New AmeriQue on its way!

Congrats on your purchase! You'll not be disappointed. Make sure to read the 101s and lessons for new owners!

Dale,
Congratulations on your purchase. Buying my Cookshack about a year ago was one of the best purchasing decisions I have made (love my new Ford truck though...and my Ford Expedition) in a while. You will find that it becomes very addictive for you and your family/friends.
Best advice is to keep it simple especially in the beginning. We did two slabs of ribs for supper today. Put a little rub on them last night, my wife put them in around lunch and took them out when they passed the toothpick test. No extra sauce, no mopping, didn't crack the door until we figured they were done (about 5 1/2 hours)...and they were just perfect. We foiled them for about an hour before eating and they were outstanding. My teenage sons love them ...and my somewhat picky teenage daughter ate two which is saying something !!
In all seriousness, you will find that you are smoking a whole lot more food than what you are currently planning.
Enjoy your smoker and keep us posted.

Congrags.
Bought my last May, smoke at least twice a month, if not more, always great results.

Def go with the KISS principal.

Congrats! Have had my AQ for 3 years now and love it. Read the forum and ask questions. Good luck.

I ordered my AQ on Monday. The delivery company called me a few minutes ago and said they will deliver tomorrow. I am very excited as this will be my first smoker. I have done lots of research and Cookshack is where i ended up. We moved last December into a new house and I am hoping my new AQ will help us make new friends in this new town.

Start it up. Let it rip. They'll come.

I got the smoker last night!!!
I sort of followed the directions for seasoning the smoker, 200 degrees for four hours. I went 215 degrees for 8 hours with 3 pieces of wood in the box. To my surprise this morning, the wood was barely charred on one side. Sooooo, this morning I bumped it up to 250 degrees. Now we have smoke!

Our Thanksgiving is going to be on Saturday due to other family obligations. Today I will be trying the "County Fair Chicken" recipe as a first one for this afternoon. The turkey is slated for Saturday!

Lift your element up so it touches the bottom of the wood box(don't touch when hot). Wood up front just touching the holes on the bottom of the wood box. Breaking chunks into several pieces also helps. As the smoker seasons, the wood burns better.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
Lift your element up so it touches the bottom of the wood box(don't touch when hot). Wood up front just touching the holes on the bottom of the wood box. Breaking chunks into several pieces also helps. As the smoker seasons, the wood burns better.

I had to bend mine up a bit too. Sounds scary, but it really isn't.