The authentic barbecuing method is achieved by using charcoal, wood or logs to smoke the food - and this is exactly what a barbecue pit is intended for.

The types of food which benefit most from this smoked cooking method are larger joints of meat, up to the size of a whole pig! The smoky flavor literally infuses into all the meat, and leaves it tender and juicy. Tougher joints, such as brisket or spareribs, are made as soft as butter via smoking. No wonder that barbecue pits originated in the poorer southern states of the US where they couldn't afford the more expensive cuts of meat.

A typical example of a wonderful recipe for use in a barbecue pit demonstrates how different it really is from your average backyard grill: smoked turkey. The barbecue is only heated to 180 degrees, and fruitwoods and hickory are added to the charcoal for flavor. The bird is then left to smoke for fifteen hours! Yep - fifteen hours!
From this recipe, you get the idea that a barbecue pit is not simply used to produce burgers and chicken wings for an average garden party. People with these smokers tend to use them to cook large poultry, hams and briskets in advance.

As the turkey recipe demonstrates, the one thing you should have plenty of when using a barbecue pit is time. You can't simply walk away for hours as your food smokes, but need to tend the fire to keep the temperature constant. As you get to know your barbecue pit, and are experienced in its use, you will not have to worry too much about what to do to produce the perfect smoked food.

As a general rule, barbecue pits are heavy equipment. They are not the type of appliance you pop to the store to collect on a whim. If you are just starting out on the road to serious smoking, it is a good idea to start with the vertical water smoker. This is less expensive, and can produce wonderfully moist food.
The commercial smoker needs a unit with a sensor that increases and decreases air flow in order to thermostatically control the heat and thus save precious time. It may also have an electric element that heats the wood and creates the smoke thereby accurately controlling the heat while providing the wood flavored smoke that will turn your meat into juicy, succulent morsels that your customers will die for.

He also needs a unit that will smoke a whole lot of meat with minimum wood usage since he is in the business to make money and therefore must watch his dollars very carefully in order to stay in business and be able to compete with the competition. A wood smoker is and will forever be the best way to smoke food. There is a bit of a learning curve if you are used to using a charcoal,

Proper air flow is imperative to preventing creosote from building up on the meat and on the inside of the wood smoker. The smoke must be allowed to move into the smoker kissing the meat gently as it passes over and then be allowed to escape effortlessly thru the full open exhaust.

In the event that the smoker gets out of control you can spray the coals with some water to cool it down but be careful to not stir up the coals or you will have ashes all over your precious meat.
Experience will be the best teacher in the proper use of your wood smoker and you will soon discover what you and your family like best.

You want to chop some kindling from the driest, most seasoned wood you have available. Make sure it is of the non-coniferous varieties such as hard woods, fruit woods and nut woods.
You want the kindling to be long slivers about the diameter of a match.. these can be carefully slivered from a wedge of wood using a sharp axe.. do be careful!

When you have a good handful simply make a sort of teepee with the long slivers and place some small pieces of thin cardboard or rolled up paper under the teepee.
Light the paper under the teepee and blow gently on the kindling to get it going... as the kindling begins to burn add some larger pieces on top also in a teepee like fashion.

As your small fire gets going you can begin to add some of your bigger pieces of seasoned, dry wood.. this is what will create the bed of coals that will sustain the heat for the long smoke.
Just to make sure there is no confusion.. seasoned wood is that which has been allowed to dry in the open air for 6 or more months.. wood that has been sitting out for more than 2 years will probably be deficient in flavor and may work fine as a base wood but you will need to add some green or less seasoned wood to get that really smoky flavor into the meat.

Meat:

• Meat stored in a freezer at 0 degrees will always be safe
• Freezing meat keeps bacteria in a dormant stage Once thawed these bacteria can become active again
• Never thaw meat on the kitchen counter for more than two hours
• Never defrost meat in hot water
• Always thaw meat in the refrigerator for safest practices
• Meat can be thawed in cold water however, water must be changed every thirty minutes and package must be leak-proof.
• Meat thawed in cold water must be cooked before re-freezing.
• Meat thawed in microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing.
• When marinating meat be sure to do so in the fridge and never re-use the marinade

Washing your hands is probably one of the most vitally important things you can do when working with meat. It takes 15 seconds and some soap and water but it does a world of good and ensures that you do not infect other areas of your kitchen or work area with something that could make someone very sick.