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A rack of glazed, barbecued ribs sits on crinkled foil, held by gloved hands above a grill. The ribs appear juicy and caramelized with a rich, dark red barbecue sauce.

St. Louis Ribs: Skip the 3-2-1 Method

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 rack St. Louis ribs
  • Favorite rib rub
  • Water spritz
  • Favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions

  • Remove the ribs from the cryovac and dry them off.
  • Clean up the back end of the ribs and snip off anything loose or dangling.
  • Pull off the silver skin if desired, or score it.
  • Rub both sides of the ribs with your favorite rib rub.
  • Allow the ribs to sit on the board and sweat out for about 15-20 minutes while tending to the grill.
  • Fire up the grill and set it to 250°F.
  • Once the grill reaches temperature, place the ribs on the middle shelf, shut the grill, and cook for 2 hours without peeking.
  • Spray the ribs with a little water spritz.
  • Cook the ribs for another hour.
  • Spray the ribs down one more time.
  • Place the ribs in the middle of a piece of foil, bone-side down.
  • Boat the ribs by bending the foil underneath them to create a shoe- or boat-shaped support.
  • Add a little more moisture to the ribs.
  • Return the ribs to the middle shelf of the grill and cook for another hour.
  • When the ribs are around 200°F, brush BBQ sauce all over the tops of the ribs.
  • Shut the grill and cook the ribs for another 15-30 minutes, until toothpick tender and over 205°F.
  • Remove the ribs from the grill after 4 1/2 hours total.
  • Rest the ribs, slice them, and serve.