Rib question.

Are the ribs baby-backs or spares? Are you cooking at 225F or hotter? If they are baby-backs, it is likely they will be done or near done at the 4 hour point. If they are spares, it is not likely they will be done yet. If you are cooking hotter, cook times will be reduced.

Personally I like to glaze my ribs a couple times in the last cooking hour. This is my favorite sauce, thinned 50/50 with apple juice. For your falling off the bone level of done-ness, I'd check them at the 4 hour point and if they're not where you want them start glazing and check again in 30 minutes, repeat until done. You can foil or not... foiling will tend to steam the ribs a bit, and this is not my favorite texture, although it may be what you are personally going after. Everyone's tastes and expectations are different.

As the experts here say: "They are done when they are done".

You might also check out Smokin' Okie's Ribs 101

When the ribs start to poke tender, I usually glaze with a mix of sauce, honey, and water for about thirty minutes. I don't foil until I take off the smoker.

Once I foil, I try to let the ribs rest in a cooler for at least an hour. I want a gentle pull off the bone, not fall off the bone. I think the "rest" is about as important as any part of the cooking process.

Just my opinion. Good luck with your ribs.

I do baby backs and at 225*, somewhere around the 4 to 4-1/2 hour mark is right on. Check with a toothpick to see how they are. When my ribs are ready, I sometimes put a little apple juice on them, foil them and put in a chest for at least 30 minutes before eating. If you are doing spares, depending on the weight they wont be ready at 6:00!! Good luck.

If you take them off at 4-4.5 hrs. (at around 4:30) and you're eating at 6:00, then you'll have to double heavy duty foil, towel, and cooler them to keep them hot till dinner. If they're FTC'd, then you could even have an extra beer or glass of wine before dinner, and eat after 6:00 since they'll still be hot for several hours.

I'm assuming you've used a rub. I would not sauce them when foiling, but have the sauce on the side. Some prefer dry ribs, others wet. If you prefer to sauce before foiling, then do it lightly and serve additional sauce on the side.

My one and a half cents worth.

Thanks guys. Yes they are baby backs and I will be cooking at 225. Sorry about that lack of info. I believe I will go ahead and FTC them with just a light glaze of the sauce. Everyone in the group likes sauce. I just wanted to make sure I could FTC them with a little sauce without ruining them. Thanks again, I will post again after we eat to let you know how they turned out.