Bob-tx wrote:
> ..... fall off the bone cleanly, and
> tender, and well smoked.

Bob, those are over-cooked ribs that have been stewed after smoking. I don't
use foil, ahve done thousands of slabs, and they come out tender, moist and
with a bit of a tug of meat pulling from the bone.

> I use an offset smoker, mostly oak wood (I can usually get all the
> Oak I want for free), and try to keep the temp at grill level around 225 -
> 250,
> with chimney always wide open.

I cook my spares at 275F or better. They are much more quickly tenderized
than a large cut like pork butt or shoulder because of the thinness of the
meat and the large surface of bone. Cooking is accomplished in about three
hours. You know they're done when you can bend the slab and the meat
seperates from itself.

It sounds like you have a lot of hot, direct heat hitting the ribs. I would
question if your thermometer is providing accurate readings at the grill
surface. I would also experiment with baffles to keep as much direct hot
heat, from the offset, away from the ribs as possible. You also may just be
cooking your ribs far too long.

I hope this helps some.

--
Dave
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,
give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight
efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."--------
----- Robert Heinlein