Step 1

Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 275 degrees F.

Step 2

Prep St Louis ribs (optional step, will improve taste and allow seasonings to get through to the meat better). Pat St Louis ribs dry with a paper towel. Use a piece of paper towel to grab on to the white connective tissue / membrane attached to the ribs (most cuts come with this still attached). Pull off what naturally comes off and discard.

Step 3

Season St Louis ribs for smoking. Generously sprinkle a Pork rub or BBQ seasoning all over the ribs, front back sides – I mean, all of it! Go the extra step and massage the seasoning into the meat with your hands.

Step 4

Add St. Louis style ribs to smoker, with the meaty side of the ribs facing up. In the Traeger 650, both the top rack and bottom rack were needed to fit 3 racks of ribs.

Step 5

Smoke St Louis ribs at 275 degrees F for 3 hours. Remove ribs from the smoker and leave the smoker on with the lid closed.

Step 6

Make a foil packet for smoking ribs. For this step, you’ll make a foil packet to hold the honey beer sauce and ribs. To do this, spread out a piece of foil that is about a foot longer than the ribs. Since you’ll be adding liquid to the packet, fold up all 4 sides about an inch, so the foil resembles a rimmed baking sheet pan.

Step 7

Wrap St. Louis smoked ribs in foil with beer and honey mixture. Each rack will be placed in its own foil packet. To do this, add ⅓ of the can of beer, and 1 tbsp of honey to the bottom of each packet, spread out a bit in the center (see my video). Next, add a rack of meaty side of the ribs facing down (so they’ll get covered in the beer and honey mixture). Lastly, fold the foil all around the rack of ribs like a burrito, folding the sides inwards. Then add another large piece of foil on top, so when you flip the ribs over to smoke, the liquid won’t come out. (Alright, now don’t forget which side of your ribs is the meaty side, it will be important for the next step.) Wrap all the St. Louis rack of ribs in foil using this method and then get back out to the pellet grill and finish your ribs!

Step 8

Smoke foil wrapped St. Louis ribs at 275 degrees F for ~2.5 hrs or until the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees F. (IMPORTANT: make sure the meaty side of the ribs is facing UP when placed back on the Traeger, so the beer liquid and honey gets into the ribs.) Remove ribs from the smoker and leave the smoker on with the lid closed.

Step 9

Make the BBQ beer sauce (optional, or just use BBQ sauce). In a small saucepan on the stove on medium heat, add BBQ sauce and beer. Stir regularly (basically constantly) while the sauce simmers and bubbles for about 2-3 minutes. Remove BBQ sauce from heat once it foams and the color becomes lighter (once the beer is cooked into the BBQ sauce).

Step 10

Go back to the smoking St. Louis ribs on the Traeger with your BBQ beer sauce. Carefully remove each foil packet of ribs and open up the packet. The inside part of the ribs (not the meaty part) will be facing you. Use two tongs to gently flip over the ribs (which will be fall-apart-tender at this point) so the meaty part is facing up again. (watch the video, this isn’t easy to explain!) The ribs are going to look unbelievably delicious at this point, but I encourage you to smoke them just a bit longer with the BBQ sauce on top so you can fully experience this epic smoked ribs recipe!

Step 11

Add BBQ sauce on smoked St. Louis ribs. Brush the sauce right on top of all the ribs. Leave the ribs on top of the opened foil packed (and leave the packet open, almost like a rimmed baking tray to hold all the juices). Then add each foil sheet holding ribs back on the smoker and finish smoking at 275 degrees F for 15 minutes (on top of foil, but uncovered on top).

Step 12

Finish smoking St. Louis ribs on the pellet grill until done. Ribs are officially done when the internal temperature reaches 185 to 190 degrees F, which they should definitely be by this point – use a thermometer to test it.

Step 13

Remove ribs from the smoker. Transfer them to a cutting board to cool as desired, admire your work, and enjoy your ribs.