Too bad I had to help a friend move this morning so I went the safe route with the crockpot. Seasoned chx thighs on low for 4 hours. Gonna pull the chicken with bbq sauce for sliders with sauteed red onions on Hawaian rollls. The star of the sandwhich will be the BBQ sauce and reason for my post. I strongly recommend homemade BBQ sauces when you smoke meat. Why use store bought crap when you spend all this time (and sometimes money) on the meats. Google any type you want for a receipe, they are all easy to make. You can tweak to your preferences. Todays sauce is a Captain Morgan induced one. I tend to stay away from sauces with heat, like the honey based sweeter ones but to each their own. Buy a few squirt bottles for the left overs (just doesnt last as long since it doesnt have preservatives).

All, thanks for Brian for putting this group together. I have been smoking meats for years now, just havent had time to post with some thoughts. So here we go. Learning how to smoke meats takes time to learn. If you think you can cook a brisket like you see on TV on day 1 you will be disappointed. I smoke with Charcoal as the main fuel with wood chuncks for flavor in a water smoker. I use the weber Bullet. Learning to maintain the temp takes practice.(its all air flow). Air temp and winds can drive you nuts. I see electric smokers as cheating but who knows maybe I go to one some day. I have no experince with offset smokers so I cant comment. Start simple. Brined chicken thighs is a good first go. Baby Back ribs with the 3-2-1 method arent too hard. Then move up to whole chickens and turkey breasts (both brined). Leave the pork Shoulders and briskets for a while. I have also done some Differnet things. Portabella mushrooms are tremendous (so pourous and absorbes the smokey flavor). Hot smoked salmon is tremendous (like butter). Only takes an hour to cook but 2 days of prep (brining then air drying). Baked beans (a little odd). Bacon wrapped turkey bites are a favorite on turkey day. We made homemade Kielbasi and smoked at a low temp (125). That one was like I remember my grandparents getting from the Lithuanian butcher near Scranton. A remote thermometer is a must. Both for the meats and the air temp in your chamber (dont trust the thermometer on the frame of your smoker). The internet is a wealth of info. I prefer to books since you can find lots of educational videos. One website I like is heygrillhey.com. Lots of great receipes and info (maple bourbon ribs are tremendous). I dont get to smoke as much as I like due to time commitments (never home for the stretch of time needed). When I do I Will post pics. Feel free to ask any questions If you are starting up. Brad

Decided to leave it to the professionals today. Down in North Carolina visiting my daughter and attended the Duke/Clemson game. Immediately after the final whistle blew we visited The Original Q Shack in Durham. First visited about 10 years ago. Was featured on Diners Drive in and Dives. We had 2 3 meat platters (4 people shared). Ribs, brisket, chicken, and turkey (added a couple sausages on the side). Had mac n cheese, fries and hush puppies on the side. Never disappoints. If you are ever down south get to a local bbq joint.