St. Louis Spare Ribs
An 80 year old life-long Clevelander told me these are the best ribs he's ever tasted. That's all you need to know.
This recipe requires Sous Vide to provide very tender slow-cooked ribs.
Ingredients
Ribs
- 1 rack St. Louis spare ribs
- Handful smoked paprika
- Small handful garlic powder
- Small handful onion powder
- BBQ Glaze (see separate recipe)
Method
Prep
- Preheat sous vide bath to 175°F (80°C). This temperature provides very tender meat that is not quite falling off the bone. This is the sweet spot.
- Make the BBQ glaze. I recommend making a big batch and freezing what you don't use here.
Dress and season ribs
- Remove membrane from the bone side of the ribs.
- Season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Place ribs in a large vacuum bag or 2-gallon freezer zip bag. Do not add sauce to the bag.
- Vacuum seal or seal using water displacement method.
Sous vide
- Cook 24 hours at 175°F (80°C).
Glaze and Serve
- Remove ribs from bag and pat completely dry.
- Brush glaze generously on both sides.
- Broil 3–5 minutes until bubbling and lightly caramelized.
- Re-glaze and broil 1 additional minute.
- Serve.
Storage
- Refrigeration: After sous vide, do not remove from bag, store in fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing, After sous vide, do not remove from bag, immediately transfer sealed bag to an ice bath for 30 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour to fully set fat. Freeze flat while still sealed.
To reheat: Place frozen sealed bag into a 140–165°F (60–74°C) water bath for 45–60 minutes. Follow the glaze and serve steps.