and sprayed the rack with pan spray before placing the ribs on it. I also had to cut the rack in half for it to fit on my pan, so if you need to do the same, be careful, use a well sharpened knife (or kitchen shears), and slice through the meat between 2 bones that are approximately in the middle of the rack.
3. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 8 hours, flipping the rack(s) over every 2 hours.
4. Serve with baked beans, potato salad, or coleslaw if desired.

*If you have a smoker, you can smoke these for 6 hours around 180 degrees. We’ve used the 3-2-1 method a few times and have not been disappointed. The basic method for this is smoking directly on the grates for 3 hours, then wrap in foil and cook 2 more hours. Finally, you brush it with some BBQ sauce of your choice and cook one more hour. We use a mixture of charcoal and wood pellets or chunks, so find the combination that works best for you. Learning to use a smoker is a fun adventure, so don’t be afraid to try different things.