General BBQ Advice

[cummins_1984]

I am new to the whole BBq and Smoking scene and was looking for some advice.
I am wondering when should someone marinade a meat overnight or marinade only a few hours(types of meats)?

Also what types of meat should someone just put there rub on and cook?

When should you apply bbq sauce or mop your meat when bbqing or smoking?

[chilehead70301]

Your questions bring up much debate. I will tell you what I do, but what works for me may not work for you.

Marinade. Big, thick cuts of meat, such as roasts & brisket do not benefit from marinades.
Instead of marinades, try injecting. Inject plain apple juice or spice it up with some rum. Apple juice and pork go good together. Dr. Pepper is also a good injection that goes good w/beef and pork.
For beef, I usually inject with beef broth and what ever rub I am using.
For chicken, you can inject apple juice or chicken broth flavored with rub. Chicken also benefits from brining, however I personally do not find any advantages. I prefer to inject.

I use a rub on everything I cook. Just remember store bought rubs often contain alot of sodium. I make my own. Some prefer a hot (heat) rub while others perfer something sweet. I like a combination of both. Seach this site or the web for tons of recipes. You may also think about purchasing a couple of cook books. Big Bob Gibsons BBQ book, Serious BBQ by adam perry lang are both very good books with alot of info. BBQ Bible is also very good. There is also another book titled Sauces, Rubs and Marinades that is very good.

Since you are a newbe, I would start by reading alot and expermenting. Pork Butts are probably the easiest and most forgiving meats. Whole chicken, either the beer butt or spatchcock way is really easy. I would stay away from beef for now, unless it is burgers.

Hope this helps.