Expert: John Langenfelder - 8/2/2009

Question
I smoked BBQ ribs for the first time and they turned out great but were not fall off the bone type. My indirect heat was a mixture of hickory and maple chips on a bed of charcoal with the ribs kept at a constant 225* for 5 hours. They were carmelized and had a great smoke flavor and everyone enjoyed them, but I am searching for the fall off result.  My meat prep consisted of bringing the ribs up to room temp, removal of the rib cover, then smothered with a thin coat of honey mustard and finished with a great rib rub.  I have read that the longer you cook them to a certain degree, the more tender they get, but I am new at this and worry that they might end up dry. What would be the appr. smoking window for fall off ribs at 225*.  Could I go longer over the indirect heat and not risk drying them out??

Answer
Brian,

Fall of the bone is a bit of a misnomer.  What you want is to take a bite and the meat to come off the bone.  If a little residual moisture remains on the bone for a few seconds before evaporating, you have a perfect rib.  that is according to KCBS.  Ribs are always a bit tricky and they will tend to dry up if cooked too long.  It sounds like you did a great job on your first try.  To keep them from drying up, you should spray them once a hour with apple juice. If you plan on trying to cook them longer, keep spraying them to keep them moist.  You can always spray and wrap in some foil for the last two hours.