Thanks, Metalwing. That addresses my questions.

Dang, if the grill was too small for indirect, it must have been a little one.

Yeah, I have heard some folks swear by cooking ribs bone side down to let the ribs baste in their own juices and help keep them moist. Makes sense. But, why do ribs come out so well in a rib rack, which would give all the juices a chance to run off? If someone uses a mop sauce, I guess lack of juice isn't a problem.

The "bone side down" applies to grilling. If you started bone side up, the meat on the surface would be overcooked and the meat next to the bone would be undone.

The racks are a smoking or baking technique, not grilling. They require fairly uniform heat over a longer period of time. The moral here is that you can turn out good BBQ with any kind of equipment. You don't need giant pits that cost thousands of dollars.

One "trick" is to grab a rib and twist it while it is still attached to the rack of ribs. If the bone starts to separate from the meat, the rib is tender. If the bone "falls out" the rib is overcooked but some people like them that way. If you have to fight the bone to get the meat to separate, it needs to cook some more. This technique is the way we actually test the ribs for doneness but people who don't enjoy playing with the meat find that the toothpick method works pretty well.

I have a huge collection of recipes. Here is a good mop.

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ranch dressing
3 small onions, sliced
1 bottle of beer
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 lemons cut in half

Combine all ingredients (squeezing lemons as you add them) in large pot.
Simmer for thirty minutes. Keep the mop sauce on top of the smoker so it stays hot.

Shoot, ribs have their own automatic, built in, pop up timer. When the meat has shrunk back about 1/4 inch from the ends of the bones, they are done.

I also use the test to see if they are tender enough to tear apart with my fingers.

Kat asked me "Slow cooking is best?.." for ribs. Well ... is a deep subject.

Generally speaking, slow cooking is better for ribs for a lot of reasons. Ribs are thin, which means they can burn rather quickly. Water boils at 212F so, unless you keep them basted, you can boil away much of the moistness while cooking.

If you are going to cook them in the oven, here are some hints.

Try not to cook over 275F. It takes your typical rib rack about three hours to cook at that temp. ribs that are extra meaty or tough will take longer... usually about four hours.

A standard trick is to season the ribs and cook for about three hours. Then cover the ribs in HOT BBQ sauce while wrapping ribs tightly in foil and cook for about another hour. The trapped steam will force the flavor of the sauce into the meat and add yum.

Finishing the ribs by opening the foil for a while to caramelize the sauce makes the sauce reduce a bit and stick better. It adds a bit of "outdoor" appearance to the ribs but is not necessary.

If I am going to cook them in the oven I will drop the temp to about 225F and leave them overnight.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! i got them cooking!!! and i'm going to follow pretty much the method you just posted, but i think i'm gonna do the foil part on the grill. the rest i'm cheating with the slow cooker...i added some apple juice and patted them with a little bit of dry rub for now. and i'm making bourbon BBQ baked beans to go with them. can't wait for dinner time!

Kat, I suspect you are an excellent cook and don't need any advice from me. LOL However, you know I enjoy giving help if I can.

So what time should I be over for dinner

believe it or not...there's left overs!! and you know how everything is soooo good the next day... so come one come all!

You know ribs are one of those foods that are good reheated the next day if you reheat them in the oven
mmmmmmm