# St. Louis vs. Baby Back Ribs?



## Michelemarie

Last minute question - I was expecting to make baby back ribs today - however, we bought St. Louis style ribs. I woke up at 5:30am with the thought of going back to the store and getting what IIIIII want - I have never make the St. Louis style - what can I expect to be the difference - if any?

(I usually cover and cook for 2 hours at 275 then finish on the grill).


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## Andy M.

St. Louis style ribs are just a version of spare ribs.  I'd cook the similarly to the baby backs.  They should cook in about the same time and taste the same.


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## VegasDramaQueen

_Give me St. Louis style ribs over baby backs anytime.  SL ribs are the large ribs with the top flap removed.  Save the flap for spaghetti sauce it makes all the difference in the world.   SL ribs are much meatier and have more flavor because there is a line of fat that runs the length of the slab.  You cook them the same as baby backs.  I roast mine in the oven in a covered roaster with 1 cup of Italian salad dressing, (you can make your own very easily)  for about 2 hours at 275.  Then lay the slab on a charcoal grill for about 6 minutes per side to char them a little.   Add bbq sauce  when you put them on the grill.  Wow!!!  There ain't nothin' like it._


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## mish

Michelemarie said:
			
		

> Last minute question - I was expecting to make baby back ribs today - however, we bought St. Louis style ribs. I woke up at 5:30am with the thought of going back to the store and getting what IIIIII want - I have never make the St. Louis style - *what can I expect to be the difference - if any?*
> 
> (I usually cover and cook for 2 hours at 275 then finish on the grill).


 
Maybe too late for now, but...

I prefer the taste of Baby backs (& pork ribs vs beef).  I tried St Louis, (although they were pre-cooked), & wonder myself, is it just the bbq sauce that gives the ribs their name?


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## Andy M.

mish said:
			
		

> ...& wonder myself, is it just the bbq sauce that gives the ribs their name?


 
No, Mish.  The St. Louis is a specific way to cut spare ribs.  It has nothing to do with the flavorings used.


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## Corey123

I've had St. Louis-style ribs, and they're great, but I must admit that my true passion is for the babyback ribs!!

I put some dry rub on mine, then slow-roast them for 6 to 7 hours, and they just fall off the bone when you go to eating them!! Tender, moist, juicy and succulent! I just made some today!!! In my Rival BBQ Pit Slow Cooker. To acheive the smokey outdoorsy flavor, I used some liquid smoke.

The key to great ribs is to slow bake them like you would with Boston Baked Beans. As Tony the Tiger says: They're GRRRR-E-A-T!!!


~Corey123.


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## RPCookin

Personally, I'll take St. Louis style ribs (or any more generous cut of spare ribs) over the baby back type any time. I like the meatier cut... you don't have to eat a whole slab just to get a decent portion. I have a couple of different rubs I use, then wrap them tightly in foil and cook in a 300° oven for about 2 hours. Alternatively, the seasoned ribs can be cooked on a sheet pan with 1/2 cup of chicken stock, covered and sealed tightly with foil. The rack can also be brined beforehand to make it even easier to keep them moist. And the brine can be seasoned as well. 

Then they can be unwrapped, sauced and finished on the grill, or in a 450° oven for about 10-15 more minutes, or under the broiler for 5 minutes. The finishing should just carmelize any sauce you put on and make the edges a bit crispy. The meat will be tender and juicy. 

There are so many possibilities with ribs, one of my favorite foods...


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## Corey123

Two places in Massachusetts where you can get good tender juicy St. Louis-style ribs - Memphis Roadhouse in Attleboro and Theos' in downtown Sprinfield.


~Corey123.


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## Corinne

From what I've been reading lately, St. Louis style ribs are the preferred choice! I haven't seem them around here yet. I usually get country style ribs. Especially when the Big Y grocery store has them for "Buy 1, Get 2 Free". Lots of meat, very little bone.


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## mish

Corey123 said:
			
		

> I just made some today!!! In my Rival BBQ Pit Slow Cooker. To acheive the smokey outdoorsy flavor, I used some liquid smoke.
> 
> The key to great ribs is to slow bake them like you would with Boston Baked Beans. As Tony the Tiger says: They're GRRRR-E-A-T!!!
> 
> 
> ~Corey123.


 
Corey123, recently I watched a demo for the Rival BBQ Pit Slow Cooker, and was so tempted to buy one (if only I had the counter space). Good to read your rave. You're right -- everything they cooked (two chickens at once, ribs, and on & on) looked GRRRR-E-A-T!!!  The demo-er (is that a word?), said, you can put a few little foil packets with chips in there as well. From memory, it comes with a meat thermometer and a silicone basting brush. Talk me out of it. 

Oh yeah, they also mentioned the key was slow cooking the ribs.


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## Michelemarie

Thanks for all your replies! 

I made the St. Louis style pork ribs the same way I do my babybacks - two hours in 275 degree oven, finished them on the grill. Everyone said they were good -  but I know now I prefer the baby backs. The St. Louis seemed more tough and were harder to eat than the babybacks because the babybacks just fall off the bone. Oh well, everyone has their opinion right, and I would never know if I hadn't tried. They weren't too bad though, we are having leftovers tonight!

Thanks again for all your help!


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## Corey123

The later model comes with the therometer, extra flat rack and the silicone basting brush. It also has a stainless steal trim.

I rushed out last fall and bought mine from Target when I first heard about it.
What network did you see it demo'd on? Demonstrator is the word that you're trying to think of.

But if you can't afford it right now, you can still acheive that same great tenderness in your oven. Just set it to the lowest setting and slow cook your ribs overnight covered with some foil and some water at the bottom on the pan to keep them moist. Or use a roaster that has a matching fitting cover.

Wake up to moist tender juicy fall-off-the-bone ribs the next morning!! And as I found out, you don't even have to marinate them like I previously thought!

I showed a former roommate how to do it. He said he wasn't letting them marinate at all. His ribs came out real tender as well!! So I did that too, on account it was so late when I got back home. I was just too tired to start cooking the other night, so I just seasoned the ribs with the dryrub the next morning, put them in the Rival BBQ Pit, added some aromatic veggies, put a little bit of water in the bottom of the crock and let them go for themselves!!

Even without the need to marinate, I STILL had moist tender juicy fall-off-the-bone ribs!!


~Corey123.


~Corey123.


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## flgshp99

Let me tell ya growing up in STL, I never really knew what babyback ribs were.
 Most of the BBQ joints (Mom amd Pop) serve mainly the STL style. You have your KC masterpieces and whatnot that introduced me to the babyback.
 The STL cut is alittle more tough but has so much more flavor in my opinon


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## Uncle Bob

Both are excellent choices...Spareribs (St. Louis cut) I agree do have more flavor due to more finish. Properly prepared and cooked I would not characterize them as tough however


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## Corey123

When we were kids, we grew up eating BBQ'd spare ribs.

We did not know about babybacks of Luisiana ribs back then, or if they were even in existence. My mom and pop always used Open Pit BBQ sauce. Today, I make my own BBQ sauce. It's relatively easy.

But I got my first taste of babyback ribs at an Outback Steakhouse in Fort Myers durning one of the vacation weeks I spent there ay my brother and his girlfriend's house!! I've been liking them ever since!!


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## eatsOats

My vote is BB over STL for tenderness and flavor, STL over BB for yield.


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## sirsmokesalot

With spares (St. Louis included), it is possible to get the same tenderness as with babybacks. But it does take longer. I usually smoke them at 200-225 for several hours. At 225, it takes about 8 hours. Obviously, add some time if you cook at 200.

Last year for the Super Bowl, I put them on at about 6:30am before going to church. To help prevent drying out, I placed them on (but never covered with) foil. Then, I took them off around 4:30pm. They were amazing. Very tender, juicy, and tasty. And they didn't last long!


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