Paul--
What you might not find up to par is often much better than most people have had before; the compliments are likely valid. When I cook for guests or clients who I don't know well it can be more difficult to ascertain the level of taste sophistication of the tasters. However, when I cook for friends at home for whom I've been cooking for many years I expect--and get--astute criticism. (They've all learned to understand and comment on my self-criticisms and all have dined with me at high-end restaurants many times and know how savage I can be with criticism in that environment.) It took some time for my group to get really good at some of the subtlties but by expressing my negative criticisms to them in detail (and--very important--the positive criticisms, what and why I think something works) they've all gotten pretty good at it.
There are a few things you can do when faced with an early finish for ribs. If you hold any meat in a hot environment (temps that exceed the internal temp of the meat in question) it will continue to cook. Though large thick roasts (especially very well marbled cuts like butt) can take that for a while it's best either not to apply heat (holding well-wrapped in a cooler instead) or to make sure that the heat applied is less than the target internal (but greater than 140). With most ovens and grills it is hard to set the heat level that low. If you are able to set temps that low wrap the meat well to avoid moisture loss.
Since ribs are relatively thin it is often better to cook them to slightly less then done (pull when your probe meets some resistance but not a whole lot), skip any glaze or sauce, pull them, cool them quickly, wrap well and keep cold till 20-40 min before service. Then, reheat and finish the ribs on or in a grill indirectly at first to get them hot and then directly, if necessary, for bark texture and/or to set up the exterior to take a glaze. Finish with glaze, sauce, or plain, indirectly; serve.
If you don't have lots of time to kill you can cook as you normally would. Preheat an oven to 200. When you pull the ribs wrap them in a double thickness of foil (tightly if unglazed or unsauced; the top loose if either). put them in the oven and shut it off. Periodically (every 30 min or so) turn the oven back on for just a few minutes then off again. Just before service open the foil and check the rib's surface for appropriate texture. If the glaze or sauce or bark has become too moist from the extended time in foil open the foil completely, raise the oven rack to its highest position, then turn the oven on at 400 for a few minutes--watching closely-- till the texture is restored.
Neither of these methods is foolproof but can work in a pinch. The former method is preferable and yields better results.
