Dish up this melt-in-your-mouth finger food with cold beer, lots of napkins, and maybe a side of potato chips and pickles. Ask your butcher for St. Louis-style spareribs, which are flatter than baby back ribs so they’re easier to brown. They also have a higher amount of fat, which melts and keeps the ribs incredibly tender when roasted. Here’s a quick tip: before cooking, you’ll want to remove the membrane that covers the rack since it can make the ribs hard to separate before eating. Loosen a corner with a sharp knife, then grab it with a paper towel and pull back and away.
How to Make It
Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine chile powder and salt in a small bowl; rub mixture over ribs. Wrap each rack in aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until bones can be pulled out with just a bit of tension, 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together ketchup, vinegar, sugar, pepper, hot sauce, and mustard.
Preheat broiler. Unwrap ribs and baste with half the sauce. Return unwrapped ribs to oven and broil until sauce is bubbly and glazes the ribs, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve ribs with remaining sauce.