Ribs weren't tender enough

I agree, @NoobZero, that it seems awfully surprising that 6 hours, including 2h wrapped, wasn't enough to get a rack of baby backs done.  That seems really odd to me, and I can't help wondering about the temperature.  You didn't say what the dome temperature was, and maybe you might want to check its calibration with boiling water.

Many people here smoke ribs at 225° or even lower (dome temperature), but many of us, and I'm definitely one, think we get better smoke and better results in general when the Egg is at or above 250°.  I usually try to keep my Egg at 250°-275° for ribs.

But I agree with the others, and pretty much everybody on this forum agrees: with ribs you don't cook to time or temperature, but to tenderness.  Regardless of the time, regardless of the internal temp, you don't take them off until they're demonstrably tender enough, either by the toothpick test (almost no resistance going into a meaty part) or the bend test (about 90°).

Spaightlabs said:

Did you pull the membrane off?

Bingo.

NoobZero said:

 I figured after 6 hours they should be ready.

Cant rush them. If they are tough, it is always because they are ubderdone

It would make sense to me that the liquid will affect the cooking temperature.  For what it is worth I don't use any type liquid in the egg.

Gerhard

gdenby said:

The membrane can make a difference. The only person I've read about who didn't remove it took his temp on an offset cooker to 450 just before the finish to burn them away.

Liquid doesn't make any difference in an Egg. It just cools the air, and slows the meat reaching the temp where the connective tissue breaks down. But not all ribs are the same. While most hogs are currently raised in a very uniform method, some producers sell slightly meatier and/or fatter slabs. That can make a difference.

This. 

The only way liquid vs no liquid could affect tenderness is if you cook to the same time, and the egg with the water pan is at a liwer temp due to the heat sink

if your vents are set the same, the one with the waterpan will be a little lower, as the BGE tries to boil the water away (which it really can't). That lower temp means the ribs would take longer

water pans are actually for temp management. They don't keep meat more moist

Darby_Crenshaw said:

gdenby said:

The membrane can make a difference. The only person I've read about who didn't remove it took his temp on an offset cooker to 450 just before the finish to burn them away.

Liquid doesn't make any difference in an Egg. It just cools the air, and slows the meat reaching the temp where the connective tissue breaks down. But not all ribs are the same. While most hogs are currently raised in a very uniform method, some producers sell slightly meatier and/or fatter slabs. That can make a difference.

This. 

The only way liquid vs no liquid could affect tenderness is if you cook to the same time, and the egg with the water pan is at a liwer temp due to the heat sink

if your vents are set the same, the one with the waterpan will be a little lower, as the BGE tries to boil the water away (which it really can't). That lower temp means the ribs would take longer

water pans are actually for temp management. They don't keep meat more moist

I usually use a water pan directly under the meat in order to keep fat drippings from burning and creating a nasty smoke flavor on the meat - is this necessary?  I'm frankly not savvy enough to use water for temperature management, though I understand the concept.  

Only can be temp wasn't high enough. Never seen a rack of ribs not be fall apart after a 3-2-1 even at 225.  Regarding the membrane, most restaurants leave them on and they're still tender so I don't think it's that. Me thinks your temp was incorrect. 

Dragonwmatches said:

Darby_Crenshaw said:

gdenby said:

The membrane can make a difference. The only person I've read about who didn't remove it took his temp on an offset cooker to 450 just before the finish to burn them away.

Liquid doesn't make any difference in an Egg. It just cools the air, and slows the meat reaching the temp where the connective tissue breaks down. But not all ribs are the same. While most hogs are currently raised in a very uniform method, some producers sell slightly meatier and/or fatter slabs. That can make a difference.

This. 

The only way liquid vs no liquid could affect tenderness is if you cook to the same time, and the egg with the water pan is at a liwer temp due to the heat sink

if your vents are set the same, the one with the waterpan will be a little lower, as the BGE tries to boil the water away (which it really can't). That lower temp means the ribs would take longer

water pans are actually for temp management. They don't keep meat more moist

I usually use a water pan directly under the meat in order to keep fat drippings from burning and creating a nasty smoke flavor on the meat - is this necessary?  I'm frankly not savvy enough to use water for temperature management, though I understand the concept.  

i know that the black stuff in a drop pan looks burnt, but it is really home made charcoal.  yes, yes, burnt, but not in a flaming smokey horrible sense that imparts bitterness to the food.

this is all speculation (i mean, it looks ominous, burnt stuff in a pan), but it really doesn't result in the negative flavors we all think.

for one thing, even if it DID burn, what is it that is burning? sugars, proteins, etc.   the same stuff that blackens on the corners of our steaks or gives us grill marks.

much ado about nothing

Use a paper towel for grip when pulling the membrane off. Makes it very easy to pull off.

spares? no way they could be spares... unless something is wacky.  250 grate temp?

mine have been on four hours at 300, and they aren't even close, including the trimmings.

yours are raised, which is hotter in the upper dome, but still, something is off.

falling off the bone is a rib cooked well past the 'pull' level of doneness. 

i have a hard time believing it's truly 250 in four hours.

heck,loin backs done with a braise step are barely done in four hours.
not saying i disagree with you.  just say it has never happened in my experience, and i have never seen it happen in maybe close to a dozen years here.  not unless a thermo reading was off