I have this also, and having a problem with food having a slightly burnt taste. I've done St Louis style ribs on it twice, and each time I get this slight burnt flavor. I will say that it gets the ribs done better (more tender) than the MES 30 I had before.
I can imagine 2 causes:
1) The MES had this very small half-a-soup-can sized tray for chips. Maybe with the Landmann, I'm putting too much chips in? I'm certainly putting in more than I did in the MES.
2) The Landmann has these cross-members in the drawer that holds the water pan and wood tray. The food drips on these cross-members, and the drippings turn black and burn a little there. Not sure what to do about this, since I can't clean the cross-members during a smoke.
Anyone else having this problem? Any suggestions?