I wonder if adding some wood chips into the mix might help. I just seasoned the Masterbuilt (it requires chips) and was getting smoke at well under 200 degrees. I'm thinking of adding a small amount of chips to the box in the CS to increase the initial amount of smoke. I seasoned the Masterbuilt for 3 hours (2 small loads of hickory chips) and the interior is nicely browned.
I was going to try to sell the Masterbuilt since I'd bought the Cookshack, but I was getting offers of 75 to 100 bucks, and it was new in box. So I said I'll just have 2 smokers. I don't need 100 bones that badly. And it's a good smoker for smaller items.