I too am amazed at the short times...Saltheart U were probably cold smoking them fish at 60-70 degrees...I do believe it is illegal to cold smoke for retail sales in Mass....plus cold smoking does not kill all the bacteria from what I have read....I smoke Alaskan salmon till it reaches 140 degrees depending on thickness
babybacks or ST. louis ribs take me about 4-5 hours at 250 degrees ...pork butt 9 hrs. or longer at higher temperture ....same with brisket....brisket is hard to get tender....rule of thumb with brisket is when U take a butter knife and slide it in easy in middle of brisket it is done....need to inject brisket with juices.
Some have said U have to watch the smoker all the time....once to desired temp I leave for an hour or so and recheck temp....go cut the grass etc:....sometimes my problem is not letting coals get hot enough at beginning ....once ya learn the nack of it it becomes simple.
Just bought a fresh 13 lb. porkbellie from market basket will brine today for 5 days and then smoke it....hope I do not mess it up....
This could be a good read for some.
www.amazingribs.com