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St. Louis Pork Ribs — Deome’s Method

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

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Prep

  1. Trim & Peel: Remove ribs from packaging. Pat dry. Remove membrane from bone side. Trim excess fat and loose bits.
  2. Binder: Coat both sides with yellow or Dijon mustard.
  3. Rub: Apply Meat Church Honey Hog rub generously to all surfaces.
  4. Rest: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

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Smoking Process

  1. Preheat Smoker: Use a 50/50 blend of Royal Oak and pecan wood pellets.
  2. Room Temp: Unwrap ribs, let come to room temp 30–45 min before smoking.
  3. 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.
  4. Raise Temp: After 3 hours, increase smoker to 225°F.

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  1. 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.
  2. Braise: Cook wrapped for 1.5–2 hours, until internal temp is 195–203°F and probe tender.
  3. 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.

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  1. Rest: Remove from smoker. Tent loosely with foil and rest 10–20 min before slicing.
  2. Slice & Serve: Slice between bones and serve with your favorite sides.

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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.
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