Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs Recipe

One of my favorite summer foods are ribs. I like them smoked, boiled, grilled, and just about any other way you can cook them. I've found that preparing sous vide ribs lets you tenderize them while still keeping them medium rare and is a really unique way to do them. I've cooked them a few different ways and these sous vide St. Louis ribs were one of my favorites.



I ordered some St. Louis ribs from D'Artagnan, which were some of the meatiest ribs I've ever had. I seasoned the ribs with salt and pepper as well as some ground cumin and dried lemon peel. I then cooked the ribs sous vide for around 12 hours.

One of the things that I feel sous vide can take away from traditional grilling and BBQ is that great grilled flavor. Even though you still grill items done sous vide they are only on the grill for a few minutes. To get around this I quickly chilled the sous vide St. Louis ribs in a ½ ice - ½ water bath and refrigerated them.

Then when I grilled them later I could keep them on the grill for a much longer time without cooking the middle any more. I sacrificed a little bit of the "perfect" medium rare near the outside but they developed a great crust and the majority of the meat was still perfectly cooked. Since they were already cooked I removed the ribs from the grill when the middle started to approach 125°F (51.5°C) so it wouldn't cook any more but would still be nice and hot to eat.

While I was grilling the sous vide St. Louis ribs I basted them with Dinosaur BBQ sauce to get that sweet and sticky coating as well as the extra flavor from the sauce caramelizing.

I served the ribs with some grilled asparagus but the sous vide St. Louis ribs were definitely the centerpiece of the meal.

Modernist Tools, Ingredients, and Techniques Used

If you would like more information about the modernist techniques, ingredients, and equipment used in the Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs you can check out the following.

Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs

  • Published: June 21, 2011
  • By Jason Logsdon
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Total Time: 9 or up to 13 Hours
  • Cooks: 135°F (57°C) for 8 to 12 Hours
  • Serves: 4

Ingredients for Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs

  • For the Sous Vide Ribs

  • 2 to 3 pounds St. Louis Ribs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried lemon peel
  • Salt and pepper
  • For Finishing the Sous Vide Ribs

  • 1 to 2 cups BBQ sauce


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Cooking Instructions for Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs

For the Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs

At least 9 to 13 hours before serving

Preheat the water bath to 135°F (57°C).

Salt and pepper the St. Louis ribs and sprinkle with the cumin and dried lemon peel. Place the St. Louis ribs in the sous vide pouches and seal. Place in the water bath and cook the sous vide St. Louis Ribs for 8 to 12 hours.

When the sous vide St. Louis ribs are done cooking remove them from the water bath and cool in a ½ ice - ½ water bath until chilled. Refrigerate until you are ready to grill them.

For more information on the cooking times you can read my detailed article which addresses why is there a range in sous vide cooking times.

For Finishing the Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs

Pre-heat a grill to high heat when you are ready to eat.

Remove the sous vide St. Louis ribs from the pouches and pat dry. When the grill is heated place the ribs on the grill and baste with the BBQ sauce. Turn every few minutes and continue basting until the ribs have a nice crust on them and are heated through.

Remove from the heat and serve.

Want Great Sous Vide Recipes?

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Jason logsdon headshot This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
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