St. Louis-style barbecue uses spare ribs that are grilled (instead of being slow-smoked) and heavily sauced with a sweet, acidic, and sticky tomato-based barbecue sauce that is typically made without liquid smoke. The ribs are cut in a special way – sternum bone, rib tibs, and cartilage are removed so that the final product is a rectangular-shaped rack.

It is believed that this cut originated with meat-packing plants in the region in the mid-20th century.