ST. LOUIS – How do you end up with the best barbecue ribs? According to Food Network star and “Flavortown” mayor Guy Fieri, it starts with ones that are cut St. Louis-style.
Fieri recently shared his secrets to sensational ribs with The Daily Meal, a professional food writers’ website. Giving the ribs the right amount of smoke and sauce is important, but having the meat prepared St. Louis-style makes the biggest difference for Fieri.
What does it mean to order ribs St. Louis-style? Meat wholesaler Tender Belly states these kinds of ribs are meatier than most because they are “cut from the belly of the hog” and “trimmed down by cutting away the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage.”
Fieri says St. Louis-style ribs are easier to cook, slice and eat than other styles because they are flat rather than arched. When prepared correctly, the meat won’t fall off the bone when you slice it or tear off when you immediately bite into it. You should experience the satisfaction of a balanced bite and mouthwatering meat.
St. Louis-style BBQ, whether for ribs or other meat, also places an emphasis on grilling the meat before applying any sauces or seasoning. Based on Fieri’s recommendations, it’s important to let the ribs cook at a low and slow speed sometimes as long as two hours. Once cooked to completion, Fieri says you can rub sauce on there, but not too much sauce or any flavor out of the ordinary. Ultimately, he says the texture of the ribs is more important than the sauce.
Through these techniques, Fieri’s barbecue team “The Motley Que” ended up winning the American Royal World Series of Barbecue. Fieri and his team were also inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2012.
In addition to enjoying St. Louis-style ribs, Fieri is a huge fan of the city’s food scene as well. Last year, food writers from Mashed revealed his favorite restaurant in Missouri was The Shaved Duck in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.
As for barbecue, St. Louis had bragging rights over Kansas City last year in a study evaluating “America’s best BBQ cities.” This year, that title goes to Kansas City with St. Louis right behind at No. 2.