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Spares definately have a meatier, bolder taste than loin backs. I'll pick the spares each and every time. I do trim them pretty tight when I cook. I find it more enjoyable to do the grunt work at the prep table, not the dinner table. Eating spares is an experience. When you serve them whole...

If it's the 'blue' smoke you're looking for you'll need to burn the wood a bit. Fire up the WSM and place the wood on the coals. Let the smoker heat up and the wood burn a bit. You'll see the white smoke disappear and a thin, almost clear, whispy line of heat coming out of the WSM. That's...

The two-gallon ziploc bag works like a champ! And I agree about bags, you can squeeze all of the air out and use far less liquid.

Don't know where in NJ you are, but check with your local orchards. I've got one a mile from the house. November is tree trimming season so the pile should be pretty big. I can basically fill up half my cars trunk for about five bucks. I'll split the wood and let it season over the winter...

Any rib rub also works on butts. It's a little sweeter and may be more to the liking of little ones. The Mr. Brown recipe is HEAVY on the black pepper and really packs a punch, albeit a fast one that quickly diminishes, but a punch nonetheless.

Venison is a fairly lean meat that does better at higher temps. There's just not enough fat on most deer to keep the meat moist.

Hey Jim! Good to see hear from you again. Where've you been hiding?

The two hours/lb estimate gives you some extra time for flexibility. You can't cook by a clock, so these are just estimates. Your times will vary.

Paul, I'm a big fan of hickory also. I don't mind fruit wood, but love the sweetness of the hickory wood. One combo I've found to be absolutely wonderful with pork is hickory mixed with cherry.

Anyone else find it odd that Mr. Minion himself hasn't answered? I'd like to know how Jim does it himself!

Tough to find beef ribs around my neck of the woods. Finding meaty beef ribs is impossible. If you do find them they're pretty tasty, but nothing beats the taste of a good 'ole spare!

Brisket should probably go around 1.5 hrs/lb. I'd give the butts around 2 hrs/lb.

I love running the WSM in the winter. I find temps to be more stable than in the summertime. You'll use a little more fuel than in the summer, but temps still come up pretty quickly. When using the Minion Method you'll need a few more lit coals to start with. Snow presents absolutely no...

Use a dry water pan and bump the temps up to 325-350. Cook shouldn't last more than a few hours. Cook until breast reads 160* internal. Since the breast is packaged in a 15% solution there is no real need to brine. A nice rub under the skin would would work well for flavor.

Tom, briskets have traditionally been a tough cut of meat to master on the smoker. Just because they're small doesn't mean they'll cook faster either. A six pound flat takes me a couple hours more to cook than a fifteen pound packer.

Bruce, I've found a combination that I just cannot one-up. I use Texas BBQ Rub on the ribs and as soon as they come off the smoker I lightly paint them with a mixture of Sweet Baby Ray's Regular and Bone Suckin' Hot.

Hey Bruce, what kind of sauces are you cookin' up? Always interested in new ideas! Let us know how things turn out.

I'd pass on those ribs also. Not worth going back into the hospital for $20.00 worth of meat. BTW, glad to hear your wife is home and doing well. As for the brisket. This is one tough cut of meat to master. Don't get discouraged if your first cook doesn't come out quite the way you'd like...

If you're going to brine then you don't need the beer can. I've found that the only useful purpose the beer can serves is to hold the bird upright. I don't find it very effective for imparting any flavor or moisture. As for the pumped birds - if you're brining it won't make much of a...

Willard, meat is done when it is done. Time should only be used as a rough estimate. Temperature and texture tell when it is done. For ribs this means being able to push a toothpick through the meat and having it go through like it was butter. As for perfection. That is definately a...