St. Louis–Style Barrel Smoked Ribs with Pecan Wood
St. Louis–Style Barrel Smoked Ribs with Pecan Wood
Ingredients
For the Ribs
- 2 racks pork spare ribs, trimmed to St. Louis “Final Cut”
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, as needed for binder
- 1/2 cup WeberSeasonings Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, applied generously
For the Spritz
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
For the Apple-Kale Slaw
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 2 cups red cabbage, finely chopped
- 2 apples, grated
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon Weber Smoky Brown Sugar Rub
- 1 tablespoon honey
To Serve
- 2 cups borracho beans, warmed
- 4 pieces cornbread
Instructions
- 1
Trim the pork spare ribs into a clean St. Louis cut. This involves removing the membrane from the back of the ribs and cutting off the rib tips/skirt. Reserve the trimmings to cook them directly over the coals as snacks.
⏱️ 15 min
- 2
Lightly coat the trimmed ribs with Dijon mustard, which acts as a binder. Season the ribs boldly and generously with WeberSeasonings Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, patting it down onto the meat. Let the seasoned ribs rest for 20–30 minutes until the rub "tacks" (becomes moist and adheres well) and the meat loses its chill.
⏱️ 30 min
- 3
Prepare the spritz by combining 1 cup of apple cider and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Set aside.
⏱️ 2 min
- 4
Light a full load of charcoal briquettes in your barrel cooker. Once the charcoal is lit and glowing, add pecan wood chunks to the charcoal. Stabilize the barrel cooker at approximately 300°F. Adjust the smoker vent as needed to maintain the target temperature.
⏱️ 20 min•🌡️ 300
- 5
Secure hanging hooks through the thick end of each rack of ribs and carefully hang them in the preheated barrel cooker.
⏱️ 3 min
- 6
Cook the ribs for 2.5–3.5 hours, maintaining the barrel cooker temperature around 300°F. Spritz the ribs every 30–45 minutes with the apple cider and apple cider vinegar mixture to build color and moisture.
⏱️ 210 min•🌡️ 300
- 7
While the ribs are cooking, prepare the apple-kale slaw. In a large mixing bowl, combine the roughly chopped kale, finely chopped red cabbage, grated apples, grated carrots, finely chopped jalapeño (if using), and finely chopped garlic.
⏱️ 10 min
- 8
To the slaw mixture, add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet relish, Weber Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, and honey. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the ingredients. Mix all ingredients thoroughly until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
⏱️ 5 min
- 9
The ribs are done when the meat pulls back significantly from the bones, the internal temperature reaches at least 195°F, and a probe slides into the meat tenderly with little resistance. The internal temperature can go up to approximately 203°F if needed for desired tenderness. Tenderness is the key indicator.
- 10
Carefully remove the cooked ribs from the smoker. Let them rest for 10–15 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.
⏱️ 15 min
- 11
Slice the rested ribs between the bones into individual portions. Serve hot with the prepared apple-kale slaw, warm borracho beans, and cornbread.
⏱️ 5 min
Kitchen Tools
St. Louis–Style Barrel Smoked Ribs with Pecan Wood
For the Ribs
- 2 racks pork spare ribs, trimmed to St. Louis “Final Cut”
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, as needed for binder
- 1/2 cup WeberSeasonings Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, applied generously
For the Spritz
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
For the Apple-Kale Slaw
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 2 cups red cabbage, finely chopped
- 2 apples, grated
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon Weber Smoky Brown Sugar Rub
- 1 tablespoon honey
To Serve
- 2 cups borracho beans, warmed
- 4 pieces cornbread
Instructions
- 1
Trim the pork spare ribs into a clean St. Louis cut. This involves removing the membrane from the back of the ribs and cutting off the rib tips/skirt. Reserve the trimmings to cook them directly over the coals as snacks.
⏱️ 15 min - 2
Lightly coat the trimmed ribs with Dijon mustard, which acts as a binder. Season the ribs boldly and generously with WeberSeasonings Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, patting it down onto the meat. Let the seasoned ribs rest for 20–30 minutes until the rub "tacks" (becomes moist and adheres well) and the meat loses its chill.
⏱️ 30 min - 3
Prepare the spritz by combining 1 cup of apple cider and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Set aside.
⏱️ 2 min - 4
Light a full load of charcoal briquettes in your barrel cooker. Once the charcoal is lit and glowing, add pecan wood chunks to the charcoal. Stabilize the barrel cooker at approximately 300°F. Adjust the smoker vent as needed to maintain the target temperature.
⏱️ 20 min•🌡️ 300 - 5
Secure hanging hooks through the thick end of each rack of ribs and carefully hang them in the preheated barrel cooker.
⏱️ 3 min - 6
Cook the ribs for 2.5–3.5 hours, maintaining the barrel cooker temperature around 300°F. Spritz the ribs every 30–45 minutes with the apple cider and apple cider vinegar mixture to build color and moisture.
⏱️ 210 min•🌡️ 300 - 7
While the ribs are cooking, prepare the apple-kale slaw. In a large mixing bowl, combine the roughly chopped kale, finely chopped red cabbage, grated apples, grated carrots, finely chopped jalapeño (if using), and finely chopped garlic.
⏱️ 10 min - 8
To the slaw mixture, add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet relish, Weber Smoky Brown Sugar Rub, and honey. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the ingredients. Mix all ingredients thoroughly until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
⏱️ 5 min - 9
The ribs are done when the meat pulls back significantly from the bones, the internal temperature reaches at least 195°F, and a probe slides into the meat tenderly with little resistance. The internal temperature can go up to approximately 203°F if needed for desired tenderness. Tenderness is the key indicator.
- 10
Carefully remove the cooked ribs from the smoker. Let them rest for 10–15 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.
⏱️ 15 min - 11
Slice the rested ribs between the bones into individual portions. Serve hot with the prepared apple-kale slaw, warm borracho beans, and cornbread.
⏱️ 5 min