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Joan - Done. Jim - I like molasses. But brown sugar, since it contains molasses, can definitely work, especially dark brown. But I’ve made it with monk fruit sugar (for keto) and that worked too. Molasses is my favorite. And red palm oil.

Making the seasoning yourself is too easy - and far better than the jarred stuff which leaves out too many key ingredients. Here you go.

There are LOTS of variations - even in Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean - so feel free to modify. However, no Caribbean cooks I know would dream of using bottled stuff. The problem with them is that they're not very well made in terms of results, i.e., their use doesn't result in the...

Lodge is not the only US manufacturer. Though they have a smaller line, the products from Smithey (N Charleston, SC) are far superior to Lodge, if more expensive, because their surfaces are polished smooth. If you want extremely well made CI in your arsenal, as I do, Smithey is the bomb. In...

Feel it again. If it’s been wrapped and resting it might well have finished during the rest if it hadn’t earlier. It should feel tender, soft, ready to fall apart fairly easily. If it doesn’t you can put it back on - foil-wrapped if you wish, or not - and let if get there. You can also put it...

You need food grade potassium chloride crystals. They are nearly impossible to come by in small quantities. A bit spendy in larger quantities they are nevertheless available here.

You can make jerk marinade easily and much better than anything you can buy. Jerk isn’t typically sauced, i.e., jerk isn’t sauced after it’s cooked, all though you certainly can if you’d like. Jerk is more about the marinade and the procedure. To that end, make your own marinade and make sure...

Agreed. Internal temp is not a reliable indicator of done. You gotta feel the meat. If using something other than water for a heat sink (or nothing at all) one needs to modify one’s approach - fewer lit at the outset, restricting lower vents sooner, etc. Water, I find, is a less fussy approach...

Internal temp might correlate with “done” but it is not causative. Depending on numerous factors, done can be at a wide range of internal temps - which is why I rarely bother checking internal temp for barbecue. Learn what done feels like. lgnore the unfortunately oft-repeated internal temps...

Sorry, but I disagree. I use anything from Kingsford to high-end lump. Whether or not I am smoking at high heat or doing a low/slow I start with just a few lit, some wood (I never use "fist-sized" anything, preferring much smaller pieces, which might total one chunk, or I use pellets in foil)...

Here you'll find a bunch I wrote for this forum 10-15 years ago. I rarely mix salt into rubs, far preferring to salt the meat first, allow it to sit, then apply the rub over the salt. Works best for adherence and because there is no salt in the rub you can use as little or as much as you want...

Butts I never wrap. Briskets I cook at 350-375˚ (so high heat, obviously) and always wrap. Pork ribs I usually cook at high heat so wrap as well.

I would suggest starting with much less smokewood and then seeing what you think of the results, since smokiness seems to be the problem that concerns you most. Bellows or not, smoke particulates stick to meat (meat does not "absorb" smoke; the meat surface is adsorbent); the longer the meat is...

Craig - I make dozens of chili versions. Here is one and here is another.

Skip the salt in the rub. Salt the meat separately first. Let the meat sit while you make the rub (or wait several minutes if you’ve already made it). Salt will draw moisture to the surface and your rub will stick better. Also, salting first and keeping salt out of the rub means you can use as...

Quite well, actually. Thaw in fridge. If sliced, heat a little chicken or beef stock in a pan - just enough to coat the bottom - along with a small bit of butter. Lay the slices in, cover, done in a couple minutes (don't let the liquid boil, just a bare simmer). For larger pieces: if you've...

You can do that. I do find that a whole brisket smokes/cooks better than small pieces so I usually smoke the whole thing, rest, serve whatever we’re going to eat right away, then either cut the rest into large pieces to wrap and freeze or slice the flat and freeze in portions, and chunk the...

No big deal. Sooner is better if you can swing it. ALways good to have more time as you can rest and/or hold hot. You can wrap in several thicknesses of foil and then, my favorite, a beach towel. Any container - a cooler, cardboard box, microwave or yes, even the cooker if no longer cooking -...

I've done dozens of Wagyu briskets. You can low/slow, high heat, whatever you want. Me, I can't abide salt-and-pepper-only, much preferring a rub, but like any brisket (or ribs or butt) cook till tender, not to some notion of an internal temp.

If ambient temps are high - especially if the cooker is in the sun - it's a challenge, one of the reasons I dispensed with low/slow for ribs and brisket when in Florida or in Vegas. Low temps aren't necessary for either and it's a PITA. For butts I start them late evening or at night (I don't...