St. Louis Ribs Recipe

Name: St. Louis Ribs Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 46 min
Total time: 61 min
Ingredients: 3-4 pounds St. Louis Ribs or spare ribs; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ((optional)); 1/2 cup Reese Specialty Foods Ham Glaze (or your favorite BBQ sauce)

Fire up your grill and elevate your BBQ game with perfectly cooked St. Louis Ribs. Juicy and tender, pre-cooked in the pressure cooker to cut down cooking time and have perfect ribs at home every time!

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Rack of ribs next to a bowl of bbq sauce.

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If you are a fan of juicy ribs, St Louis-style ribs will quickly become a new favorite. They are packed with the flavor of a homemade dry rub and Reese Specialty Foods Ham Glaze. For this recipe, we're using pressure cooking to start, which makes the grilling process super easy and quick!

This recipe is sponsored by Reese Specialty Foods. Their ham glaze sauce is the perfect addition to a rack of juicy ribs. The sugar and pineapple in the sauce create a beautiful caramelized crust on the ribs in the last few minutes of cooking.

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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make St. Louis Ribs
Recipe FAQs
Sarah's Top Tips
Serving
Storage & Reheating
More Side Dish Ideas
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Flavorful. These St. Louis-style ribs are loaded with great flavor and will make everyone's taste buds happy.
Great for entertaining. Grill up a rack of ribs or two for your next party. It's a great way to feed several people and your guests will be happy.
Easy recipe. Cooking ribs may seem intimidating but it's really an easy process. If you love air fryer cooking, check out how to make ribs in the air fryer.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients needed to make St. Louis Ribs.

Ribs. For this recipe, you will need St. Louis-style ribs or pork spare ribs.
Paprika. I recommend a combo of sweet paprika and smoked paprika for a variety of flavors.
Brown sugar. Adds sweetness to the dry rub. You can also use honey.
Cayenne pepper. A nice, hot flavor that is perfect for BBQ. Chili powder or red pepper flakes will also work.
Apple cider vinegar. This is used for cooking the ribs in the Instant Pot. You can also use 1 cup of apple juice instead of the vinegar and water combo.
Reese Specialty Foods Ham Glaze. This glaze adds great additional flavor and sweetness to your ribs. The combo of pineapple and sugar makes the perfect sauce for ribs. Of course, you also use your favorite barbecue sauce.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

How to Make St. Louis Ribs

Step 1: Pat the rack dry with a paper towel. If using spare ribs, remove the skirt meat from the backside. Next, remove the membrane.

Step 2: Place the rack on a large baking sheet, mix the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl and rub it on all sides of the ribs.

Step 3: Place the steam basket in the Instant Pot and pour in apple cider vinegar and water. Add the ribs and ook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Step 4: Preheat the grill to 450 degrees F. Place the ribs facedown and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Step 5: Flip the rack.

Sauce being rubbed on a rack of ribs on a grill.

Step 6: Brush the ribs with Reese Specialty Foods Ham Glaze and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the grill, let them rest for about 15 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between ribs and St Louis-style ribs?

Baby back ribs and St. Louis ribs both come from a pig but they differ in cut, size and cooking style. Baby back ribs come from the upper back and are smaller and have less fat. St. Louis ribs come from the lower back near the belly and are flatter than baby backs, which makes them easier to cook evenly.

How do I prepare St. Louis-style ribs?

Start by removing the skirt from the back of the ribs if you have spare ribs. Then, remove the tough membrane and trim off any excess fat.

How do I know when St. Louis ribs are done?

They are done when the meat is tender and can be easily pulled off the bone. The internal temperature should be between 195 and 203 degrees F.

Sarah's Top Tips

Use high-quality ribs. The best ribs will have a lot of marbling and a good amount of meat on the bones.
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Use a sharp knife to loosen the membrane, then grip it with a paper or kitchen towel and pull it off.
Season generously on all sides of the rack with the dry rub to give it a nice crust.
Check the internal temperature of the ribs with a meat thermometer. They should be at least 195 degrees F and the meat should be falling off the bone when finished cooking.
Let the rack rest before serving. Tent the ribs with aluminum foil on a plate or cutting board for 15 minutes.

Serving

This recipe is perfect for any summer BBQ or night of entertaining guests. Serve them with all of your favorite sides including potato salad with balsamic vinaigrette, macaroni salad, Moroccan Couscous Salad, grilled corn salad and grilled zucchini.

Wash them down with a Skinny Piña Colada or Spicy Watermelon Margarita.

Storage & Reheating

If you have leftover ribs, let them come to room temperature and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheat in the oven at 275 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or place them on the grill at medium heat for about 10 minutes. I don't recommend reheating ribs in the microwave as they can become rubbery.