Hickory would be the classic choice I suppose. A butt can handle a strong flavored wood. I think you could find people recommending almost anything though. I usually use a commercial rub with no sugar, not so much because of D implications but because sugar will burn if you have a temperature spike. Now you have 2 types of spikes to worry about :-)

It's common for the temp to stall around 170 or so, if it won't budge and you want to get it done in time to eat you can foil it with some liquid and braise it to finish. In BBQ circles this is called the "Texas Crutch" Foiling will sacrifice some bark, try it both ways and see which one you like better. I believe cooking at a higher temp can minimize the stall.

Another trick is to foil it and put it in a cooler wrapped in towels, it will stay hot for hours. This is something that is universally considered to improve the BBQ. Figuring some extra time to rest also gives you a little cushion in case the meat stalls and you have hungry people waiting to eat.

Hi Barbara, might I recommend a shoulder roast(Boston Butt) if you decide to go with pork. They are well marbled and so are very forgiving. You can do them hotter 275 to 300+ and get them done a little faster. At a lower heat figure 2 Hrs per Lb at the higher temps you can figure closer to 1.5 hrs. per pound. I usually get a 4 to 4.5 pounder so they cook in a reasonable time. I usually cook to 205 internal temp and make pulled pork. If you want to slice you can take it off at 190 or so.

If you decide to go pulled here is a pretty good finishing sauce I sub truvia for the sugar and use chipotle pepper instead of red pepper. That's it, I skip the sweet sticky stuff because I don't want to cover up the smoked flavor I worked so hard to get. This makes it pretty D friendly also. Using a salty rub helps pull moisture from the meat and form a good bark, you can lay the rub on pretty thick. Good luck, I'm looking forward to some pics of your killer second smoke.

Another thought on the smoke issue. Use chunks not chips for your smoke wood. Chips are for grilling and don't last long enough for smoking. It would be easy to put too many chips on and over smoke your meat plus you have to constantly add more. Most of that white smoke comes when the wood is first igniting. Unfortunately chunks are harder to find and you might not have quite the selection. I'm going to do a brisket this weekend and work on perfecting my burnt ends :-) You gonna try anything this weekend?

It's defiantly possible to have too much smoke flavor. I bury a few chunks and throw a few on top when I add the burning coals and that's it, so for most of the smoke the smoker is burning real clean. The fact the venison turned out better means the problem will be easy to fix. You'll be a pro in no time!

Hi Barbara, missed your comment.

Possible causes of the black chicken skin. Something in the rub burned. You are shooting for what they call Thin Blue Smoke AKA TBS, if the smoke was white billowing and copious it can cause a blackening like you got. I let the charcoal get going good then add the middle section which will act like a chimney and help things get going. Then add the lid and wait a little till the smoke dies down some and the temp comes up, finally add the meat. Your problem could be just because you put the meat in too fast. As the smoke progresses you will see very little smoke unless you add more smoke generating wood. You could also cause this by closing the top vent, this can create a very bitter taste. This thread has a good picture of TBS.

How did the venison turn out? You can help get the temp up by adding less water, you can almost use it as a very coarse thermostat. If you add less keep an eye on it as it can evaporate quickly.

Hope it tasted good and you're not too discouraged, keep me informed of your progress perhaps I can help you get up to speed a little quicker.

Barbara, I had a great time meeting you. I've made so many close friends here, but had very few chances to meet them face to face. It was good to finally get to see you. I've posted two photos of our adventure here and here.

why not...we should all welcome each other...it would be a better world.

Hi !

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welcome pup soooo glad ur here!!