Are you still happy with this model? There was a sale at a place near me and I balked. Wanted to get it but had zero knowledge about it. Rather stay with wood and charcoal than go pellets.
Thanks
Still using it, still abusing it, still loving it.
The only gripe I've had so far is that the switches on the fire door and hopper door do get finnicky sometimes. I just ordered some replacements to have on-hand. I've never had one glitch out while it was running a long smoke, but after opening one of the doors, sometimes I need to wiggle the plunger before closing to ensure the fans run properly. I would suggest having some spares on-hand just in case. They're just two phillips screws holding them in.
I've run it with briquettes, lump, lots of wood mixed in, no wood. It works great in all cases. Briquettes make the most ash. With lump, it's best to avoid putting the dust at the bottom of the bag into the hopper - it can turn into ash flying around inside the smoker. I use wood chunk that I buy in 20 lbs bags and make sure to use it generously. Plus several good sized chunks in the ash pan to add even more smoke.
We've cooked everything from slow smoked brisket to pizza. It's worked wonderfully in every case.
