Dang....cooked perfect for me.
Look awesome!
I need to think about this smoker thing....Lots of guys and gals making me look like a rookie....
A smoker is pretty easy to transition into, and a basic model that uses firewood or charcoal can be found for around $100.
The char-griller I have with the side box smokes or grills. Just depends on where you put the fire.
I got the side box as a 10 year gift from work. It was listed as a portable grill. But as a coworker pointed out, the portable grill is also used as the side box for the large grill.
So I purchased the large grill from Walmart in the off season and mated the two.
There is a small learning curve for getting your heat right for smoking low and slow.
And you have a large readily available source for Maple wood which I would kill for down here.
I end up purchasing a bag of wood chunks in apple wood, maple or hickory, from Academy Sports in town. I found if I fill the charcoal starter jug with charcoal. Get that going. Then fill the fire box with my chucks of wood (5-7 small chunks) mixed with charcoal (un-lit). Then dump the coals i started on top. I can keep a consistent heat for around 4 hours before I have to top the fire box back off.
I use natural hardwood lump charcoal.
I cheat though and smoke the meat for about 4 hours. After that it needs to be tinfoiled. When that time comes, I put the meat in a tinfoil pan, doctor the meat with more seasoning or sauce/ marinade, cover in tinfoil and finish in the oven set at 250 degrees.
There is tons of info for Cook times, recipes, and suggestions online to keep you out of trouble, and good results right from the start.