Caution!!!
You are about to enter the Smoke Zone.
I do not claim to have the best method for BBQ.  It's just the way I do it.
There are MANY people out there with GREAT techniques for Q'ing. 
After a little practice, you will come up with your own style.
Smoke On!!!!!!!

     
Brinkmann PitMaster Deluxe            
 
Lang 84 Deluxe


Yes, you can smoke on a grill!!!!  Put your coals off to one side and the meat on the opposite side of the grill.  You will have to add charcoal often, but you can make it work.  Try and get a grill grate that has a lift up opening on one side for easier access when adding charcoal.  Many of them have this feature.

Anything marked in red on my techniques and recipes is important!!!!!!!!!


I have tried lots of smokers, but I prefer an offset firebox.  I do not believe the smoker has anything to do with producing great BBQ.  If someone tells you that their Smoker cooks better BBQ than any other smoker, they are blowin' smoke!!! 

I have seen State Championships won with a garbage can smoker!!!  I think it is the COOK.  There are lots of different types of smokers out there and they are probably ALL pretty good.  Once you get used to the smoker you have (practice) you will get good BBQ.    
 

Temperature Gauge                        
Keep the temp at 225-250
for Low and Slow Smoking







You will need to crank the
heat to 350 for the
Quick Cook Boston Butt.



Internal Thermometer
 

It doesn't matter how long meat takes to smoke.  It's all about the internal temperature of the meat that determines when it is done.  I, and others, talk about smoking 4-5 hours or 10-12 hours, but it all depends on the internal temps.  This temp probe is a MUST have item.
If you want meat to smoke quicker, crank up the heat.  The higher the smoker temp the quicker it will cook.


Bear Claws
Optional

Bear Claws.  These work GREAT for pulling pork or lifting large pieces of meat.

Spray Bottle (pump-up)
Optional


Get one of these pumps, (Walmart) put some Apple Juice and Jack Daniels  (mix 50-50) or beer and some Olive Oil (flavors work great) and spray the meat before you put on your rub.
That helps keep your rub on the meat.  I also spray it AFTER I put on the rub.  Makes it nice and glossy and the sugar in the Apple Juice helps to caramelize on the meat for a really good bark.

Inject right thru the packaging!!  Saves a LOT of clean up!!!!
This is a meat injection needle used for injecting your marinade into meats.
Optional

Chimney Fire Starter

Don't start your fires with Charcoal Lighter!!!!!!


100% Lump Charcoal      

Use 100% Lump Charcoal for your heat source.  Just try it instead of regular charcoal or wood. Much cleaner and almost NO ash.  You can buy 100% charcoal at most healthfood stores.  (Whole Foods - Wild Oats) (Walmart sometimes has Royal Oak Lump).

Here is a great website for evaluating Lump Charcoal.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Fill your chimney charcoal starter with charcoal and get the coals going.  Dump it in your firebox and add about 2 more chimneys of charcoal (unlit) on top.  Let that get your smoker up to temp.  When it is up to 250-275 add your pieces of wood chunks laying them BESIDE your coals for your smoke.  Temp drops a little with the box open.  Get your smoker to a constant temp of 225-250.
 

    
 Apple or Cherry Wood    Cherry Chunks    A load of Cherry            

Small chunks are the best to keep the smoke light.  Chips are OK, but they burn up too fast.  Keep the smoke going and not too heavy.  Add a piece BESIDE your charcoal coals when your smoker stops smoking.  You can buy wood chunks off the internet.  We use fruitwoods that produce a sweet, mild flavor like Apple or Cherry.  I also use Oak.
In my big smoker, I use logs, lots of logs.  That Ol' Lang will eat up some wood!!!!!!!

Hickory and Mesquite can be too harsh if you use too much or for too long.

Stick Burners!!!!!!
I start my fires with a chimney of charcoal and when the coals are HOT, I start using only wood for my fuel and smoke.  It does take a little practice to become a Stick Burner, but when you get it down, it is the best way to BBQ.  I love to tend the fire and when you use only wood, you will be tending the fire quite often.  It's part of the fun for me.  When you first start Stick Burning, your temps will jump around when you add more wood if your coals are not just right.  Takes some practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  See the Fire Management section.
Fire Management



Look at the Prime Rib on the right.  Now that is just nasty. 
I bought that to show what a cheap piece of meat looks like.   

                                     
Prime Rib                                 2 Boston Butts                 Prime, Butts, Ribs

Get the Best Cuts of Meat.          

If you don’t start with the best, you can’t end up with the best. We buy the best cuts of meat from our butcher and watch him cut them for us.  Keep the fat cap on your meat.  It gives the meat all of its flavor.   You can trim the fat after it is smoked.  I always smoke meat with the fat cap up.  Some people say fat cap down.  I don't know if it really matters.  Try it both ways and you decide which you like.  I like that fat to render and run down the sides of the meat for flavor.
 

See Basic BBQ Rub
Rub 

Use any spices you have in your kitchen.  Brown sugar, garlic salt, salt, Cajun seasoning, mustard powder, paprika and Bijou powder (it's a Cuban Spice, hard to find).  Start with the Cajun seasoning (Tones - Sam's Club)  and build on it from there.  Sometimes all I use is the Cajun seasoning.  Taste as you go!!!!


 
Optional
Roast a Head of Garlic.  Cut the very top of the head off and cover with Olive Oil.  Wrap it up in foil, leaving the top open, if you do not have a garlic roaster.  Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  It is done when the garlic starts to turn light to medium brown.  Squeeze the garlic out of the shells and make a paste with it.  Add a little more Olive Oil until it is the consistency you like.  This makes the best pre-rub and makes the whole house smell great!!!!  I do this especially on Smoked Prime Rib.


Flavored Olive Oils
Optional
I use different flavored Olive Oils, also.  Rosemary is great on Pork!!
I always mix my Olive Oils with Jack Daniels, about 50/50.  If you can't find flavored oils, just use regular Olive Oil.

      
Get The Meat Ready.
Lots of methods for preparing the meat with your rub.  Use your imagination.  You will come up with what you like as you experiment.  You can spend a lot of time in preparation or very little time.

1.  Got plenty of time???
Rub the meat with baked, fresh garlic then coat it with olive oil (many flavors out there). Sprinkle it down with a dry rub and put it in a plastic zip lock bag and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight if you can, but at least a few hours.

2.  Didn't prepare your meat last night???
You can also spray the meat with a 50/50 mixture of Apple Juice and Jack Daniels, or just Apple Juice.  Add your rub and go out and get your smoker ready.

3.  Another method is the Mustard Slather you will see on the Baby Back Ribs recipe (Ribs) and on the Beef Brisket recipe (Beef Brisket).  Cover the meat with a good layer of regular Mustard.  That will also keep your rub on the meat.  You will not be able to taste that Mustard on the finished product.

4.  In a hurry????
Sometimes after I rinse off the meat with cold water, I put on my rub and let it sit out while I prepare my smoker.  If you don't have the time to prepare using the above methods and marinate all night or for several hours, just get the meat ready and smoke it.
You will decide after you practice how much and what preparation you want to do.


OK, Let's Get To Smokin’

Take the meat out of the refrigerator and let the meat warm up while you are getting your smoker started and up to 225 - 250 degrees.  It always takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get my smoker going and up to temperature.  That's long enough to let your meat warm up to about room temperature if it has been in the frig.
                            
                       

This is a 13 lb. Brisket, fat cap up, seasoned and set in an aluminum pan and ready for the smoker.  A little beer in the pan for moisture.

This is a 9 lb. Boston Butt, fat cap up, seasoned with rub and I am ready to pour a little beer the pan.

I put all of my meats in aluminum pans right from the beginning.  No clean up and the meats cook in their own juices!!!   I buy aluminum pans (small and large) at Sam's Club.

Put the meat in an aluminum pan and add a little beer or water in the bottom of the pan (1/4 inch) and put it on the smoker at 225 - 250 degrees.

You need to get an internal thermometer and get the internal temp to about 140-150.  This will work for both Briskets and Butts.

Keep putting on your smoking wood just enough to keep the smoke light.            
                                           
After it has smoked for 8-9 hours (or to 140-150 internal), cover the meat (AND THE PAN) with tin foil and continue to cook.  Sometimes I crank the heat to 275-300!!!!!! 

Many times the meat will seem to want to stay at about 160-165 forever.  This occurs when the collagen (fat) starts to break completely down and render out of the meat.  It WILL go up.  Be patient.

You can take the meat in the house and finish it the last 2-3 hours in the oven at 300 degrees.
Make sure there is some juice in the bottom of the pan (there will be).  If not, add some beer or water. 

Cook for another 2- 3 hours or until the internal temp is 195.  At that temp, take it off the smoker, and keep it covered and let it rest for an hour.  The temp will probably go up to about 200.

Your Butt will be ready to pull and your Brisket will be ready to slice.

This is the SECRET that I use for the very best, most tender BBQ ever!!!  Smoke On!!!!!


This Brisket has been on for about 12 hours.  The fat cap is all cracked and moist and has provided all the juices that you see in the bottom of the pan.  It is the best Brisket you can get.  You can cut it without a knife and you DO NOT have to cut it across the grain.  ALL of your BBQ meats will look like this, too.
    
That Brisket is ready to go!!!!                              

Butt is pulled and ready.  See how that bones just slides right out of the meat?

Now get out there and smoke something!!!!!!!!!!!!