How long do I cook St. Louis Style Ribs for?

Cook St. Louis Ribs for 3 ½ - 4 hours in the oven or until tender. Some ovens will have the ribs tender and ready at 3 ½ hours. Some ovens will take 4 hours.

Do St Louis Style Pork Ribs Have A Membrane?

Yup. See the section above and / or watch the video in this recipe.

Does the Membrane need to be Removed From St Louis Ribs?

Not necessarily. Watch my video on how to take the membrane off. Don't worry about it if it doesn't come off easily or you don't know how. Plenty of restaurants skip this step anyway.

Where is this "so called" Pork Rib Membrane?

It's the filmy silver skin on the bony side of the rib. It's tough to chew. If you don't remove it before cooking, you will probably see it and pull it off after cooking.

Should St Louis ribs be covered when cooked / baked in the oven?

Because ribs take so long to bake / cook in the oven they should be covered tightly with aluminum foil so they don't dry out.

Oven Baked St Louis Style BBQ Ribs Recipe / Video

Oven Baked BBQ St Louis Ribs

St. Louis Ribs Baked In BBQ sauce on a wood plate with an orange napkin.

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 6 reviews

EatSimpleFood.com

This bbq St. Louis style spare ribs recipe is easy to cook and delicious. Bake St. Louis ribs covered in the oven at 250F for 4 hours.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Dish
Method: Baking, Oven, Slow Cooking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo

Ingredients

Ingredient List Ribs:

4 lb St Louis Style Pork Ribs
1 tsp tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup + BBQ Sauce or ingredients below to make it yourself

Ingredients List Barbecue sauce (or you can buy some). In a pot add:

1 1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp sharp or dijon mustard
1/2 cup whiskey
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (you can add more if you like it hotter)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250F.

For the sauce:

Use a store bought bbq sauce (My favorite, hands down, is Sweet Baby Ray's Original) or combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients above in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook uncovered ~ 30 minutes or until sauce is reduced & thickened (it will continue to thicken as it cools). Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

For the St Louis ribs:

Pull any fat off the pork ribs that easily comes off with your fingers (if you can’t pull it off then it supposed to be there!). Peel off any tough membrane that is on the bony side of the ribs if it’s not done already (see video in post).
Lightly sprinkle ribs with garlic salt, onion powder, and black pepper.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place ribs (bone side up; meat side down) on a baking rack over the sheet (so the ribs aren't sitting in grease).
Cover with aluminum foil and bake ribs in the oven ~ 3 1/2 -4 hours or until ribs are very tender.
Take ribs out. Flip and slather with barbecue sauce.
Bake uncovered an additional 20-30 minutes or until BBQ sauce is boiling and brown. Turn on broiler if needed, but watch carefully that it doesn't burn.

Notes

Don't have time for all that? Throw it in a crock-pot with BBQ sauce and set on low for 8 hours.
Don't understand what the membrane is? Skip taking it off, most people skip it anyway.

Find it online: https://eatsimplefood.com/oven-baked-st-louis-bbq-ribs/