St. Louis-style ribs are spare ribs trimmed into a neat rectangular rack by removing the brisket bone and cartilage. The cut is now used nationwide but takes its name from this city.
The St. Louis cut is a butchery style, not a recipe: pork spare ribs squared off by trimming the sternum, cartilage and flap, leaving an even rack that cooks consistently. The name reflects the city's role as a major 20th-century pork-processing centre. Local smokehouses like Pappy's and Salt + Smoke turn the cut into Memphis- and Texas-leaning ribs, and the trim is now a standard term on menus and in butcher cases across the country.
3 editor picks for St. Louis-style ribs in St. Louis, ranked by editorial score. All St. Louis signature dishes · St. Louis-style ribs across every city.
Pappy's Smokehouse ★ 4.6
midtown · 3106 Olive St, St. Louis, MO 63103
Pappy's smokes Memphis-style ribs over apple and cherry wood in Midtown and lands on national BBQ lists. The ribs are the order, and they sell out daily.
Salt + Smoke ★ 4.4
delmar-loop · 6525 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO 63130
Salt + Smoke smokes brisket over post oak for 16 hours in the Delmar Loop and pairs it with a deep bourbon list. The city's leading new-school BBQ name.
Bogart's Smokehouse ★ 4.3
soulard · 1627 S 9th St, St. Louis, MO 63104
Bogart's smokes its signature apricot-bruleed ribs in historic Soulard, torching the sweet glaze to order, a counter-service BBQ joint that draws long lunchtime lines.