The wood may have ben green; or moist. Properly dries/seasoned, you should have ended up with either ash or a small lump of charcoal. I would fire up the smoker some evening when dark and with the woodbox removed, look at the heating element. It should have a nice bright even glow, no dead spots or extremely bright spots. Also, here is a link for testing: http://www.appliance411.com/faq/test-element.shtml