BBQ schmo to BBQ pro

Fette Sau

Joe burns a combination of hard woods in his 700-pound-capacity Southern Pride smoker: white and red oak, apple, cherry, and maple. For novices with a home smoker, he advises using oak because it burns slowly, gives off good smoke and doesn’t have overpowering flavor. And while mesquite seems to be a buzzword among the uninitiated, Joe warned against using it until you’ve got some serious knowledge under your belt—the perfumy flavor can easily overpower the meat.