>> You just wanna keep a light wisp of blue smoke coming from the vent
>> at all
>> times (If its billowing its prolly too much) until the meat reaches,
>> I
>> think, 140F. At that point, I believe it stops absorbing the smoke
>> so its a
>> waste of wood.
>
>Sort of. What I've read recently is that the *smoke ring* stops being
>formed at 140°F, and you can continue to add smoke flavor to the
>outside of the meat as long as there is smoke. That's also another
>reason that you want that "light wisp of blue smoke" instead of more,
>'cuz it's easy to over smoke (we've all done it at least once).
>

Yes, that is true. Smoke ring forms until the outer layer of meat
reaches about 140 degrees, smoke flavor accumulates as long as there
is smoke in the cooker. You can read about it in Harold McGee's book,
"On Food and Cooking" or you can save $26.40 and read about it in my
ceramic FAQ: www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#absorbsmoke :-)

TNW