Interesting development. Neighbor told me the pics he showed me were for a Propane smoker, not the electric. So, this am, I searched and searched for interior pics of the smoker when new. Only have found one site so far, and it appears the interior is bare metal yet the interior of the door is painted black. see attached. Still does not explain how some of the "stuff" on the inside could not be scrapped off with a razor blade. Again, it was not greasy like "seasoning" or crispy like creosote. and even after pressure washing, some areas did not come off. Additionally, some areas on the interior that were able to be peeled did actually peel around edges to outside. I am not too concerned.
One thing I do note is that the door is not tight on this. I am not sure if I damaged the hinges when cleaning it or or if came to me this way. When cleaning, I had it on its back with door hanging open, so I may have bent them or the thread-o-lets in the wall.
I did buy a remote temp monitor for future. Also, finally had some of the brisket I smoked. Not excellent, but the flavor was great, just a bit tough. I pulled it at 193 deg. I understand smoking is a different mindset from just grilling, but curious if I should have pulled sooner. Granted, it was an old piece of meat that was destined for the Insta-Pot before we got the smoker.
Most interesting. I wonder if it was a mistake in manufacturing?