"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> 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
>
>
275F or higher is too high for ribs.