It is indeed much more about the cook and the method than the smoker itself. Except that you definitely want to go with charcoal or wood over gas. I like to use fruit wood when available, up in Kansas we could get mulberry wood that is great for smoking ... but charcoal is easier and works fine.
Mine is "The Good One" made up in Kansas, it has a separate fire box which is a very good thing. Mainly because you can tend the fire, add charcoal or wood, etc without disturbing the meat in the smoke box. My wife's family was involved with these in the beginning, but now they have been bought out by someone in Kansas City.
This is the brochure for my smoker ...
http://www.aceofheartsbbq.com/Good-One_Brochure.pdf
The key to good BBQ is cooking low and slow. I have a basic method to cook brisket or pork butts that varies only in cooking time.
Baste meat with BBQ sauce of your choice.
Apply rub spices liberally all over meat.
Smoker should be regulated to 250-350 degrees
Place meat in smoker fat side up
Smoke for 3-4 hours, add charcoal or wood as necessary to maintain temperature.
Remove meat from smoker, place in an aluminum pan.
Add half a can of beer, coke or juice to pan and cover with aluminum foil.
Put in a 225 degree oven to finish
8-10 hours total cook time for a brisket, depending on size and thickness
10-12 hours total cook time for a pork butt, depending on size and thickness.
Remove from oven, drain off juices, recover and allow to "rest" for about 30-45 minutes.
Brisket ... Slice against the grain, an electric knife works best as the meat will be too tender for conventional knives.
Pork Butt ... You will know it's finished when the bone is loose and can be pulled out easily. Use a couple of forks to tear the meat apart for pulled pork sandwiches, chop it up a little ona cutting board as needed. Discard anything that doesn't look good.
EDIT: All this BBQ talk made me hungry and I'm getting a small brisket ready to go on the smoker for lunch tomorrow.
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Topic: Information on Smoker Grills! (Read 11421 times)