You're welcome.
Hickory and apple blend would be a good route to go as well. Apple will add a slightly sweeter back-ground to the sharpness of the hickory...the smoke duration could be a bit longer without it becoming over-powering for the smaller cuts of short rib.
I've never probed ribs for temp, but instead go by shrinkage and pull-pack form the bone. It's a bit tougher to gauge with short ribs, though. If you place the short ribs lengthwise with the wire on the grate, you should see marks from the meat and seasonings where the shrinkage will bare the grate as cooking progresses. This is a good shrinkage indicator for those smaller cuts, as well as brisket and pork butts. If you don't see any signs of shrinkage, it's too early or they're not cooking.
Ribs are a somewhat tougher muscle, so if you were to go by temp and want them tender, probably at least 190*, possibly close to 200*. A bit of poking around should reveal how tender they actually are...less resistance to probing = more tender. Another way to check cooking progress is to lift the meat with tongs and watch for droop (bend test), though this works best for large slabs of ribs, but could also be used for shorties. Less bend = more done (the meat fibers tighten-up as they shrink during cooking, causing the meat to firm-up). With small cuts, when you observe little sag, they're close, if not done.
I had a batch of shorties a few years ago come out of the foil with the bones popping out as I tried to move them back to open grates to set the bark. Probably needed about 20 minutes less time in the foil that time around...super tender eating, still moist, and the texture wasn't mealy/grainy, so, I got away with it that time...LOL!!!
Eric
