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10pm sounds perfect as a start time, Reggie. If you run slow getting up to speed, you will have a buffer time cushion to adjust. I always like to have a 14 hour window for average sized butts since I cook at 225* If you end up going the water in pan route, it helps to start with warm or hot...

Gil, I am not one to pack too much meat on a grate so it is all mashed together. Albeit, the meat will shrink during the cook and make its own space, I don't like it to start that way. Since you have two WSMs, I think I may run them both and select briskets using one per grate. Four 12...

I like a good dark bark. Hickory and oak burn slower due to being hard woods and wont turn meats dark as quickly. Fruit woods and pecan are softer and darken meats more quickly. Rubs with higher sugar contents caramalize and turn darker. If dark is your goal, these factors can help get it...

Like Russell says, there are several factors including types of sides (how starchy they will be), breads, etc to be served. Brisket is a fairly rich meat so that plays into it as well. When I do a brisket, I plan on almost 50% shrinkage from raw til finished. If you play the safe side, I'd...

Reggie, Good questions...all of them! Water pan full or empty can go many directions(opinions). I prefer a foiled clay saucer (Lowes or Home Depot) nested down in the water pan due to convienience and lack of mess. Just throw foil away and no messy water to fool with. Clay acts as a radiant...

Sam's Wholesale Club has 9" non-sectioned turn in boxes in bundles of 100. They also have sectioned clam shells as well, so be careful you get the ones you need. They were less than $10 for the pack. I keep a few handy at competitions as backups.

Odd as this may seem, the top grate on your WSM may actually test a few degrees hotter than the bottom rack. With that being said, there is often discussion that the dome thermometer reads higher than the grate temps. This may certainly be the case. Competition cooks often select larger butts...

If you end up doing the lo n slo overnight method (my choice), you may want to consider wrapping in foil as the internal meat temp approaches the 150-160* range. Adding an au jus type liquid in the foil helps break down muscle fiber to tenderize while remaining moist. Pull at 195-202* and let...

All good points leading to the same point...success with your new WSM. 1-Don't buy some cheap smoker and have it on your hands. Get the WSM and don't fret. 2-I would go for the cheapest meat (chicken) to experiment with and get used to the new WSM. 3-Try to find a relatively draft free...

Thanks for the brisket aging advice guys! I understand the need to keep temperatures constant while the meat is going through the aging process. I saw a chef on a TV show talk about aging ribeyes since I made this post. He suggested buying the beef, sealing the steaks individually with a...

Thanks John. I saw a program on the Travel Channel last night (Andrew Zimmern) and they were dry aging beef for over a month in a specialty controlled room. Said beef was best ever! Hope someone responds to this post for wet aging advice.

Corey, For three years I have had a Traeger grill called a Lil Tex. I have mixed feelings on this unit which I will explain. I bought it online for around $700 including shipping, and it has a digital controller upgrade making it nice. I feel I don't get much depth of smoke flavor, and some...

I suppose I have a two-fold question about brisket, but both are aging related. First, I have heard the terms wet aged and dry aged. Would I be correct that dry aged means to hang unwrapped beef in a cooler for a length of time, then trim off the outside skin prior to cooking? Is wet aging...

I bought a new ET-732 and would like another as a back-up. I paid $60 including shipping for my first one. Has anyone seen a better price...or they coming down in price yet?

As you can easily see, baby backs can't stand too much time in the foil. Try less time in the foil or possibly skip the foil altogether on BB's. My choice is spares trimmed out to St Louis cuts, then do a 3-1-1. Depending on the thickness, a full hour in foil will not get them overdone and...

The point of "resting" meats after cooking regards the concept of allowing the juices to redistribute. Cutting a steak immediately off the grill will result in a pool of juices on the plate. The same steak after resting a few minutes will retain much more of the juices. Now, if you rest a done...

Brisket is a pretty tricky meat to perfect, but can be rewarding when mastered. On brisket, I throw out the logic of what is the proper internal temp when its done. Rather, I push the probe tip in, and when it feels buttery smooth, it's good to go. Additionally, after pulling off the grill, I...

Vincent, Will an aluminum sheet pan or steam pan (like sold at Sam's Club) slide in and fit on the tracks on the 400? They fit perfectly in my 300 so was just wondering?

Good ideas..thanks guys! We are tying in a bbq festival and competition with our college's alumni day. This is pre-festival planning to determine how many raw pounds we need to have available. I cook a good bit myself, and have always heard there is far less waste with a butt than whole hog...

For some of you competition professionals out there.....what formula would you use in deciding how much poundage of butts to purchase for a large crowd? In planning for an event in October, we calculate to serve approximately 1,200 alumni and families. The anticipated crowd is likely to be a...