You are going to have to ask yourself how much time you want to spend smoking. Will you just do this on an occasion, or is this going to become a hobby. Answering these questions will determine the type of smoker you are going to use. Make sure, however, you get a smoker that has an offset heat source. What this does is allow your food not to be directly cooked by the heat source and allows that great and flavorful smoke to pass over and permeate the food being cooked.
Allow plenty of time to smoke the food of your choice. Smoking is not like grilling. You need to allow for a slow cooking process. Start early in the morning and allow the food to be smoked throughout the morning or even into the afternoon if you are preparing very much.
Add flavorful wood like mesquite or pecan wood to the fire. The smoke from this wood makes the food very flavorful. In addtion to added flavor, it also has a great smell while cooking the food.
Smoke your food to the proper temperature. If you are smoking pork, make sure you smoke it to a temperature above 160 degrees. If you are smoking chicken and other poultry make sure it is smoked to a temperature of over 180 degrees. And for red meat, make sure it is smoked to over 145 degrees.
