St. Louis Pork Ribs — The Deome Way

Overview 
 Smoked St. Louis cut pork ribs with a sweet-savory bark, deep smoke flavor, and a sticky mustard glaze finish. Perfect for Traeger or any pellet smoker. 
 
 Ingredients 
 
 2 racks St. Louis style pork ribs (about 2.5–3 lbs each) 
 Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub 
 Yellow or Dijon mustard (binder) 
 Apple juice (for spritzing) 
 Honey and unsalted butter (for wrapping) 
 Carolina-style mustard BBQ sauce (store-bought, e.g. Lillie’s Q Carolina Gold) 
 Royal Oak hardwood pellets 
 Pecan wood pellets 
 
 
 
 Prep 
 
 
 Trim & Peel: Remove ribs from packaging. Pat dry. Remove membrane from bone side. Trim excess fat and loose bits. 
 
 Binder: Coat both sides with yellow or Dijon mustard. 
 
 Rub: Apply Meat Church Honey Hog rub generously to all surfaces. 
 
 Rest: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. 
 
 
 
 Smoking Process 
 
 
 Preheat Smoker: Use a 50/50 blend of Royal Oak and pecan wood pellets. 
 
 Room Temp: Unwrap ribs, let come to room temp 30–45 min before smoking. 
 
 First Smoke: Place ribs bone side down on smoker at 165°F for 3 hours. Spritz lightly with apple juice after 90 min, then hourly. 
 
 Raise Temp: After 3 hours, increase smoker to 225°F. 
 
 
 
 
 Wrap: At the 5-hour mark (or when bark is set and color is deep), wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil or butcher paper with a drizzle of honey and a few pats of butter. Place wrapped ribs back on smoker, meat side down. 
 
 Braise: Cook wrapped for 1.5–2 hours, until internal temp is 195–203°F and probe tender. 
 
 Glaze: Unwrap and place ribs back on the smoker, bone side down. Brush with mustard BBQ sauce. Smoke unwrapped 20–30 min to set glaze and firm bark. 
 
 
 
 
 Rest: Remove from smoker. Tent loosely with foil and rest 10–20 min before slicing. 
 
 Slice & Serve: Slice between bones and serve with your favorite sides. 
 
 
 
 Notes 
 
 
 Pellet Blend: The Royal Oak and pecan combo gives classic smoke with sweet, nutty undertones—perfect for pork. 
 
 Sauce: Glaze at the end for a sticky, competition-style finish. 
 
 Signs of Doneness: Meat pulls back from bones, probe slides in with no resistance, bark is deep and sticky. 
 
 Serving Tip: Rest before slicing for juicier ribs.