Just wanted to stop by and give a heads up from Pittsburgh Pa. I am new to the smoking art and really haven't smoked anything yet. I just got a great deal on a Perfect Flame 36" LP smoker Model: GS-2001 from Lowes. It was the best price on a propane smoker that I have seen yet. Anyways I have been reading things on here and searching and have already found out a bunch of info. I think this site will help my break in period big time. Anyways tonight was the first time I fired up the smoker. I seasoned it well, wiped it down then added some oil to the inside. It is ready to go. It was about 30 F and I had no troubles keeping it around 225(with a decent thermometer). I found that suggestion right away. I have family functions all weekend and work on Monday so won't be able to smoke my first butt until Wed. Can't wait. The only question I had so far is about the quality of smoke. How do you make sure you are getting the best. I used the smoke box provided which isn't cast iron. I was getting smoke but when I bumped up the fire a little this would raise. None of the wood caught on fire that I could see but some were starting to glow orange and make small coals. Is this normal? What should the wood look like when starting to smoke/when smoking for a while/and when done? Maybe it was right or maybe I worry to much. I had the bottom vents completely closed and the upper one completely opened. Enough rambling for now. I look forward to meeting people, learning new things and hopefully one day giving out some advice.