This recipe comes from Heath Riles who created this process to smoke these delicious competition, St. Louis. These are very flavorful and worth going through all the steps to recreate.

I made these competition-winning St. Louis spare ribs on a pellet grill developed by pitmaster Heath Riles as found on YouTube here. These ribs are delicious and well received by everyone who eats them. I highly recommend giving this a try.

To do the recipe correctly, you’ll need to use Heath’s products. That isn’t a problem since the rubs and sauces are some of the best I’ve ever used. You won’t be buying these items for only one recipe. You’ll want to use them in many more. Try my Easy BBQ Chicken Thighs, which uses Heath’s every day, and Honey rubs.

Below in the equipment, items, and ingredient lists, you’ll find links to buy everything you need to make these fantastic ribs. You can also shop at Heath Riles’s website here.

To help make these ribs, I’ve detailed every step you need to follow to make these racks come out perfectly. The recipe may look long, but the steps are broken down into an easy-to-follow process.

Equipment and Items Needed or Recommended

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Directions

Part 1 – Prepare the Competition St. Louis Ribs (40 minutes)

Prepare ribs by using mustard and dry rubs

A. Remove the spare ribs from their packaging and pat dry.

B. Remove the membrane covering the bones. Use a paper towel to grab the membrane and pull along the bones to do this. You may need a knife to get between the membrane and the bone to lift it. To learn more about removing the membrane and trimming the racks, watch Franklin’s video on YouTube. He does a great job walking you through this process.

C. While working on both racks of ribs side by side, spread about 1 tbsp of the yellow mustard per rack over the bone side of the ribs.

D. Sprinkle a light layer of the Heath Riles garlic jalapeno rub over the bone side of the two racks of ribs you just coated with mustard. Press the rub into the ribs to help the rub stick.

E. Sprinkle a medium coating of the Heath Riles pecan rub over the bone side of the two racks of ribs and press it into the ribs to help the rub stick.

F. Sprinkle a medium layer of the Heath Riles honey rub over the bone side of the two racks of ribs and press it into the ribs to help the rub stick.

G. Flip the two racks of ribs over, so they are bone-side down, and repeat the previous steps C – F by adding mustard, jalapeno rub, pecan rub, and honey rub just like you did on the bone side. Keep using your hand to press the rub into the ribs to help the rub stick

H. Let the ribs sit for 15-20 minutes after seasoning. This is an excellent time to start your pellet grill.

Part 2 – Prepare the Pellet Grill (5 minutes)

Add hickory and cherry pellets to the smokers hopper

A. St. Louis ribs on a pellet grill work well with the right wood mixture. Add a mix of hickory and cherry pellets to your pellet grill’s hopper. You can also add Charwood charcoal cherry pellets from Camp Chef along with the hickory and cherry pellets. You can also use the Charwood charcoal cherry pellets on their own since they are a blend of hickory and cherry wood already.

Use a combination of hickory and cherry wood

B. Set your pellet grill to 275°F. If you have the option, set your pellet grill to a high smoke number like 8-10. You’ll be leaving your pellet grill at 275°F for the duration of this recipe.

Part 3 – Add Ribs to the Smoker (2-2½ hours)

Touch ribs to see if seasoning sticks after smoking 2 hours

A. Place the ribs directly onto the grill grates bone side down. Immediately after placing them on the grill, put a hand on each end of the rack and gently press the bones together. This will bunch up the ribs a bit and straighten the bones. How the racks sit at this point is how they’ll end up after cooking.

B. Close the lid and leave them to smoke for 2 – 2½ hours.

C. Check the ribs after 2 hours. You’ll know they’re ready for the next step if the rub sticks to the meat. Check this by touching them with your finger. If little to no rub comes off, you can move to the next step. If rub is coming off, leave them on the grill and check again in 10 – 20 minutes.

D. Once the ribs pass the previous step, Part 3C, take the racks off the pellet grill. Prepare the liquid in the next step ahead of time. This will help you move quickly from this step to wrap the ribs in foil.

Part 4 – Prepare the Butter Bath Liquid (5 minutes)

A. Take 3½ ounces of the Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap (a mix of dried butter, sugar, honey granules, and spices, and blend with 1½ cups of apple juice. This should be done in advance while the ribs smoke for 2 – 2½ hours.

Conversion Chart

The Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap comes in a 12-ounce packet with instructions to mix with 5½ cups of apple juice. You don’t need the entire 5½ cups when smoking two racks of ribs. The 5½ cups are enough for seven racks of ribs.

Part 5 – Wrapping the Competition St. Louis Ribs (15 minutes)

A. On a flat surface, lay down four long sheets of tin foil. You’ll be using two sheets per rack of ribs. If necessary, lay the two sheets off-centered from each other. This way, the entire rack can be tightly covered. It’s good to use two sheets instead of 1, so you limit the chance of a rib bone ripping through the foil.

B. Sprinkle a light layer of the honey rub onto the tin foil where you intend to lay the rack.

C. Lay one rack of ribs, bone side up, onto the tin foil directly on top of the honey rub.

D. Sprinkle a light layer of honey rub over the bone side of the ribs.

E. Pour ¾ cup, or half of the prepared butter bath liquid, onto the ribs. The liquid will inevitably reach the other side of the ribs as well.

F. Fold over two layers of tin foil, so the ribs are tightly wrapped.

G. Repeat part 5 for wrapping the other rack of ribs. When completed, you should have two racks seasoned again with honey rub and tightly wrapped in foil, keeping the butter bath liquid inside.

Part 6 – Smoking Wrapped Ribs (1 hour)

Place tin foil wrapped ribs back in pellet grill

A. Return the now wrapped ribs to the pellet grill. Keep the grill temperature at 275°F.

B. Smoke for 1 hour before checking.

C. After an hour, pull back the foil to expose the racks. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the rib temp between the bones.

D. Once the temperature reads 204 – 209°F, it’s time to pull them off the grill. If you don’t reach that temp in the first hour, keep checking them until you get there. If one rack comes temp before the other, pull it off and keep it wrapped to hold in the heat while you wait for the other rack to be ready.

Part 7 – Prepare the Glaze (5 minutes)

A. Prepare the glaze by combining 4 ounces (½ cup) of Heath Riles Sweet BBQ sauce with 2 ounces (¼ cup) of Heath Riles tangy vinegar BBQ sauce in a bowl. The mixture is a 2 to 1 ratio giving the glaze the perfect thickness with a tangy-sweet flavor. Follow the 2 to 1 ratio when combining both sauces if you need more sauce.

B. Optional: you can add honey or spicy honey to the glaze.

Part 8 – Glaze the Competition St. Louis Ribs for the Pellet Grill (20 minutes)

Glaze ribs by unwrapping and rubbing glaze over ribs

A. After removing the wrapped ribs from the grill, open up the foil for just one of the racks while still leaving the rack inside the foil and bone side up. Tilt the rack to drain any liquid resting on top of the ribs.

B. Dust a light to a medium coating of the Heath Riles Sweet BBQ rub over the bone-side of the rack.

C. Mop or brush some of the BBQ sauce mixture onto the bone side of the ribs.

D. Remove the rack from the tin foil and place the rib’s bone side down onto a wire rack inside a pan or baking sheet.

E. Repeat the previous steps, A – D, for the other rack of ribs, including seasoning the bone side with the sweet BBQ rub and mopping with sauce before placing it in the pan next to the other rack.

F. Repeat the seasoning and saucing steps for the other side of the ribs. Begin by dusting the racks with the sweet BBQ rub, then mop the remaining BBQ sauce all over the ribs.

Part 9 – Smoke the Glaze on the St. Louis Ribs on the Pellet Grill (15 minutes)

A. Place the pan holding the ribs into the smoker. Keep the grill temperature at 275°F.

B. Smoke uncovered in the pan for about 15 minutes. This will set the glaze so it adheres to the racks and caramelizes the sauce.

Part 10 – Rest, Slice, and Serve (5 minutes)

A. Remove the pan from the smoker and place the ribs onto a cutting board.

B. Let them rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Take a long slicing knife and cut through the meat between each bone.

C. Serve warm and enjoy!