3-2-1 Smoked St. Louis-Style Spareribs

There are hundreds of variations on this approach, but this is how I make 3-2-1 smoked St. Louis-Style spareribs. The end result is a tender, moist, flavorful rib. Spareribs are our favorite. They are meatier, bigger, and tastier than back ribs. And, when trimmed St. Louis-style, you get an extra bonus: rib tips.

Here are the ribs, trimmed and rubbed, ready to go onto the smoker (I used my Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker), followed by the final product. Yummy tasty ribs. I already removed the membrane on the back at this point. You want that pretty, even, rectangular shape. Ok, that doesn’t make them taste better but it’s cool.

3-2-1 Smoked St. Louis-Style Spareribs

3-2-1 smoked St. Louis-Style spareribs are amazing. I can eat them like candy and I have. But, if you prefer baby back ribs, check out my technique for making 2-2-1 smoked baby back ribs. Baby backs are less fatty so they tend to dry out if you’re not careful.

Need a great homemade sauce? Here are just a few of the ones I’ve made and love: smokehouse, southwestern, atomic, Sriracha and sweet-n-spicy.

Also try my smoked Asian ribs.

You can also make delicious St Louis-style ribs on a gas grill or Char-Broil Big Easy!

3-2-1 Smoked St. Louis-Style Spareribs
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3-2-1 Smoked St. Louis-Style Spareribs

There are hundreds of variations on the 3-2-1 approach to smoking St. Louis-style spareribs. The end result is a tender, moist, flavorful rib. Spareribs are our favorite. They are meatier, bigger, and tastier than back ribs. And, when trimmed St. Louis-style, you get an extra bonus: rib tips.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword ribs, smoked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 960kcal
Author From various sources

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Set up your smoker for cooking at 225 F. Add your wood of choice (I used cherry).
  • Trim the ribs St. Louis-style. There is an excellent tutorial on how to do this on the Virtual Weber Bullet.
  • Add rub to the ribs, rubbing into both sides of the slab.
  • Place ribs on smoker and smoke for 3 hours.
  • Remove ribs and place onto a large piece of aluminum foil.
  • Sprinkle top of ribs with half of the brown sugar and honey.
  • Flip and sprinkle bottom side with the remaining brown sugar and honey.
  • Pour apple juice over ribs and seal the foil.
  • Return ribs (in foil) to the smoker and cook another 2 hours.
  • Remove ribs from foil and place them on the smoker.
  • Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce and smoke up to another hour until meat starts to fall off of the bones, basting with more sauce as desired.
  • Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 960kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 260mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 811mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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