re: First time smoking St. Louis style Ribs

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I would be careful smoking ribs for nearly 6 hours using mesquite

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Agreed. I wouldn't pour the smoke to any meat for more than 4-5 hours. I have 2 stages - 1st stage is where I pour the smoke to the meat, which creates the smoke ring. Once I'm done with the "smoke" stage I wrap in foil or cover the pan in foil to make sure I don't over smoke the meat, which can cause a bitter taste and also to let the meat steam inside the foil which breaks down the proteins and makes the meat more tender. I usually leave it on the smoker, but after the 4-5 hour "smoke" stage, you could just throw it in the oven really. It's all about temperature and timing at that point.