New And Clueless...

[Jred76]

I cook on a piece of crap $99 offset these days. Medical bills are a summamabitch. At any rate, I'm able to get consistent heat by building what amounts to a wall of unlit charcoal starting at the inside wall of the box about 2/3 of the way out towards the damper. I then pour a full chimney of lit coals into the gap and open the damper all the way. Give it a good 15 or 20 minutes to stabilize, then add your chunks, dry, on top of the hot coals. When the smoke coming out changes from white and thick to thin and blueish, put the meat on. White smoke is really bitter. Blue smoke is delicious. I get about 6 or 7 hours of steady heat with this method in an 11" firebox before I have to start adding coals. I'd imagine with a quality pit that holds heat and a legitimate box, you could do a whole brisket without having to add fuel. Hope this helps!