i was told that it only takes an hour to smoke something. So I experienced with a rainbow trout (that was cooked in less than an hour), a brisket and chicken. My summary, absolutely right - after 1 hour or so on the smoker, the smoking process is done. In some cases as with the brisket and chicken, I slow roasted it in some spices and bbq sauce in a crock pot for 4 to 8 hours ... and my friends say it is every bit as good as at the best bbq places. I'm impressed - it was so easy.