Lance, you added some great info...EXCEPT This...The starting temperature of the meat can have a lot to do with cooking time. Colder meat and thicker cuts take longer than meat warmed on the counter for few hours...
Two to Three Hours on the counter, " Does Not ", save 5-6 hours in the Smoker! The Convected Heat in the Smoker will take that same cut from 38°F to 70°F in an Hour or two, tops. Where is your savings? A pound of Fuel, One or Two KW's at $.15 per KWHour? In the Worst Case, an Injected or BRT Butt, just spent 2-3 hours sitting in the Danger Zone. Now have a malfuction in the smoker and a piece of meat that could have been saved, going Directly in the Smoker, has 6+ hours of Bacteria growth. There is only ONE situation where warming meat before Smoking is a Benefit, other than quick forming a Pellicle, and that is for more even doneness, edge to edge, of Beef that will be served Medium or less. Sorry to contradict you but Warming is not a good idea...JJ