1. Know the difference between barbecue and smoking. All barbecue is smoked, but not all smoked foods are barbecue. Texas brisket, Carolina pork shoulder, and Kansas City ribs are barbecue. Virginia ham, Irish smoked salmon, and Wisconsin smoked cheddar are smoked, but they’re not barbecue.

2. Understand the flavor of smoke. Think of it as the umami of barbecue. Smoke has a unique ability to endow familiar foods, from sausage to steaks, with an otherworldly quality that is simultaneously familiar and exotic.

3. Smoke everything. Really. Meat, poultry, and seafood, of course, but also cocktails, vegetables, cheeses, fruits, and desserts.

4. Buy organic, heritage, heirlooms, grass-fed, and local. What your meat eats and how It’s raised matters as much as how you smoke it.

5. Low and slow is the way to go. Ribs, shoulders, and briskets need, slow cook at a low temperature to achieve smoky perfection.