After numerous attempts at achieving fall-off-the-bone ribs, I finally got the desired results that I was aiming for. I tried the 3-2-1 & 2-2-1 methods which worked fine, but I wasn't satisfied, until I tried Joe's method (thanks Joe) by leaving it in the smoker for the duration of the smoke with minimal intervention.
I used the rub that Joe provided as my base, however I omitted the cayenne pepper. (Link below)
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=745.0I used mustard as a binding agent, added dry rub and tightly wrapped and refrigerated for 24 hours. The next day, I added a bit more rub, added 2.5 oz of apple wood chips to the smoker, added a pan with some apple juice for moisture, placed the rack in the smoker and set to 225.
After 3 hours, I removed the rack and slathered with Tony's (DivotMaker) killer sauce and placed back in the smoker for 2 more hours. The final results, a real nice caramelized bark, yet really moist and juicy meat that fell off the bone (finally). Thanks guys for all your help and support to get that perfect rib.
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=772.0Takeaway: Next time I will go with 2 oz of wood and us cola syrup as my binding agent to see how it helps with caramelization, and tone down on the amount of rub I apply to the ribs.
