Who wants to smoke my meat?

Early last year, I was mildly obsessed about where best to find great barbecue in both the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Frankly, it was starting to get expensive to drive nearly 100 miles south to Austin to eat with friends and a friend's barbecue restaurant. Don't get me wrong; his restaurant, Piggy Blues BBQ, is heads and tails above anything I've ever eaten. And if you ask me "Why don't you go to Famous Dave's?" I will surely respond by saying "Famous Dave's is to BBQ what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. I'd sooner eat McDonald's for a week."

It was about 13 months ago, thought, that my wife came through big time with a smoker for my birthday. Sure, others would ask for a flat-screen TV or an XBox 360 but mine is the gift that keeps on giving. In fact, it seems to give about once a month.


Saturday was one of those giving days. After testing a cut of pork I grabbed at the cesspool of all supermarkets; Cub Foods; a few months ago in the crock pot in April, I was ready for the smoker.
I'll spare you a lot of the details but I will say that I had the fire going by 11:00 AM and that the dry rub consisting simply of black pepper, chili powder and red pepper flakes stuck nicely to the mustard I slathered on to the pork.

Don't worry, the mustard's flavor vanishes and leaves the dark skin which seals in the flavor and juices. All told, I pulled the roast from the smoker around 6:30 PM after slow roasting over both traditional charcoal and wood lump charcoal at around 250 degrees while adding in a few chunks of Mesquite for smoky flavor.

I am slowly perfecting it and it's becoming a decent substitute for my friend's distant restaurant. What other summer delights should I try? Either on the smoker or the grill.