Hi Lucille,
I do a lot of smoking and outdoor cooking.
A proper temp gauge is a must.
You might concider
http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Long-R...at+thermometer.
I have lots of trees so when I trim the fruit and oak trees I make a section of small cut wood pieces that I use for my smoker next to the wood pile I burn for heat.
I split small sections of seasoned wood in half so they are about the size of half a small bannana then soak a day prior to the cook.
I also keep a spray bottle with apple juice to spritz as needed.
Spritzing the meat really works.
I also add some of my honey and just love it.
Brine wise I think the best thing to do is look at a bunch of brine recipes and mix and match one that you might like.
One of my biggest mistakes is not documenting the recipes.
I have not been able to recreate some of my favorites.
Good luck to you.
Andy