I don't think there is any one "right" way to barbecue. Long as you know the difference between barbecue and grilling. There are regional differences, personal taste choices - sometimes you are in the mood for one thing, sometimes another. But in general, ribs shouldn't need sauce. Brisket and pulled pork, I like sauced because they are usually on a bun. Chicken, a nice sweet/spicy glazing type of sauce put on at the last part of cooking does it for me.
Wood, oak lump charcoal for the base coals and pecan or apple wood for the "flavor" smoke. Hickory is real big around here and there's lots of it, but I always found it to have a bitter taste. Mesquite is great to grill over but it's a little strong for long smoking to me.
I wanna try "dinosaur bones" or beef ribs on the smoker. Anybody done those?
Very timely thread, my in-laws do competition bbq and they just called, they are test-cooking on their new smoker later this month and we're invited. Can't wait!