Hello everyone....I’m Danny from Louisiana and new to the forum. I just recently ordered the model 3D wifi unit after some researching and speaking with, Steve. I just joined here this evening and am a little confused on some items but I see this will be a learning curve.
Hey Danny, welcome to the family! Don't worry, you'll pick everything up in time. In the interim, it's difficult to have a complete disaster. You'll see a lot of ways to do the same thing and many times it's subjective (and possibly irrelevant) on which is the correct way to do it.
1. Some say good smoke flavor and some say no smoke flavor?
I'm not sure what this references. Some folks like a lot of smoke and others prefer a much lighter smoke. This will be an area for you to experiment to find your favorite woods and wood quantities. It's probably best to start with less wood at first and gradually use more in the future until you find what tastes best to you and your other beneficiaries.
Some say ramp temp and some say don't? Some say wrap wood blocks in foil or put foil under the wood blocks?
Both of these typically relate to managing the process so that your wood doesn't catch on fire. One thing most will agree on is that the wood catching on fire can leave you with too little smoke and/or a bitter smoke flavor. What you want is for the wood to slowly turn into charcoal over the life of the smoke instead of turning into ash. I'm a big proponent for putting a double layer of foil in the bottom of the smoke box and poking smaller holes in it to restrict airflow and thus prevent combustion. You will also see a lot of posts suggesting purchasing premium wood chunks from a few highly regarded vendors instead of purchasing from big box stores. With the use of foil I haven't found that necessary to prevent combustion, but I'll probably try it one of these days just to see if I like the smoke flavor better or differently.
Looking forward to hearing both your questions and successes!
