I have a new toy. How do I use an offset vertical smoker

I've perused a lot of them and frankly, the best resource out there is right here in the forum. Seriously.

Rob, I have the TMLE (horizontal), so there are quite a few corellaries between the two. Most of the focus is on chamber sealing (for air control), damper/deflector use (radiant/reflective heat management), and firebox adjustments (for fuel control). I have posted quite a few pics of the mods I have made. Others have as well. The Brinkmann vertical doesn't seem to be covered as extensively, but there are folks on here who have done the work.

It's best to just jump in and fire it up. Practice by running it empty and just focus on fuel/temperature management. Get to know your thermometers and how they reflect changing chamber temperatures. Then, when you get a good feel for the fuel (charcoal, wood chunks/small splits) and can hold a specific temp for an hour or two, try a run with an inexpensive cut of protein (pork butt, loin, etc... save the briskets for a little later on!!). The worst that can happen is that you eat some almost perfect BBQ!