Actually, there are only two rules to barbque'n, with mesquite or pecan wood regardless of what equipment you have when cooking large portions of meats: This doesn't apply to Steaks see directions for steaks below
(1) Low and slow: Long cooking times of three to twelve hours, depending upon the meat, at temperatures ranging from 200º to  275º F. measured at the meat level allows tough meat to get tender without drying out. 225º to 250º is ideal. Always check the doneness with a meat thermometer. When the meat reaches 185 degrees, it is Done.
(2) Keep a small but active fire maintain airflow through the smoker. Keep the upper damper open and regulate the fire with the bottom damper. Do not let the fire smolder or starve for air. Keep your Meat away from your Burning Fire. Keep your Ideal Heat and Smoke on your Meat.   Always keep a bottle of water next to your grill or smoker to extinguish a grease fire.  I always keep  a spray bottle of  water next to my smoker.
(Note): Dark Black SMOKE COMING FROM YOUR GRILL may be a sign of a Grease FIRE
never leave your grill unattended.





 

 
Tips on how to clean your BBQ Grill
(1) Add 1 cup of water and four tea spoons of Baking Soda mix well. Then take a wire brush and dip it into the mixture and brush it on your grill. No wire brush then ball up some tinfoil dip the foil into the mixture and brush your grill.
(2)  Just after you take your BBQ of your grill spread a sheet of  tinfoil with the shiny side down over the entire cooking grill and close the lid.
(3) After cleaning the grill and before you cook, rub a light coat of oil on the grill, to prevent sticking (vegetable oil works fine). I pour a small amount on a paper towel and rub the grill.




 

BBQ Basics
DIRECT HEAT - grilling with food placed directly over the coals. Used for small or thin cuts of
meat and other foods that cook in less than 30 minutes.
INDIRECT HEAT - used for larger cuts of meat and other foods that require cooking times
longer than 30 minutes. This method can only be used with a covered grill. Like a smoker with a fire box to the side of your grill away from the food. Or by placing the charcoal or wood to one side of your grill and your food off to the "no-heat side" of  your grill. Or by placing charcoal or wood in a circle around, not under, the meat on your grill. On a gas BBQ grill just light on side of your burners and place your food on the "no-heat side".





 

Gas Grills
If you have the optional smoker boxes for gas grills that fits right into the fire grate our wood products will work great. Mesquite and Pecan chunks are also easy to use on your small gas grills. Turn the heat on high for Direct Heat and low for Indirect Heat and place the Wood Chunks in a small foil pan directly on the heat source on the lava rocks in the left front corner of the grill. For Indirect Heat cooking on a gas grill its best to use only ONE burner the one to the left. When the wood starts smoking begin grilling and keep the lead on.  Add more Chunks when you no longer see smoke exiting the vents.
Then follow the directions below  starting with number (3)  when grilling anything.
Also For gas grills: 
Place one to two large handfuls of dry mesquite or pecan wood Chunks on a sheet of heavy duty foil and fold into a flat pouch. Puncture the top of the pouch in several places and place directly on the lava rock before igniting your burner. Don't start BBQ'n until the wood pouch starts smoking.





 

Directions for Steaks with Mesquite Wood  Grills and Smokers
(DIRECT HEAT)
(1)You can cook with our wood and use charcoal briquettes by stacking your selected charcoal in a pile and light. Use a plain charcoal briquette brand free from other smoke flavors or use our BBQ wood without any charcoal briquettes.
(2) If you use our BBQ wood with charcoal briquettes when all of the charcoal is burning spread it out over entire cooking surface. Then add several chunks or mini logs of mesquite about 4 or more chunks or 2-4 mini logs on top of the burning charcoals.  Allow the mesquite to flame up for about one to two minutes.
If your using only our BBQ wood without charcoal briquettes when all of the wood is burning good spread it out over entire cooking surface.
(3)Close cover and adjust dampers to half open. Smother flames for about two minutes.
(4)Then remove cover and place Steak portions on grill surface directly over the coals with a minimum of 6 inches between your fire and cooking to allow smoke to circulate.
(5) Recover and adjust exhaust dampers to desired level to prevent flaming of charcoal and mesquite. Remember! Pure mesquite wood burns hotter than charcoal. Sear both sides of meat to seal in natural juices then cook to desired taste. It's important to stay with your grill after searing both sides of your steaks it only takes about 15 to 20 min. to cook a fabulous steak.





 

Directions for Chicken and Fish with
Mesquite Wood:  (INDIRECT HEAT)
Note: On a small grill you may need to pile you charcoal and BBQ wood to one side to keep your meat away from your fire.
(1)You can cook with our wood and use charcoal briquettes by stacking your selected charcoal in a pile and light. Use a plain charcoal briquette brand free from other smoke flavors or use our BBQ wood without any charcoal briquettes.
(2) If you use our BBQ wood with charcoal briquettes when all of the charcoal is burning spread it out over entire cooking surface. Then add several chunks or mini logs of mesquite about 4 or more chunks or 3-5 mini logs on top of the burning charcoals.  Allow the mesquite to flame up for about one to two minutes.
If your using only our BBQ wood without charcoal briquettes when all of the wood is burning good.
(3)Close cover and adjust dampers to half open. Smother flames for about two minutes.
(4) Then remove cover and place chicken portions on grill surface to the side of the coals with a minimum of 6 inches to the left or right of your fire. If you have a upright smoker or a smoker with a fire box your in good shape. Each time you replenish your fire with charcoal throw in some more mesquite.
(5) Recover and adjust exhaust dampers to desired level to prevent flaming of charcoal and mesquite. Remember! Pure mesquite wood burns hotter than charcoal. Then cook to desired taste.






 

Directions for Brisket, Ribs, Roast and other
large portions of meats with Mesquite Wood
or Pecan Wood:  (INDIRECT HEAT)
Pecan adds a slightly fruity taste to your meat. Pecan wood burns cooler then mesquite wood, allowing the wood to last for a longer period of time. You will not use as many pecan chunks compared to the mesquite chunks when cooking large pieces of meat such as beef brisket, pork roast or Lamb.
Note: On a small grill you may need to pile you charcoal and BBQ wood to one side to keep your meat away from your fire.
(1)You can cook with our wood and use charcoal briquettes by stacking your selected charcoal in a pile and light. Use a plain charcoal briquette brand free from other smoke flavors or use our BBQ wood without any charcoal briquettes.
(2) If you use our BBQ wood with charcoal briquettes when all of the charcoal is burning spread it out over entire cooking surface. Then add several chunks or mini logs of mesquite about 6 or more chunks or 3-5 mini logs on top of the burning charcoals.  Allow the BBQ wood to flame up for about one to two minutes.
If you use only our BBQ wood without charcoal briquettes when all of the wood is burning good.
(3)Close cover and adjust dampers to half open. Smother flames for about two minutes.
(4) Then remove cover and place large portions on grill surface to the side of the coals with a minimum of 10 inches to the left or right of your fire. If you have a upright smoker or a smoker with a fire box your in good shape. Each time you replenish your fire with charcoal throw in some more mesquite.
(5) Recover and adjust exhaust dampers to desired level to prevent flaming of charcoal and mesquite.
Remember! Pure mesquite wood burns hotter than charcoal. Then cook to desired taste.






 

Mesquite or Pecan Pro Logs: 
Pro Logs are good for cooking on larger BBQ smokers with a fire box that will hold a 12" log to cook Beef Brisket or other large portions of meats. I do not use the Pro Logs with My Y2K BBQ Pit I use Mini Logs. After you get the charcoal going  throw two mesquite logs or Pecan logs on the charcoals. The two 
mesquite/pecan logs normally last about two or three hours. Then add one mesquite/pecan log at a time until your BBQ is done.  During this time you should be adding more charcoal to keep your heat regulated. Remember mesquite or pecan wood is to be used for smoking and is not to be used for your primary source of heat.






 

BBQ Tips
(1) Rub Your grill with oil prior to cooking to prevent sticking. (vegetable oil works fine)
(2) Use tongs or a spatula to turn Your BBQ. Don't pierce Your BBQ with a fork Flavorful juices can be lost.
(3) If using a gas barbecue, you can grill evenly without flare ups by only turning on one side of the barbecue and placing Your BBQ on the other side.
(4) Bring Your meat to room temperature before BBQ'n. The time the meat is out of the refrigerator should not exceed 30 minutes.
(5) When gas barbque'n, pre heat Your grill on high for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, adjust to desired cooking temperature. Remember, it's the heat from the rocks that cooks Your BBQ not the natural propane gas.
(6) For a charcoal barbque'n, light coals 30 minutes before barbque'n.
(7) Marinades tenderize meat, keep it moist during BBQ'n, and enhance the flavor. Meat can be marinated for 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight in the refrigerator.
(8) Burgers should always be cooked to well done.
(9) Kabobs be sure to leave a small space between the food threaded on the skewer to allow the heat to penetrate the food evenly.
(10) A lot of your BBQ'n pro's say to leave your meat out to warm for up to an hour before placing your meat
on the grill. I have never done this. I take my meat from the refrigerator to the grill and it turns out Fantastic.
(11) Always Remember a Little Smoke Goes a Long Way and to much Smoke may overpower the Food's
Natural Taste. 
(12) Timing Is Everything when Bar-B-Que'n and My recipes and others are approximate cooking times and based on IDEAL Weather Conditions with little or no wind. You may need to allow more cooking time on cold or windy days, and less cooking time on extremely hot days.






 

Most common mistakes made by beginners when Smoking with Indirect Heat or Grilling with
Direct Heat

(1) Getting in too big of a hurry. Barbque'n takes time and patience. Do not rush it. Figure on 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound for most meats. If you're using a charcoal or wood burning smoker or grill. You should
figure on adding charcoal or wood every 30 to 45 minutes.
(2) Opening the led too often to see what's happening. This lets out the heat and the smoke and drops the temperature. Open the lid only when necessary to baste or move or turn your meat. Plain your cooking time
on each side and stay with it.
(3) Trying to do a brisket or spare ribs for the first time you use your bbq pit or smoker. Start off with ONE whole chicken or ONE pork roast They're cheap and don't fill up the smoker with meat until you've had some successes. Start with just one item.
(4) Using lighter fluid to start your charcoal briquettes and not giving them time to burn up the odors. This can give you some really awful odors and tastes in your smoked meats. When you use a charcoal lighter fluid, let the coals burn for at least 30 minutes before you put on your meat.
(5) Closing the inlets and exhaust dampers to control the flame. Don't do this you will kill your fire. Open your exhaust damper all the way and regulate the oxygen intake with the inlet damper. Be careful how you regulate the inlet damper. You can smolder your fire if you do not give it some oxygen. This will give you some nasty tasting smoke. My best advice is to keep your fire small at first and add more wood to it if you need more temperature and keep your dampers open.
(6) Using green wood. You must use seasoned wood to get good results when you begin barbque'n. Using green wood is the surest way to ruin your meat.
(7) Trying to adjust and change too many things at once. Don't adjust everything on the smoker at once. Take your time and change one thing, see what happens, then change another. Make your changes in small
increments.
(8) Don't invite the family, the in-laws, and the preacher and his wife over the first day you get that new smoker. Practice some,
(9) When you start barbque'n for the first time, keep a log book of exactly what you're doing and when you did it. This will help later on when you want to make a few minor changes or repeat something.

I suggest trying to stay with one food type when cooking with Indirect Heat chicken or pork until you've got everything pretty much down pat. Also, try to buy similar weights, so your timing will be the same. Then move on to a brisket or turkey. Once you've got all your favorite food types mastered, go wild and experiment with different rubs, baste, mops and sauces.





 

Cooking With Mesquite Wood
Cooking with Mesquite adds a robust, hearty flavor to beef, chicken, pork and fish. The flavor will penetrate the meat requiring less BBQ sauce during the cooking process. Just a few pieces of mesquite wood added to your charcoals goes a long way, so, use your Mesquite wood sparingly. A note of caution: too much mesquite can give the meat a strong flavor that can be overpowering. I add 5 to 6 pieces of Mesquite wood to my charcoals up to 6 times in a 7 to 8 hour cooking process. However, You should experiment with the Mesquite Wood to see what suits your needs and flavor best.
Note:  (Mesquite Wood is Excellent for Smoking anything and whatever you want to cook on your Grill)



 

Cooking With Pecan Wood
Cooking with Pecan Wood adds a slightly fruity taste to the meat. Pecan burns cooler then Mesquite, allowing the wood to last for a longer period of time which is especially handy when cooking large pieces of meats such as Beef Brisket, Chicken, Turkey and any types or cuts of Pork or Lamb. Pecan Wood will give your meats a fruity aroma taste that will remind you of the good old days.
Note:  (I only Recommend Pecan Wood for Smoking Large Portions of Beef slow. Pecan wood is excellent for Smoking Briskets, Chickens, Turkeys and any types of Pork Meats Goat or Lamb)










Preparing a Brisket for the Smoker
There are many ways to smoke a brisket. Some of the most popular methods consist of either thoroughly rubbing the meat with a commercial or a "secret" barbque rub, or marinating the meat for some designated 
length of time and then frequently basting the brisket with the marinade. I prefer the untrimmed brisket salt and pepper it and cook it. During the 4 to 12 hours of cooking time the fat side when placed on top, will drip over the meat and help keep it moist. With natural juices and flavor of the meat. When your brisket is cooked The fat can be trimmed off. 
Keep in mind that a brisket after cooking will lose 50% of its uncooked weight. Remember this when you purchase your brisket.
What ever method you choose to prepare your brisket for the smoker the type of wood, temperature of your fire and the length of time your smoking the brisket is most Critical.




Cleaning A Cooked Brisket
Once your brisket has finished cooking. We suggest cleaning it to remove any unwanted outer and inside fat. Your guests and family will appreciate your efforts. Locate the fat side and the broader lean side bottom of the brisket. There is also an important inner fat layer separating the two halves. Start at the back or the 
large end of the brisket and start to separate it with your knife. If you are cutting meat then you are not in the correct place. Follow the fat layer with your knife while lifting the fat side up. This aids in viewing what you are cutting. Eventually, the two layers of the brisket will be separated. Once you have two slabs of brisket 
one lean and the other fatty. Take your knife and slowly remove all visible fat. Keep your knife flat against the meat and shave the fat off trying not to cut into the meat.



BBQ'N Contamination Checklist

(1) Wash your hands thoroughly and often. To avoid food contamination. Wash your utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meats or poultry.
(2) Serve food on clean platters. Its easy to carry raw meat to your grill on a platter, then carry the cooked food on the same platter to your table. Don't do this unless you've washed the platter.
(3) Cook meat and poultry thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria.
(4) Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. 
(5) Do not leave food at room temperature longer than one hour 
(6) Thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
(7) Make sure that meat juices DO NOT drip onto other foods.
(8) Store your BBQ foods after your meal in your refrigerate promptly in shallow containers to cool them more
 quickly. Before serving again, reheat completely.