fall off the bones ribs need help

Don't reduce the heat after you wrap them in foil and add apple juice before sealing the foil.
Jim

Hi JMac, I don't want seem like a nit picker but where I come from country style ribs and baby back ribs are two different critters. I assume that you are wanting to make baby back ribs in the country style. If so, Jim's advice is right on. A good format to follow is three hours in the smoker then foil for two hours then ditch the foil and give 'em another hour in the smoker. That's a total of six hours. If you want to sauce them do it during the last half hour of your cook.

JB, I do mine 4hrs no foil meat side down. Then remove, foil, and continue to cook 2hrs at 225deg.
Resist the temptation to open the door. Do like that ronco guy, set it and forget it!! Guaranteed fall off the bone goodness!! Six hours is the key. Anything less and you will be chewing.

I go 5 1/2 hours no foil, no juice just shut the door set to 225, come back 5 1/2 hour. Falls apart.

I agree with the "no foil" method. I just did 3 racks of pork ribs in my Smokette over the weekend by hanging them on hooks.

I did them at 225 for 6 hours exactly (never opening the door) and everyone here just devoured them.

They were falling off the bone tender, and moist with a nice crispness on the outside. For me..it doesn't get any better.

For babybacks I'm figuring your looking at 5 hours also.

SmoKen

Lots of good ideas here. Do make sure which cut of meat you're talking about.

Most times, when someone says they're not fall off the bone, you just need to cook them longer. I agree with Jim, don't reduce the heat. All that happens when you do that, is that they sit at holding temp, not smoking temp to break down the pork to "fall off the bone"

I go six hrs. also. No foil. Try not to open the door. Result: Sometimes meat falls off. Sometimes not. (I go by time because the meat's too thin for a temp. probe.)

I'm not so sure "falling-off-the-bone" tender is the correct way to go for optimum bbq. It's my understanding that in some parts of the country - Memphis? - that falling-off-the-bone is NOT what you want. I am guessing here - but I have the suspicion that most people have heard the expression and so - without really having any knowledge or any comparison tastings they just assume that that is the desirable goal - that "falling-off-the-bone" equals tenderness and goodness. Oh well. If that's how somebody's family judges the product, then that's how it ought to be prepared for them.
It's all good to me though!

Good point SoCal.

To Judges, "Fall off the bone" is actually overcooked. That's why they're so hard to cut, unless you have a super sharp knife and take your time.

When you cook them to "tuggable" they're really done right. Tuggable means that when you bite on them and "tug" then the meats comes off in your mouth, but leaves a clean bite mark on the bone and the rest of the meat doesn't fall off.

For my family, they like it fall off the bone, even if I cook them perfectly "tuggable" just something about their concept of perfect.

Kinda like those that say you have to have a perfect 1/4" to 1/2" smoke ring to define perfect Q -- NOT

Smokin'