43fan wrote:
> ... does "smoking wood" need to be dry?

Not really. But since you're learnin, it's best to stick with dry
wood. Additionally, use only hardwoods. Sappy, softwoods are just
plain nasty. Nuff said.

> We're not eating until probably 4-5PM at the earliest... if I start
> it at say around midnight, and it is done in say 10hrs, is letting
> it > sit that long going to hurt the tenderness, etc?

Well, we have a bit of a prob here. I think your cooker only gets up
to about 275°F, so it's gonna take longer than say if ya could get it
up to 350°F. Since your dinner timeline seems flexible, ya may be
able to get away with startin the brisket at say 4am, givin ya room
for a 10-12 hour cook if ya need it.

If ya finish up early, wrap it in Saran Wrap, then foil, then as many
towels as you can that'll fit all of it inside a cooler; a 48 quart
cooler should do just fine. You should be able to let it "rest" for
2-3 hours safely. Hurt the tenderness? Not a bit.
--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry