I use a New Braunfels Smoker with a side mounted firebox. Cooking a decent size brisket takes around 14 hours. That's a lot of time spent tending the fire. Now, I know some folks say that you can just smoke the brisket for about 4 hours, wrap it in foil, and finish it in the oven, but it doesn't taste the same. For my birthday this year, I'm buying one of these pellet smokers. When I first suggested it to my wife she said, "Holy Crap! That's insanely expensive!" Then this week she asked me "So when does the smoker arrive? I can't believe you don't have it already!"