Tender St. Louis Cut Barbecue Ribs

Scott Heimendinger
Scott Heimendinger
September 15, 2023
Barbecue is all about cooking low-and-slow, but managing temperature and humidity control in a traditional smoker requires practice and constant attention. That's why so many barbecue enthusiasts have turned to sous vide. However, full racks of ribs are difficult to seal in a bag and require a very large water bath. Instead, use the Anova Precision Oven's sous vide mode and forego the bag and water bath. This produces tender meat that stays moist. The precise temperature control and high humidity mean that your ribs will stay juicy and won't encounter "the stall" on their way up to temperature. As a final step, caramelize and crisp up the ribs under the oven's broiler. Instead of babysitting your barbecue, you can rest assured that the oven will hold the temperature and humidity as-set. The results are well worth the unattended wait! Notes: This recipe produces ribs that are tender but not fall-off-the-bone. For fall-off-the-bone texture, extend the cooking time by another four to eight hours. The ribs will continue to tenderize the longer they cook. The dry rub in this recipe is a neutral, baseline blend. Feel free to substitute your favorite dry rub or spice blend in place of the spices here, or to tweak the recipe to make it your own. You can season the ribs up to 24 hours in advance to dry brine the meat. Store ribs tightly wrapped in the fridge until ready to cook. If you'd like to add smoke flavor, cold smoke the ribs first before adding them to the oven and cooking using the settings below. For barbecue aficionados, it's the best of both worlds!
Serves
2
Prep Time
00:05
Cook Time
08:15
Tender St. Louis Cut Barbecue Ribs
5 (23)
15273
Ingredients
1 rack
St. Louis-cut pork ribs
½ cup (100g)
brown sugar
1 Tbsp (18g)
kosher salt
2 tsp (8g)
garlic powder
2 tsp (8g)
onion powder
2 tsp (6g)
paprika
Barbecue sauce of your choice (optional)
Steps

1. Preheat the Oven

Rack
Sous Vide Mode: On
Steam: 100%
Temp: 163.4°F
Heat: Rear

2. Remove Membrane

Use a sharp knife to slice through the membrane covering the underside of the ribs. Grab the membrane with a paper towel and pull away from the rack. Discard.
Remove Membrane

3. Prepare Dry Rub

Mix the sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika together in a medium bowl.
Prepare Dry Rub

4. Season Ribs

Rub both sides of the meat generously with dry rub (see note).
Season Ribs

5. Cook

Rack
Transfer to the oven and cook for 8 hours (see note).
Sous Vide Mode: On
Steam: 100%
Temp: 163.4°F
Heat: Rear
08:00 Timer

6. Remove from the Oven

Remove the ribs and transfer them to a dry pan or wire rack. While the oven is preheating for searing, allow the top of the ribs to dry out a bit. This will help produce a better bark in the next steps.
Remove from the Oven

7. Reserve Juices

The sheet pan will have collected flavorful juices from the ribs. Reserve to baste the meat after searing, or reduce in a saucepan over high heat to use as the starting point for your own barbecue sauce.
Reserve Juices

8. Adjust Oven for Searing

Rack
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 482°F
Heat: Top

9. Sear

Rack
Return the ribs to the oven and cook until the top is caramelized, about 5 minutes. If you’d like, you can brush the ribs with sauce before searing—just keep a close eye on them as the sugars in barbecue sauce will burn quickly. Alternately, you may finish the ribs on a hot grill.
Sear
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 482°F
Heat: Top
00:05 Timer

10. Finish the Ribs

Brush the seared ribs with the barbecue sauce of your choice or the reserved drippings.
Finish the Ribs

11. Slice and Serve

Use a sharp knife to portion the ribs. Start the knife on the side of the rib rack, between two bones, and follow their curvature across the rack to separate. Serve right away with your favorite barbecue sides!
Slice and Serve
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