I think people put too much emphasis on the 'blue smoke' deal..... I think (IMO) that the reference to blue smoke has more to do with running an offset (or any) wood burning smoker --- waiting for blue smoke means that the wood 'logs' have burned down to a coal bed and producing 'clean' heat and smoke. And its a transient thing.... every time you throw another log on, there is going to be white smoke again. I think it is more of an issue when wood is being used as the source of heat AND smoke --- along with the enormous draw/draft that big offsets create. Jeremy Yoder always recommends using the smallest chunks of wood/logs you can to maintain temp so that they coal out quickly to avoid too much white smoke -- the trade off is having to feed the fire more often.

As I've noticed with the WSM - if you are just burning charcoal - there is no smoke - its clear. Once you throw some wood in there, then there is white smoke.... once the wood reaches coal stage, then it turns more 'blue'. I don't know how you could ever run a charcoal smoker with good smoke without generating white smoke.... Maybe you could coal the smoke wood first, but I would guess you would be missing out on a lot of flavor. I set up my WSM with a snake burn with wood placed for timed burning -- you can tell as one piece burns out and the smoke dies and then when another lights and starts generating white smoke again --- you can even tell what flavor it is by the smell.

I've run my BiL's traeger several times and have noticed that the only time that you really see it burn with a blue smoke is when it has reached temp and the auger stops feeding pellets... for the most part, it runs making white smoke. If you open the lid for more than 1-2 minutes.... guess what - white smoke.

Now, comparing it to my smoke tube that I run on the gas grill -- the tube is always generating white smoke. I do believe there is a difference between the two --- the difference is in that the pellet grills have the fan to force the pellets to burn hot and more efficiently while the tube is being fanned by just natural convection in a more smoldering CONSTANT burn. I was kinda surprised how much more smoke flavor I perceive from the tube on my gasser compared to the traeger....

I've seen it explained that the reason people prefer offset and charcoal smoked foods is because of the 'dirtier' burn and smoke generated. Inefficient burning preserves more of the smoke flavors that get destroyed by an efficient hot burn.

You can't "Snake" "Minion" etc, a Charcoal Smoker and leave it for 8 hours with any consistency, it just won't happen and you can't load any Charcoal Smoker i have ever seen with that much fuel.

With a Gas Grill and a smoke tube your are "seasoning" the Meat with smoke, you are not "Smoking" it with Wood.

You can't "Snake" "Minion" etc, a Charcoal Smoker and leave it for 8 hours with any consistency, it just won't happen and you can't load any Charcoal Smoker i have ever seen with that much fuel.

There is a reason why the top BBQ houses and the Champion BBQ Winner's use real Wood.

I have done several 10-14hr briskets on my Coyote Asado, a Big Green Egg clone. It can be done, and I always have a bit of fuel left over. You'll find many kamado smoker users with similar experiences.

I won't contest the flavor part, as I've never run a stick burner. But fuel load and burn time has never been an issue with me when it comes to charcoal in my Asado.

You can do that 10-14 hour cook without adding anymore Charcoal? That thing must have a huge capacity!

I have never finished a whole Packer in under 16 hours myself, even with my Stick burner offset. Hat's off to the Asado.

It's noting particularly special, just a perk of kamado grills. You can fit about 3/4 of a bag of lump charcoal, or about 15-20lbs. The fuel can burn slower because the smoker itself holds temperature so well. I'm told that airflow is also a factor. kamado grills have less airflow than a stick burner or pellet grill. The pellet grill has forced induction because of the fan, and the stick burner has the constant smoke flow. Both of those keep the meat slightly cooler. So running a stick burner at 275 isn't the same as running a kamado at 275 in the long run.

Well color me impressed by that.

I know I've gotten a solid 7+ hours out of my 18" WSM with only a ~2/3 load --- and that was with some low btu coals --- I'm certain I could easily push that out to 12+ hours with a full load of 'good' coal and probably more with a 'heavy' load. The 22" WSMs are good for 16-20 hours or more and even longer if you get a 'hi capacity' coal basket/ring. I just saw a vid of someone burning a 22" with hi-cap basket with a mix of lump and briquettes that ran for more than 48 hours.

And in all honesty - its not that hard to add or even reload a WSM if needed mid cook....