Fall-Off-The-Bone St. Louis-Style Ribs in the Oven

Want to know how to cook St. Louis ribs in the oven? If you want tender fall-off-the-bone ribs without grilling or smoking, this St. Louis ribs recipe is for you!

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Why make this Oven-Baked St. Louis Ribs Recipe?

First, this recipe is so easy and it tastes so good! You’ll be surprised how little effort it takes to make restaurant-quality ribs.

Second, it contains cooking secrets from some of the top pit masters of American barbecue. For example—you do NOT have to wrap the ribs in foil!

I just returned from eating my way through St. Louis and other famous southern BBQ states like Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

As a chef and food travel blogger, I loved talking to the pit masters to find out their secrets. I took a little bit from each bbq chef to update my recipe, and it has not failed me yet.

St. Louis ribs in oven — It’s easy to make fall-off-the-bone St. Louis ribs in the oven!

What are St. Louis–Style Ribs?

St. Louis–style ribs, also called spare ribs, refer to the cut of the meat, not the preparation method. Compared to baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs are more rectangular, more uniform in shape, larger, and flatter. Both types of ribs are pork ribs and tend to have a higher fat content than beef ribs.

Which cut of meat makes the best ribs: baby backs or St. Louis style? Because the St. Louis cut ribs are more uniform, I get better results using them when cooking at home in the oven than I do using baby back ribs.

St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs can be purchased from your local grocer or butcher.

What is Meant by Low and Slow?

St. Louis rib recipes call for a low-and-slow cooking method. That means cooking ribs at a low temperature for a long time.

The low, indirect heat allows the connective tissue to break down and produces amazingly tender ribs. When temperatures are high, the meat cooks too quickly and will be tough and chewy.

So, for fall-off-the-bone St. Louis–style ribs, whether you’re cooking in the oven, on the grill, or in a smoker, low and slow is the way to go!

If you’re wondering how long to cook St. Louis ribs in the oven, the answer is about 3½ hours total on low heat (see temps below).

Low-and-slow cooked St. Louis ribs at Pappy’s in St. Louis — Low-and-slow-cooked St. Louis ribs at Pappy’s in St. Louis, Missouri

Do I Need Special Equipment to Cook St. Louis Ribs in the Oven?

You do not need anything special to make slow-cooked St. Louis ribs in the oven. All that is required for this simple recipe is a baking sheet, aluminum foil (to cover the pan for easy clean up), a small bowl, and a basting brush.

Believe me, complicated does not mean better. This is the easiest way to make fall-off-the-bone-tender St. Louis–style pork ribs every time!

A variety of bbq sauces served at a St' Louis restaurant — A variety of bbq sauces served at a popular St. Louis restaurant

Do I Need Special Ingredients to Prepare St. Louis Ribs?

Since there are very few ingredients for this St. Louis Ribs recipe, the way to ensure top-notch flavor is to use high-quality ingredients. Purchase meat from a trusted source. It can be from your neighborhood butcher or your local grocery chain as long as you are comfortable with the quality.

I would refrain from using the dry rub seasoning you have in your pantry unless it doesn’t have sugar in it. Sugar can caramelize and burn while your ribs are cooking. Use the rub for St. Louis ribs recipe below to make a rub that does the job right.

As far as the BBQ sauce, that’s a matter of personal taste. Barbecue sauces vary from sweet to tangy to fiery. Here in the US, different states and cities have their own styles. The most famous in the U.S. are the styles of North Carolina, Texas, and Kansas City, while Memphis thinks their ribs are so good, no sauce is needed. So, it’s up to you: Use your favorite barbecue sauce or serve a variety on the side.

BBQ St. Louis ribs in Nashville — The Peg Leg Porker in Nashville (best ribs in TN per *Southern Living*) puts the rub on the ribs after the meat is cooked (Memphis-style).

Rub for St. Louis Ribs Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together
Store any remaining rub in an airtight container for next time.

Ready for the oven, St. Louis ribs with dry rub

Recipe for St. Louis Ribs in Oven

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3½ hours
Recipe serves: 2–4

Ingredients

1 non-stick spray
1 rack St. Louis–style ribs
1 teaspoon dry barbecue rub
½ cup barbecue sauce in a small bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°, and adjust oven racks to the middle of the oven if needed. If using a convection oven, lower all of the temperatures in this recipe by 25°.
Line a baking sheet (or roasting pan) with aluminum foil and spray it with non-stick spray.
Depending on where you purchased the rack of ribs, you probably need to remove the tough membrane on the bony side of the ribs. To do this, just slip a dull knife under the silver skin and maneuver it to peel up an edge. Then just pull the edge of the thin membrane to the opposite side of the rib rack.
Taste your dry rub mixture and decide if you’d like to adjust it in any way. If your idea of flavorful ribs includes a little heat, add some cayenne pepper.
Pat the St. Louis–style pork spare ribs with a paper towel, sprinkle them lightly with your seasoning mixture, and rub the mixture into the meat on both sides. Do NOT cake on the rub.
Cut the slab in half and place seasoned ribs meat side up. If you are making multiple racks, make sure ribs are a single layer and not piled on top of each other.
Place the sheet pan on the middle rack and cook for 1 hour.
After one hour, remove ribs from the oven. Turn the temperature down to 275°.
Brush the top of the ribs with any liquid in the pan, aka fat drippings. If there’s enough liquid, brush the sides of the ribs as well.
Put ribs back in the oven and cook for another hour.
After the second hour, remove ribs from oven and brush the pan drippings over ribs again. Rotate tray, return ribs to oven, and cook for another hour.
After the third hour, remove ribs again, brush them with drippings, and then brush with your favorite bbq sauce.
Return the ribs to the oven for the final half hour.
After a total of 3½ hours, remove ribs from oven and let stand a minimum of 5–10 minutes before serving. For food safety, the internal temperature should be at least 145°.

Tip: If during the final hour, any portion of your ribs start to get too brown, cover that part with aluminum foil.

Serving St. Louis Ribs

Now that you’ve made delicious ribs, how are you going to serve them? I prefer to eat my oven-baked ribs hot, but some people like them barely warm or room temperature. This means you have lots of wiggle room if you’re feeding a large number of people.

Unless you plan on each person eating a half slab of ribs, cut the slabs into pieces of one or two ribs each using a sharp knife. You can leave them on the cutting board, or transfer them to a platter to serve.

Gently cut the slabs of spare ribs when serving — Gently cut the slabs of spare ribs before serving.

What to Serve with St. Louis Ribs

Tender juicy ribs pair well with all kinds of side dishes, from mashed potatoes to corn on the cob to salads. Here are some of my favorite recipes for items to serve with oven-baked ribs:

Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes
Nutty Coleslaw
Cilantro Lime Corn and Zucchini
Cucumber, Onion, and Tomato Salad
Strawberry Arugula Salad
Kale and Quinoa with Orange Dressing

St. Louis-style ribs at The Swag in NC — St. Louis–style ribs at The Swag in NC

Storing and Reheating St. Louis Rib Leftovers

I like to make extra portions of this spare ribs recipe because the leftovers retain their delicious flavor and are so easy to serve up another time.

Storing St. Louis Ribs

Storing St. Louis rib leftovers is not tricky. Just put them as they are in airtight containers in the refrigerator, or remove the rib meat from the bone so that it takes up less room.

Reheating St. Louis Ribs

You can reheat the ribs or rib meat in the microwave on medium heat at short intervals of 30–45 seconds. How many rounds of heating you’ll need will depend on the quantity of ribs you have.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe for St. Louis spare ribs as much as I do!