Two racks of St. Louis ribs, cooked entirely in the Precision Oven: barbecue ribsBarbecue Ribs, Precision Oven
SPICE RUB
1/3 cup / 80 ml paprika
1/3 cup / 80 ml dark brown sugar
1/4 cup / 60 ml kosher salt
2 tablespoons / 30 ml whole yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon / 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons / 30 ml granulated garlic powder
1 tablespoon / 15 ml dried oregano
1 tablespoon / 15 ml whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon / 5 ml red pepper flakes
RIBS
2 whole racks St. Louis-cut pork ribs
SAUCE
1 medium yellow onion, grated
1 1/2 cups / 320 ml ketchup
2 tablespoons / 30 ml spicy brown mustard..., Kenji’s Anova water-bath recipe moved into sous vide mode with 100% steam. The recipe offers two paths — 63ºC for 36 hours for a dense rib that slices, 74ºC for 12 hours for one that shreds — and the calendar picked for us: 12 hours fits between a morning start and a 5 PM return, 36 does not.

The schedule is the interesting part. Rub on Tuesday afternoon, overnight dry brine in the fridge, ribs into the oven before 4:30 AM on a 13-hour timer, and the cook runs unattended while nobody is home. The timer ends at 5:20 PM, just after getting back at 5, so the oven holds the ribs at temperature until someone is there to pull them. Then the 50-minute finish: a bake to dry the surface, two coats of sauce, and a broil.

Base Recipes

• Barbecue Ribs, Precision OvenBarbecue Ribs, Precision Oven
  SPICE RUB
  1/3 cup / 80 ml paprika
  1/3 cup / 80 ml dark brown sugar
  1/4 cup / 60 ml kosher salt
  2 tablespoons / 30 ml whole yellow mustard seed
  1 teaspoon / 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
  2 tablespoons / 30 ml granulated garlic powder
  1 tablespoon / 15 ml dried oregano
  1 tablespoon / 15 ml whole coriander seed
  1 teaspoon / 5 ml red pepper flakes
  RIBS
  2 whole racks St. Louis-cut pork ribs
  SAUCE
  1 medium yellow onion, grated
  1 1/2 cups / 320 ml ketchup
  2 tablespoons / 30 ml spicy brown mustard...

Plan

• Tuesday ~3:30 PM: grind the rub, reserve 3 tablespoons for the sauce. Membrane off, racks cut into 3–4 rib portions, rub on, fridge uncovered on a rack overnight.
• Wednesday before dawn: sous vide mode, 100% steam, rear element, 74ºC, middle rack, 13-hour timer. Leave for the day.
• Wednesday 5:00 PM, back home: sauce on the stove first — grated onion, the reserved rub, ketchup, brown mustard, molasses, Worcestershire, cider vinegar, and all the liquid smoke, 20 minutes.
• 5:20 PM, timer ends: pull the ribs, pat dry, switch to bake, no steam, 150ºC. Bake 20 minutes until the surface sizzles, brush with sauce, 10 minutes, brush again, 10 minutes until tacky, optional broil at 230ºC for a few minutes.
• Serve around 6:10 PM.

Log

Time	Step
Tue 3:40 PM	Rubbed and in the fridge, uncovered
Wed 4:20 AM	Into the oven, 74ºC, 100% steam, 13-hour timer

Notes