So my takeaways from this weekend of smoking
1. fresh from butcher or store bought from big box store made zero difference except on my wallet.
2. spray the racks before putting on the meat may help them from sticking and falling apart before you are ready for them to.
3. the little amount of wood used in this thing is crazy. I shouldn't have ordered so much wood from smokinlicious.
4. I was able to leave one of the two butts wrapped for 6 hours in a towel in a cooler and it was still hot when i pulled it out.
5. Was hands down the best bbq I have ever had. A little prep and patience goes a long way with this thing.
6. The st louis cut ribs need some improvement but I think they just were not on long enough. I got a little tired from all the yard work and nobody was even hungry so I just pulled them at 6.5 hours.
7. The rub makes a lot of difference. I bought two different kinds from my local store and one was hands down better tasting for the butt. Seems like I guess common sense but I guess I kinda thought most rubs are about the same with very similar ingredients.
So far so good guys. Thanks for all the help so far and I think this weekend im going go brisket and baby backs.