New to smoking...just bought the most amateur smoking device possible...

[bud lite]

my wood pan is about 4 inches over the heating element which is good size.

It's pretty safe to say the wood chips are not getting hot enuff.
4 inches over the heating element seems like a LOT to me.
Without butchering your smoker, can you do an experiment?
Can you get the wood pan closer....say 1/2 inch over the element?
Give it a few minutes and I bet you get smoke.

 

[tld]

I've got the same smoker as you. I gave up on the smoke pan and use a tin can from tuna fish. put it right on the heating element. Use dry chips and still use the chip pan cover to keep juices from putting the smoke out. If I use chunks I'll get them going with a small propane torch.

 

[jpahos]

First of all you guys are AWESOME!!! This has got to be the best forum I've participated in already, the most helpful bunch of guys hands down. I picked up the Smoke Hollow Electric for 45 bucks on clearance only 3 days after having the best pork chops of my life that were cooked over about 6 hours using a wood fired smoker. Me being a total amateur I figured I could regulate heat a lot easier on the electric because the Smoke Hollow has a rheostat to control the juice going into the unit. In any case I couldn't resist just trying to make some smoke so here's some of the details to fill in answers:

1. My door seal is a little bit loose so I see some steam coming out the lower right hand corner of my door.

2. The vent is in the top of the unit on the back and is maybe a 1/8" hole and I have not seen any smoke come out of it.

3. I didn't smell smoke...so I don't think I'm smoking, just steam from the water pan.

4. The wood chips did NOT blacken or burn at all.

5. I put a digital thermomenter through the vent in the back and was measuring temperature from there....not sure if that's a good place to but it came out about 25 degrees more than what the integrated thermo on the front of the unit showed.

6. I got my temp to about 235 and set my wood pan right on the element and let it set for about 40 minutes. No smoke. I'm going to try using a can or loaf pan like people suggested and failing that I'll put the wood right on the element itself.

7. Good to hear that my unit is a knock off of the GOSM, considering that if I hadn't run into this unit for $45 the GOSM was what I was going to buy.

8. I bought this unit also because I was sick of running out of propane and I didn't know how long a tank would last considering it takes forever to smoke things.

Once again...you guys are a great bunch!!!!

 

[workoutchamp]

I have two GOSM gas units and the gas lasts a long time. Other guys with similar results?

I think you need to lower the woodbox to on or real near the element.

Happy Smoking! Brad

 

[okie joe]

Welcome to smf..get your wood closer to element and also take the 5 day bbq course that jeff has also nose around past threads this place is like a gold mine for great que.