St. Louis-Style Ribs with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

St. Louis-style ribs are defined by the way they are cut—essentially, spareribs with the tips removed. Trimming off the curved ends makes a flatter, more uniform rack, which translates into more even cooking throughout.

Spareribs come from the pig’s belly-side rib cage, and they’re generally longer and meatier than their counterparts from the back, or baby-backs. Bigger can also mean tougher, so spareribs—St. Louis style or regular cut—benefit from long, slow cooking on a grill or in the oven.

For this recipe, I didn’t have a rack of ribs, but rather eight individual pieces, equaling about two pounds. I gave them a quick sear over the fire then set them off direct heat to finish grilling juicy and tender in about 1-1/2 hours.

St. Louis-Style Ribs

A couple splashes of bourbon in the barbecue sauce adds rich, oaky flavor and complements the spice of the chipotle and Tabasco. Make it a few hours ahead (or a day ahead) to allow the deepest flavors to develop.

For more rib recipes, check out Smoked Baby-Back Ribs, Slow-Grilled Western Ribs with Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce, Smoked Ribs with Spiced Maple Barbecue Sauce, or Grilled Baby-Back Ribs with Fresh-Cherry Barbecue Sauce.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce (or other bottled hot sauce)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the Ribs

• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• smoked sea salt (or regular sea salt)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 St. Louis-style ribs (about 2 lbs), membranes removed

Preparation

For the Sauce

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and chipotle chile and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium and add the ketchup and next 6 ingredients (through Tabasco sauce) and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook 10 minutes.

Garlic and Chipotle 

Sauce Beginning to Cook 

Cooked Sauce

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

For the Ribs

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the ribs. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Spice Mixture

Spice-Rubbed Ribs

1. Light a grill for indirect-heat cooking, medium heat (350° to 375° and let coals, if using, cool naturally).
2. Place the ribs over the flame to sear quickly, 2 minutes per side. Move off direct heat and cover the grill with the vents open.
3. Grill the ribs, shifting positions every 15-20 minutes, until almost cooked through, about 1-1/4 hours.
4. Continue grilling until cooked through, basting with the sauce a few times, 15 minutes longer.

Ribs Beginning to Sear 

Ribs after Turning 

Move to Indirect Heat

Grilled Ribs 

Basted Ribs

Stack the ribs on a plate and serve. 

St. Louis-Style Ribs with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce