Barbeque as in pulled pork, brisket, ribs????
I have a smoker and I use it often. The key for beef/pork is low and slow, meaning low temps for a long time. I cook brisket at 225°F for about 1-1.5 hours a pound. I start a 12-14 pound brisket at 9 PM, cook through the night, take it off heat when it's cooked (fork tender). Usually, it's about 190-195°F about then. I then rest the meat - wrap it in foil, then in a few old towels and drop it in a cooler for 1-2 hours, before slicing it.
Butt and Picnic cuts cook about the same as brisket, typically you take the meat a little hotter, say all the way to 200°F internally, but again, fork tender is what lets you know it's really done, then pull it (shred) while it's still hot. I use an apple vinegar sauce in my pulled pork.
Ribs are done when I pick them up in the middle of the rack and they droop at both ends, or when the meat shrinks up the bone 1/8-1/4 inch. Typically Baby Backs are 4-4 1/2 hours, St. Louis or full spares about 5-5 1/2 hours, also at 225°F. Two hours into a rib cook, I'll start spraying the ribs every half hour using a mix of 5 parts apple juice, 1 part maple syrup and 1 part Jack Daniels. I'll serve my ribs dry, but provide BBq sauce for the heathens.
Check out www.thesmokering.com. It's a great overall BBQ site.
BTW - I put dry rub on beef, pork and ribs, and I'll share my dry rub formula, but then I'll have to kill you. It's a modified Alton Brown recipe with less sugar, less salt and more kick. Check it out at www.foodnetwork.com.
To add some confusion to the mix, I use charcoal (both briquetts and lump) as a heat source, but add fist sized wood chunks for smoke/flavor. I use Pecan or Cherry and a bit of Hickory for brisket, Apple and a bit of Hickory for ribs and I'm still figuring out what I like best for my pulled pork.
To answer your question, following is the recipe I started with for the pulled pork. I've modified and downsized it, but you can get the basics here:
1 gallon vinegar,
3/4 cup salt,
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper,
3 tablespoons dried red pepper flakes,
1/2 cup molasses (or 1 cup brown sugar)
Jack