Smoky, sweet, and irresistibly tender, these St. Louis-style ribs are your ticket to backyard BBQ glory. Featuring a layered flavor punch from Shake That by The Flat Top King and All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue, these ribs are wrapped and finished with a sticky glaze of Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce.
Whether you go low-and-slow on the smoker or hotter-and-faster on the grill, this recipe delivers fall-off-the-bone ribs with a deep bark and bold, competition-level flavor. Serve them up with extra sauce and soak in the compliments.
Both versions use the same layering idea as our Big Rib Energy rib rub and sauce box, which pairs the competition rub with two finishing sauces.
Competition ribs get built in layers. The rub sets the bark, a light spritz keeps color building without washing it off, and the sauce only shows up in the last stretch so it sets instead of burning. This box has all three parts already matched.
Heath Riles Competition BBQ Rub for the bark, plus Sweet Heat Seasoning by The Spice Guy.
Two competition sauces: Southern Gal's by Old Southern BBQ and Riffs Smokehouse Voodoo Child.
The spritz bottle and silicone mop brush for the parts of the cook most people skip.
Two full rib recipes on the included card, with the timing written out.
Smoky, sweet, and irresistibly tender, these St. Louis-style ribs are your ticket to backyard BBQ glory. Featuring a layered flavor punch from Shake That by The Flat Top King and All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue, these ribs are wrapped and finished with a sticky glaze of Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce.
Prep the ribs: Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs and any loose pieces of fat.
Apply yellow mustard to the ribs as a binder.
Hit your ribs with a light coating of Shake That by The Flat Top King, then a heavy layer of All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue.
Let the ribs rest at room temperature while you prepare your smoker. This allows the rub to “sweat in.”
Set up your grill with a two-zone setup: Coals or burners on one side, ribs on the other. Preheat to 300°F.
Once preheated, place the ribs on your grill over indirect heat, bone-side down and grill for 2 hours. Close the lid and maintain a temperature around 275–300°F. Spritz lightly with apple juice every 45 minutes to keep moist and build your bark.
After 2 hours, prepare to wrap your ribs. To a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, add 4 pats of butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and a sprinkle of All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue, followed by a heavy drizzle of Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce. Place your ribs meat side down onto the foil, wrap tightly, and return to the grill, meat side down on the indirect side of your grill.
Grill for 45-60 minutes over indirect heat. Cook until tender and the ribs have pulled back from the bone.
Unwrap the ribs and move directly over your coals or burner. Baste the ribs with Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce and grill uncovered for a few minutes per side, basting and flipping until sauce is tacky and caramelized.
Smoker Instructions (Low & Slow)
Prep the ribs: Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs and any loose pieces of fat.
Apply yellow mustard to the ribs as a binder.
Hit your ribs with a light coating of Shake That by The Flat Top King, then a heavy layer of All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue.
Let the ribs rest at room temperature while you prepare your smoker. This allows the rub to “sweat in.”
Preheat your smoker to 225–250°F using fruit wood like cherry or apple, or blend with hickory for a sweet, smoky flavor.
Once your smoker is preheated, place the ribs on the smoker, bone side down, and smoke for 3 hours. Spritz lightly with apple juice every 45 minutes to keep moist and build your bark.
After 3 hours, prepare to wrap your ribs. To a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, add 4 pats of butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and a sprinkle of All Night Low & Slow Rub by Ninjacue, followed by a heavy drizzle of Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce. Place your ribs meat side down onto the foil, wrap tightly, and return to the smoker, meat side down.
Smoke for an additional 2 hours at 250–275°F.
After 2 hours, carefully unwrap the ribs – open the aluminum foil and flip the ribs over so they are bone side down again.
Baste the ribs with Croix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce and smoke for another 30-45 minutes, or until the sauce has set and it has a tacky appearance / touch.
Your ribs will be done when you can slide a toothpick into the meat like butter, the internal temperature is 195-203°F, and the ribs bend easily without falling apart.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the resting: let ribs sit for 10–15 minutes before slicing! This will maximize the moisture in the ribs. After resting, slice between the bones and serve with extraCroix Valley St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce on the side!
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