St. Louis Smoked Ribs

This girl can grill! Boy are these ribs amazing! I read a lot of bbq blogs regarding the best method to cook meat on the smoker and sometimes their methods work out really well and other times they just don't work.  When you come across a method that just isn't working, the key is to just keep trying - tweaking the recipe, trying different cooking temps, cooking times, using a different cut of meat, etc.

There are tons of blog posts on ribs and the best method for cooking them. A lot of smoking champs talk about the 3-2-1 method and I have just never been able to make that work for me. Basically, it is 3 hours of direct smoking, 2 hours wrapped in foil on the grill, then 1 additional hour of direct cooking on the grill to get a nice crust on the ribs.

Starting with the basic 3-2-1 method, I made some minor tweaks and have come up with the most amazing smoked ribs! They are just perfect - moist and delicious, fall off the bone, etc.

St. Louis Smoked Ribs
Makes 1 slab

Ingredients:

• 1 slab St. Louis style ribs membrane removed (you could also use baby back ribs)
• Your favorite bbq rub
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

How to make St. Louis Style Smoked Ribs:

1. The night before you cook the ribs, remove them from the refrigerator and rub them with your favorite bbq rub and olive oil. Be generous with the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
2. 1 hour prior to smoking your ribs, remove them from the refrigerator and let sit. Soak your smoking wood in water or apple juice at this time as well.
3. Set your grill up for indirect smoking at 225-250 degrees. Place your seasoned ribs directly on the grill and let smoke for 2.5 hours. 
4. Remove the ribs from the smoker and wrap in tinfoil. Place back on the smoker and continue to cook for 2.5 additional hours. 
5. Remove from the smoker and let rest still wrapped in foil for 1 hour.
6. Now, set your grill up for direct heat cooking and crank the temperature up to 450-500 degrees.
7. Place the ribs on the grill bone side down for 4-5 minutes until a nice crust forms. 
8. Remove and serve immediately. 

These ribs are so tender and just fall right off the bone. They are perfect and the method works every time. 

Here are a few more pics:

Right when they go on the grill the first time

Right before getting wrapped in tinfoil - they have been smoking for 2.5 hours at this point

Finished plate served with some amazing sides

Now that it is starting to warm up, you should definitely be trying this recipe!

Enjoy!

~H