20% OFF @ AMAZEN

I'm not 100% positive on this but I don't believe an auxiliary smoke tube is necessary with any model Cookshack. It just works properly from day one out of the box as designed. I have the Amerique. Getting proper smoke has never been a problem for me.

Got to agree with old sarge - PLENTY of smoke with any Cookshack smoker. No need to use supplemental unit!

From what I've read, you can easily oversmoke with the electrics. With the pellet smokers the smoke is mild. It's a matter of preference. If it weren't an "issue" for some, I doubt CS would have come out with an add on shelf to place a block of wood. (I have a tube & do use it.)

For me, getting the Maverick ET 733 @ 20% off, tax free with free S&H was what caught my eye!
I also ordered some Q-Matz @45% off to try. I have a Frogmat to compare.

Yep, agree with Joe. The electrics have no need for an auxiliary smoke source, unless you're looking to cold smoke. I've over smoked a few items when I first got my SM020. With the FEC, it seems to be a very different type of smoke. Seems to go more through the meat rather than just on the surface of the meat. And it is a much lighter smoke. My neighbor who doesn't like overly smoked meat could tell the difference immediately and she prefers the meat out of the FEC. I keep thinking of getting an amazen smoker to add on some additional smoke. But I'm still trying various pellets to see what I like best before I get an add on smoke source.

I oversmoked a butt. Once and once only. I misjudged the the weight of the chunks that came with my Amerique. I used 12 ounces of wood and tossed the butt as it was not edible. I got my wifes digital scale (a OXO) and weighed the chunks and found them to be between 3 and 4 ounces a piece. From that point on, I split them into roughly 1, 2 and 3 ounce pieces. No more ruined meat. I have read several posts from around the web that say meat will cease to ABSORB smoke after it reaches a temp of about 140 degrees as the cell structure on the surface has pretty much sealed up/glazed over. From that point on, smoke particulates just layer up on top of each other. I don't know how much of that is true, but it seems to make some sense. So wanting continuous smoke production for the entire cook (5 hours or 16 hours)has never been an issue for me. The tube smokers reportedly produce smoke into the double digits.

As for the tube smokers, I have read on another forum where their use on smokers similar to the CS electrics (all stainless but analog only) failed until the user drilled one or more additional holes into the floor of the smoker to allow more air in so that the pellets or sawdust could keep burning. And one needed a torch to get it lit.

I can post a link to the other forum if PMd. But for me, judicious use of wood via weighing works best. As for the Maverick temp probe, the Amerique was designed with all the useful and necessary bells and whistles. I used a remote early on to compare with the built in, found some differences in the temps, and mothballed the remote. I just trust my Ameique to do its job as is, and it does so very well. I of course have to do my job which is to relax and have a cold beer while waiting.