New Guy here

[iahflier]

Just purchased the Original Smoker.  Just wondering.. Anyone have any tips on getting it set up and running and anything I should be doing when I get it, to prevent any problems?  (Can't you tell, i'm very pro-active!)
Thanks

[beefmann]

welcome aboard,

when it  finally arrives, unpack it  out of the  box, check for any  major damage, wash all the trays, v tray and interior,,, you  do not have to  scrub it ,,, just wipe it to get off al the manufacturing oils off.
assemble the  unit,, place the  smoke generator onto the  tower, Seat all the cables tightly ( there can be  problems here...  sometimes the cords do not  seat properly and have to be  removed and re-seated )
season the unit for 2 hours as per  instructions.
at all times keep the  top vent open,, wide open this will help remove any moisture that accumulates in the  tower as you  cook  food,,, also prevents condensation in the tower that has  dripped onto the food giving it a  nasty taste.
after each  smoke wipe down the interior of the smoker, wash all the  trays and bowl.

remember this is a  low and  slow method of  cooking ,,, think  slow cooker ,, crock  pot. typically the  box temp is 190 f -  225 F so take your  time
most people  smoke with 2 to 4 hours of smoke while the actual cook may  take  12 hours ( including the smoking time ) and up to  28 hours depending  on the  volume of  meat and type of  meat.

when you get ready to  start  smoking food ,,, ask

also check out our  recipe site
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?180-Our-Time-Tested-and-Proven-Recipes


as for other items to have ,,, as accessories
high temp gloves
duel or  quad probe remote thermometer
a stand, or  shed for your  smoker, your  choice here
secondary table to  place the  food on when you  load, unload the  smoker

if possible always plug directly into  a  receptacle, if you  cant  use a  heavy duty cord,,, preferred 12 gage    and as  short as  possible...voltage drop does affect the amount of heat  coming off the  electric  element and we need  every bit of the  500 watts in the  smoker.

also read this a  few times,,, read  word for  word,,, it is a  lot of  information,,,


Enjoy and  welcome aboard once again
Beefmann