Smoked Sous-Vide-Que Ribs Recipe

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3.92 from 283 votes

Create succulent ribs on the smoker or grill by marrying water and fire in this recipe for sous-vide-que St. Louis spare ribs. By starting them in a low and slow sous vide water bath, the ribs are rendered moist and tender before they're finished on the grill for that smoky flavor we all love in traditional BBQ ribs. You can use any cut of ribs.

Serve with: Your favorite ale or pilsner.

Course:

Dinner

Lunch

Main Course

Cuisine:

American

Makes:

1 slab St. Louis spare ribs

Servings: 3

Takes:

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Sous Vide Time: 1

Total Time: 1 1 15

Equipment

Sous vide immersion circulator
One gallon (3.8 L) sealable freezer bags

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 1 slab ribs (any cut)
▢ ¾ teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt (¼ teaspoon per pound of ribs)
▢ 2 tablespoons Meathead's Memphis Dust
▢ ¼ cup BBQ sauce

Notes:

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

Prep. Remove membrane from the ribs. Salt the meat.
Set up. Prepare a sous-vide immersion circulator such as Joule by ChefSteps according to instructions and set water temperature for 150°F (65.6°C).
Because most slabs are too large for a zipper bag, cut the rack of ribs into 2 or 3 sections and place each in a separate bag. Use a stainless steel spoon to hold the bags under water, carefully submerge them in the water bath until most of the air has been removed, then seal. Once bags are submerged, cook for 24 hours.
If you are not planning on eating the ribs when you are done cooking, you can store the bags in the fridge for a week to 10 days, or in the freezer for a month. Just remove the bags from the sous-vide and submerge in a large container filled with a 50/50 mix of ice and water for at least 30 minutes to reduce the meat's core temperature. Place bags in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
Fire up. When you are ready to serve, prepare a smoker or a grill for 2-zone cooking and adjust the temp to bring the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C). Add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor.
Cook. Once the grill is ready, remove ribs from the bags, pat dry, and season with Meathead's Memphis Dust. Place the ribs in the smoker or on the indirect side of the grill. Allow the ribs to smoke for 45 minutes. If the ribs have been chilled after the sous vide process, cook for another 15 to 20 minutes at 225°F (107.2°C) until completely warmed through. During the last five minutes, brush both sides of the ribs with BBQ sauce and close the lid.
Serve. Remove the ribs, slice, and serve.

Nutrition per Serving