Thanks. It seems to be the consensus that most folks let the basket get ashed over almost completely before hanging meat.
The major concern I would have is the cooker being too hot with 8lbs of fully lit coals. Also, does this allow for a 6-8 hour burn?
I really only get to play with my cooker once a week at best so I'm trying to jump start my learning curve and appreciate all the help. Pre wife/kids era I would have had it dialed in to my exact liking in a couple of weeks but I just don't have the time to block off hours to experiment.