Smoking in the fort-I just spoke to Karen at Cookshack and she stated that there is no defect in the manufacturing process and that the manual needs to be updated as the smokebox which we have is a new modification which was made. Additionally she said that the heating element should be fine and not need any adjustment although I have read posts where people have adjusted them. She also stated to put the wood towards the FRONT of the woodbox. Just a FYI, hope this helps!