How do I make my ribs "fall off the bone"?!

No, do NOT boil the ribs first! Yes, the fat and flavor is pulled out into the water and discarded. Boiling is the method used to make beef stock, where you boil meat and bones and then strain out all of the meat and bones and save the stock.
Have you ever seen ANYONE in a rib cook-off boil their ribs before cooking? No!

The way you cooked them is the correct way. You might want to put a lid on the cooking vessel, or wrap it (or just the ribs) tightly in foil to keep in the steam from the natural juices.
Ribs are loaded with connective tissue (elastin, reticulin and collagen) which needs a long time to break down to a chewable state. The only way to achieve that without burning them is to cook them on low heat. Boiling will not break down the connective tissues. In fact, elastin will probably get even tougher by boiling it for a short time. It will be like chewing on a mouthful of rubber bands,
My general rule is to cook ribs at 225-degrees to 250-degrees F. for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours. Longer wouldn't hurt, either. I often hear of rib champions cooking theirs for eight hours or more.
Adding the sauce at the end is correct, too, because many sauces have sugar in them, which will burn if it is cooked long enough to cook your ribs.
You're doing fine, just keep at it.

I normally smoke mine for about 6 hours at about 225 with a nice dry rub. they add more coals the caramelize the sauce i put on at the end. don't boil them that's a short cut way of doing it. so at least give them to more hours of cooking time cut the temp too 225. go buy some liquid smoke at the store and brush some on the dry rub just before adding the sauce will give it a great flavor like you smoked them.

my friends and coworkers say i make BBq ribs better than most restaurants

unless its a rack of ribs, i use my pressure cooker first - it takes very little time to do them that way. I then just take the meat from the pan, drain off the liquid, and put them on the grill. The less water you can get away with using in the pressure cooker the better. And that pork broth makes some mighty fine old fashioned corn meal mush

Do NOT boil them first. The flavor of the Meat cannot be replaced, and YES it goes into the water.

Also ribs are fatty and that is why they benifit from slow cooking and end up juicy. If you boil them all the fat gets boiled out and they will end up dry.

Slow and low. I don;t know that I would add another full 2 hours, but at least 1 hour depending on how many ribs you are cooking.

For God's sake, do not boil them in water. All of their flavor goes into the water. Cook ribs very slow, 200 deg for at least six hours. I have covered tightly in aluminum and have also just laid them in a pan with no cover. Both ways are very good but I prefer not to wrap.

I made some country style ribs with 2 cups of bbq sauce in an oven bag--cooked it for 2 hours at 350 and they were very tender.

cook them longer, and make sure you have some liquid with them while you are cooking them.

Crock pot.

double your cooking time,the secret is cook slow

cook them in a crock pot

cook them low and slow

Making the meat fall off the bone is easy. A pressure cooker can do it in 50 minutes. Boiling and slow cooking works, for 6+ hours. The hard part is making the meat worth eating when it comes off the bone. A pressure cooker adds no flavor to the meat. Boiling removes flavor. A slow cooker is basically boiling, and removes flavor. Smoking imparts the flavor of the wood to the meat and doesn't remove flavor. That's why competitors don't boil or pressure cook. Customers aren't always the best judge of the taste of ribs, as many people will be satisfied with tender, but less flavorful meat, lathered in a bunch of sauce. They like the sauce, and the sauce hides the flavorless meat to many people. But try tasting that meat without the sauce, yuck! Grilling or coating with liquid smoke adds flavor to the exterior, but doesn't really flavor the meat. Smoking goes deep into the meat, and you can visually see this with a smoke ring in the meat, and the taste is obviously better. Smoked ribs taste great with NO sauce. Many rib shacks/restaurants serve their ribs only with sauce on the side, to let the customer taste the smoked flavor of the meat.

Does that mean boiling or pressure cooking is bad or wrong? Yes, for competition when you'll be judged by experts who know the difference and who compare the flavor of the meat between the competitor. If your customers or guests like the result, however you do it, then it doesn't matter much. In that case, I'd suggest pressure cooking since it takes so much less time, then grill with a rub or liquid smoke, and cover with sauce, as they want. But if you've got some people who know good ribs when they taste it, you can't hide the fact that you boiled or steamed the meat. They'll know that you don't really care about the flavor. Those customers probably won't be back. Ribs smoked low and slow are easily distinguished from the rest, by those who care.

ok - THIS IS THE KEY !!!!! -
boil them in water first
that's a must !!!!!
so there just starting to fall off the bone
then and only then
cook them how you want them
as you stated above -
i guarantee you 100%
this will work.

i have been cooking rib`s like
this at work and at home for the past 20 YEAR`S !!!!!
no all the flavor does`nt go in to the water as you are
cooking them with the sauce and rub afterward`s uh ???
read the posted question again !!!!! NO IT DOES`NT !!!!!
hey jared just try it as well as your sauce and rub method
just shorten the cooking time in the oven that's all i can
suggest try it then you can comment back on here ???
leave the question open till you do it`s not going
anywhere !!!!! ok.
dcnballm - i like your answer as much as my own
mr grump i`m not in a cook off and neither is the question asker !!!!!
but hey if all those customers of mine have been coming back for
the same rib recipe for 20 year`s then they must all be from
the planet mars eh ????? oh and by the people i have just opened up a
SECOND rib bar in the same town and banked half a million in profit
in the last full year !!!!! how much have you banked from cooking rib`s ?????
NO NONE OF YOU KNEW THAT DID YOU !!!!!
jquick i serve rib`s with the sauce on the side in my rib bar and they
have been coming back for 20 year`s that's why i`m so successful at it
that's the point i was trying to make with them on here i have boiled mine
in water first for 20 years before a quick roast and they love it !!!!!