So as a final follow up on my first cook, I'll cut back a bit on amount of wood, although two out of three of us were happy with the amount of smoke flavor. It wasn't bashful. For ribs I'll add a bit less salt and add a bit of sugar (sweetness). I'll use my remote probes in addition to the one provided by CS, just to "trust but verify".
Clean up was rather easy with the aluminum foil. Removed wood box and while discolored all of the wood was ash, so 100% burn. Wiped down with moist paper towel. Soaked racks in soapy water, easy clean up. Covered and ready for the next smoke.
During the cook I noted the controller was doing a few weird things, turning on/off in rather short successions. I know I read here where others reported a similar thing. There is a small red light on the control panel that illuminates when the element is on. It would flicker a bit but in general the unit stayed within a few degrees of set point.
Very happy with results and this purchase.