St. Louis Ribs

I consider myself a "planner" through and through. I'm not a big fan of doing things last minute, and I like to know an agenda well beforehand. I can't say that's the same with dinner, though. Practically every day, Chris and I text back and forth regarding what we'll have for dinner. I then run to the grocery store during my lunch break with a grocery list. It works for us. Most of the time.

One day we were discussing what we wanted for dinner, and we both immediately said we wanted ribs. Luckily I have an amazing husband, because he offered to go to the store and get the process started. Since ribs take a few hours, waiting until I got home from work just wouldn't be ideal.

These ribs were phenomenal. Chris let them cook on low heat in the oven with a dry rub, and then half way through slathered them in BBQ sauce. The meat practically fell off the bones. Cooking them low and slow made the meat tender and juicy. The dry rub gave the ribs a nice flavor and crust, while the addition of BBQ sauce made them super moist. This is definitely a keeper. Enjoy!

 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients 

• 3 (4-lb.) slabs pork spare ribs, St. Louis style-cut (trimmed, fat ends)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 4 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 tsp. onion powder
• 4 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Begin by trimming the ribs of any excess fat or sinew. Remove the thin membrane from the back side of the ribs and discard.

Make the rub by combining the brown sugar, salt, chili powder, garlic, onion powder, paprika, cumin, pepper and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl.

Set out a few large sheets of foil (one set for each slab). Place 1 rack on each sheet and divide the dry rub between each slab. Rub the mixture into the ribs on both sides, and then fold the foil over to form a sealed pouch around each rack. At this stage, make sure the racks are meat-side down. Place each pouch on a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, open up the foil and peel back so the ribs are exposed. Carefully turn the meat over so the meat side is on top.

Brush the top and bottom of the racks with a generous amount of BBQ sauce. Cook racks for 1 1/2 more hours with the open foil. When done, the ribs will be tender and the meat will have shrunk back from the bones. Remove from oven, cut into portions, and serve with extra BBQ sauce.

Source: Adapted from Guy Fieri