Mustard is fine but I don't use it myself but you are more than welcome to. It doesn't hurt but I haven't found it to help either. As far as a rub goes just get a bunch of the following things: Sweet Paprika Spicy Paprika Onion Powder Garlic Powder Ground Caraway Seeds And some sort of heat, I use habanero myself but you can use whatever you like. Taste your rub before you put it all over your expensive cut of meat! It's really all that you need for your rub but before you put the rub on your big piece of pork you need to put a fair amount of course ground salt and fresh ground pepper. I don't put salt and pepper into the rub since you never know how thick your cut of meat is going to be, I salt and pepper separately. Also, you may want to get an injector: https://www.amazon.com/Cave-Tools-injector-poultry-injectors/dp/B07DFR2YM6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3LQ7EQ6GTO6MV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3ByCHphuW3CNTk22ghrg-yEFy8hdO8d54dxeUzkQheiGzAg-KhTt0PogxqDERaYXoZpS7iK5uZwYtzv-zJYiIz6XxA8yD6bv9qHTVNCNNkGL336vD8R-2fCqQjhZ_FlQC9vts8wcpfYvZN6T83fTLeXIi1b6g1GdRrUnbLWPBLOmlB-LfHDW8tw3ZnlpultO-1kp8tdUMz4mAtubiKW1lELt_ewDDTID399PY67kWK2YIUirdrAupjy0KVOZ5L4C7v2D1bkB3u2TiyLCUkW_CdcSq6fWKhYdh2-MdwAgoAE.egQjaKtT4A37mJHS5d4hILATOuUGpCmzxoc0TJW1d10&dib_tag=se&keywords=meat+injector&qid=1717888956&sprefix=meat+injector%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 It's what I use to add a bit of more moisture to the meat so that it doesn't dry out in the (overly long if you are doing it right) process of slow cooking. Fill it full of apple juice and enjoy the flavor. Make sure that your chunk of pork is at room temperature before you put it on your pit!!!!! Putting a cold chunk of meat into a hot environment will make it seize up. For the big chunks that I use I let them sit out for three hours but if you have a smaller chunk YMMV. I am very serious about this, throwing a cold chunk of pork into a hot smoker will make the final product sub-optimal. Ask me how I know. For Pork I would go with the apple wood, it's one of the best woods to use with pork, I use cherry only because I have a boatload of the stuff. It's also good with pork but imho apple is better. As far as the paper / foil argument goes I am team foil 100%, it captures all of the juices and you can use them later for other stuff, paper is a psyop from that jew Franklin out of Texas to destroy the aluminum foil Master Race. >Whoops, forgot I was in /s/bbq and went full 1488 there for a second When it's time to wrap (assuming that you have been keeping you temps around 225-250) after about 4 hours of smoke I do with my butts exactly what I did with my ribs, aluminum foil, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. And lots of it. Have a temperature meat thermometer (I use this one myself since it has a remote that I can carry around with me and not spend all day hovering over my pit ) but any of the Chinese ones will work just as well: https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wireless-Digital-Thermometer-Grilling/dp/B08KZR4F23/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1XVOZN7W8G6MV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GmNH7cxSaRB1I82MW83Kl-khy_X19aWlXFBiQacQKuwaAn7Y67HABlshWdXgdD4CUMU5r_i2Zvl9qIi3tGfWwLOJX0NxUSrBae_a_7HBoqmlMEDxH4xkyZ2lROm0s4HFCp3Gs1670nP693Kmt6gN8Uh-etneLZDmS_OxZtK0k6bJDugPnCsczLK-OZw-4xcn8m8ftm2SWGjoTJRAS5PcB7YdH-uTTtltasEduvaRnb102TPPYEmVIi7cd2cQstCqMKOiqnZPyUmI8vHTLO-jtGf4c1OWevSQuR-e5QXUrSw.opkgUyLIMHdmbgFlK7OqVyJza6L4EYc-csrcKFhEq5U&dib_tag=se&keywords=thermoworks%2Bsmoke&qid=1717890116&sprefix=thermowerks%2Bsmoke%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-2&th=1 For example not an endorsement. You want the center of your pork butt to reach 205f and then you want to pull it, any higher temperatures and it will get mushy and nobody likes mushy pulled pork. I set this sub up to answer questions like this, all of us have different situations and we do what we can with what we have and asking "stupid" questions in this sub will always bring you answers. Ask away, this sub is about 2 things: Fire and Meat.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never use any kind of sugar in your rub, it will caramelize while cooking and keep the smoke from getting into the meat, among other things. The heat goes into the rub and the sweet goes into the sauce (along with a bunch more heat). You introduce the sugar (honey etc.) after a few hours, the meat in the smoker will only take so much smoke internally, after that point has been reached then you can add the sweet. tldr: put sweet on meat after grug do fire thingy.

> I've put in a lot of time tending stick burners. It is definitely a satisfying experience. I stopped reading right here (I actually didn't) because the process to me is a part of the fun. Fun being extremely worried when your remote thermometer tells you that you have just achieved 300f in your pit. Fun times. 1966 master race right here and I still love the challenges.