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Have you considered getting a full rack of spares and cutting to St. Louis style yourself? That will give you lots of trimmings to cook up.

I'm with Bob. What did you expect burning wood to smell like? If you want a delicate smokey smell, use lump charcoal. Just don't expect your food to taste smoked. For that you need burning wood.

You chicken has raw chicken juice on it too, but you're going to eat that. It doesn't matter what drips on what as long as you get it up to temp. The only concerns would be flavor, and you wouldn't want raw chicken dripping on ribs you're about to pull out of the pit.

I'm not sure how that would work. I have a friend who owns an incubator kitchen, but she doesn't have a smoker there. I imagine that if somebody wanted, they could park a rig in back of the kitchen and somehow get that approved as part of the equipment, then you'd be good to go.

I've really enjoyed the Weber spices for regular grilling. I've got 3 different ones and I just grab whatever looks good. For BBQ, I'm still tweaking my recipes.

Use what works for you. What the grate reads is what the meat will actually get, assuming your grate thermometer is calibrated. If the meat is on there, make sure you've got a few inches of space at least between the meat and the temp probe so you get an accurate reading. If you did it last...

What were your temps like before the ATM, and what are you setting them to now? If you were shooting for 250, but really got spikes up to 275 or 300, wrestled them back down, landed at 250 for a while, opened the lid and got another spike, etc., your actual average cook temp was probably...

A brisket is *really* sensitive to temperature fluctuations. You'll get the best brisket if you can hold a really consistent temperature. If the kettle is all you have to work with, I'd say put heavy smoke on it for about 4 - 5 hours (which will also help with your smoke ring development) then...

1. Get a WSM. Seriously, a kettle is the wrong tool for the job for overnight smokes with zero attention. The WSM with a full charcoal ring will do it without blinking. 2. It's where you make a big pile of unlit coals and add a few lit coals on top. The coals light slowly, allowing for a...

1. Use lump 2. Use wood (chunks or splits) Both burn much hotter than briquettes. Also, don't completely close the lid. You need more airflow than the vents can supply. Leave the lid cracked open, or get one of those pizza kettle things that leaves a giant opening in the front.

Beautiful ribs, and the more I look at that pellet feeder for the WSM, the more I want one.

Yep, you'll need charcoal, a chimney, and a Maverick ET-732 (sometimes sold under the Redi-Check brand). Do a pork butt first, they're hard to mess up. Briskets don't stand up well to the big temperature fluctuations you might introduce as you're learning the smoker.

Could be bourbon and butts, rum and ribs, heck even champagne and chicken if you're feeling hoity-toity. I'm not sure which combo is best though. More testing is necessary. :)

Yeah, I'm stealing that pepper idea. I'll need to fashion something to use as a ring to hold it up, since I'll probably only be doing one or two for myself.

Oh, while we're on the subject, one thing I've been doing also is NOT burying my wood chunks. Used to do it, then found out that meat takes on most of its smoke flavor (and smoke ring) in the first few hours of smoking. Burying wood where it won't light off for a few hours kind of defeats the...

Try a large can of beans/veggies/fruit/whatever. Doesn't *have* to be coffee in that can. Bush's baked beans can be had in a tall, narrow can that would be perfect for fitting about 10-15 lit coals. Plus, yummy beans. It's a win/win. :)

15-20 coals might be too many. I typically fire up with about 10. Ash production is a function of your charcoal, not the method you use to light them. If you're using KBB, stop. It's half limestone. KC will burn down to nothing without needing to be tapped to knock the ashes down.

I'd finish in the oven. I'm lazy like that. :) Actually if I were in your shoes, I'd fire up the smoker at about 225F after dinner the night before. I'd get 4-6 hours of smoke on the brisket and butt, however long it took to get a nice mahogany color and get the bark to set. Then I'd...

I thought that was a competition thing. I'm not sure I'd want to serve my friends and family chicken balls.

Wow, I don't think I'd ever look at an 18.5" and think "you know, this needs 16 racks of ribs and a brisket". :) Well done!