Roasting Pan St. Louis Style Ribs

• servings: 1 slab of ribs
• active time: Prep: 1 hour
• total time: 7 hours

Ingredients

• 1 slab St. Louis cut ribs

• 1/4 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt per pound of meat

• 3 tablespoons flaxseed cooking oil

• 4 tablespoons rub (see below)

• 1 stick salted butter (1/4 cup (56.5 g))

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons of apple juice

• 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Ingredients for the rub

• 1-1/2 TBSP firmly packed dark brown sugar

• 1-1/2 TBSP white sugar

• 1 TBSP American paprika

• 1-1/2 TSP garlic powder

• 1 TSP ground black pepper

• 1 TSP ground ginger powder

• 1 TSP onion powder

Directions

1. Prep. Remove the membrane from the ribs.

2. Prep the ribs by seasoning them with Kosher salt. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed. The process of salting in advance is called dry brining. The rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, but ribs consist of only about 50% meat, so use about 1/4 teaspoon per pound. You can simply eyeball it by sprinkling on the same amount of salt you would sprinkle on the ribs if they were served to you unseasoned.

3. Fire up. Line the roasting pan with foil and drop in a wire rack. Set the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C).

4. Prep again. Brush both sides of the ribs with a coat of flaxseed oil and season with the dry rub.

5. Cook. Place the ribs meat side up on the wire rack and cover the pan. Allow the ribs to cook until the meat just begins to shrink back from the ends of the bones, about 4 hours. (3-1/2 hours was a little too short)

6. Lay out a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil approximately eight inches longer than the ribs. Cut the stick of butter into 1/2 tablespoon pieces and place 4 pieces on the double layer of foil, one tablespoon of honey drizzled over the butter, and two tablespoons brown sugar sprinkled over the top. Lay the ribs, meat-side down, on the butter honey and brown sugar mixture. Place another two tablespoons margarine, a tablespoon of honey, and two tablespoons brown sugar evenly on top of the bone side of the ribs. Fold up the sides of the foil to create a boat, pour in the apple juice. Begin crimping the foil to create a good seal while also being careful not to wrap the foil too tightly against the ribs themselves.

7. Place the foiled ribs sealed side up in the roasting pan, close the lid, and cook for one hour then gently open a small section of the foil to check for doneness. If the meat has begun to pull back from the bone (approximately 1/4 of an inch of bone exposed), remove them from pan. If they haven't begun to pull back, re-seal the foil and check again after 15-20 minutes.

8. Once you have removed the ribs, cautiously open the foil packet to allow the steam to escape. Remove the ribs from the foil and set them back on the wire rack with the meat side up. Cover and allow the ribs to cook until tender but not falling off the bone, for about 20 minutes.

9. When they are ready, brush sauce on both sides of the ribs and place them, meat side up on the wire rack. Cover and cook until the sauce sets and becomes tacky, 3 to 4 minutes.

Notes

This should be just as successful in the oven on a broiler pan.

About the flaxseed oil: The use of oil is completely optional. The oil serves as a binding agent for the dry rub without altering the flavor of the finished meat. The oil is high in fat, something that can only benefit the ribs. Also, flaxseed oil is high in Omega-3 which is seriously lacking in a Western diet.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much.