I'm going to assume this: "are you referring to smoke-cooking meat, low and slow, using wood or charcoal for fuel. Also known as "barbecue". Like chicken, ribs, pulled pork?" If not, you can ignore
.
I still consider myself a newbie to smoking meats. Most of what I learned, I learned on here and by reading other bbq forums. I'll just tell you some of the things that were important for my learning curve.
If your pit has one of those built in thermometers, don't just blindly trust it. Mine was way off. I bought one of those digital probe thermometers, worth every penny.
Patience Grasshopper - resist the urge to lift the lid every 30 minutes.
I have better luck getting a smoke ring if I take the meat directly from the refrigerator to put it on the pit.
Most everyone disagrees with me on this one
, so take it or leave it...I soak my wood chips.