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It was Christmas in July as I watched the UPS Delivey man unload my 009 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. As an excited 54 year old kid I wanted to help him but he said no I got it.

As all kids at Christmas,do I immediately removed my new toy from the box and set it up. It ws perfect not a scratch or dent.

After reading postings about wood I tool the bark of the because it seemed damp and had moss.

First I placed a pan filled with ice and water on the center shelf, added 3 pieces of wood which I place front to back in the wood box, shut the door and set the temperature at 225* and after about 30 minutes smoke appeared and I was HAPPY Smiler I seasoned it for 5 hours not opening the door at all. That was hard to do.
During the seasoning I noticed some smoke escaping from the top right hand corner of the door.


By now it was 11:00 at night I shut the unit off and went to bed, today I opened the smoker and took out the wood box. Of the 3 pieces of wood only 1 turned to ash the one in the front by the door. The center and end pieces seemed only to be very chared.

What did I do wrong? Did I put he wood box in the wrong way It only fits 1 way with the recessed part in the back wall of the smoker so the only lid touches. I noticed the bracket around the heating element is slightly crooked. HELP!!
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First question is "Why did you put a pan of ice water in the smoker?" Confused There is absolutely no need for water in these smokers. They are naturally moist smokers.

There is not problem with the wood burning unevenly. Just remember where the hot-spot is and try to put your wood in that position each time.

There have been issues with bent heating elements but someone else will have to chime in an explain what to do. It's nothing critical and you can continue smoking in the meantime.

Do yourself a big favor and read and re-read Lessons for new users. You will benefit greatly from it!

In the meantime, keep the water pan out of your new toy and get to smoking! Start with a fatty pork butt and enjoy! Big Grin
Do you have a probe in the butt? Resist the temptation to open the door! Take that puppy to 195˚, take it out of the smoker, wrap it in foil and toss it in a cooler for an hour or so. Pull or chop as desired.

That 6#er will take a minimum of 9 hrs and more than likely 12+ It won't be unusual to go 14-18 hrs. Be patient. You'll love the results! Big Grin
Welcome Beginer, just keep the door closed and do what they suggested. Pull the meat at 195 degrees. Dont be alarmed if it falls apart when removing it from the rack. Pretty normal for me.

Sometimes I will start my butts abt. 9pm at nite, foil them in the morning and let it keep cooking until done.

Good Luck with your first cook and enjoy the great eats.

Here is an awesome link to help walk you through things as well. Excellent site IMHO.

http://www.lamaine.com/bbq/

Mike
You want the coleslaw/sauce/bread to all be fairly plain so as to savor that smokey pork fat goodness! I don't use sauce on it at all. KFC style slaw works well. Buy cheap white hotdog buns.

bbqbull, do you foil your butts in a CookShack smoker? To each his own, but they are so fat I don't see the point.

Cool

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