I had the relatives over my birthday last weekend and I decided to smoke a brisket and butt for the occasion. The best smoke I ever had was in an offset so I decided to use the same recipe and compare. I marinated both cuts of meat for about 7 hours and then applied my home rub. I put the meat on at 200* at 2300 hour for a 1600 feast. I used two small pieces of apple and one small piece of hickory that I soaked in water for 24-hours. I put the butt on the top shelf and the brisket (fat side up) on the middle shelf. About 0800 I opened the smoker (I know what you old timers will say about opening the unit) and sprayed the meat with apple juice. I opened it again about 1200 and sprayed it again. At 1530 I took the meat out, sliced it and had it at 1545.
The results were that the butt was perfect. Great tasting and very moist. The brisket was good but the pork went over better. I went with a lower temperature and three pieces of wood because I thought my guests would like a light bark. My unit read about 188* on my remote during the cook.
Some guests thought the meat would be like jerky with a 15 1/2 hour smoke but were pleasantly surprised by the results. They all wanted doggy bags so I had no leftovers for myself.
I can say my 009 was 100 times easier than my offset and the results were outstanding. No more offset unless I cook a baby pig.
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