Sarge, this heating element is so powerful, I left the door open for almost a minute to take the picture and add a little more hickory, and the red light went off maybe 2 minutes after that. The quote from the little flyer that came with it says:
"DO NOT pre-heat your smoker. DO NOT leave your smoker unattended."
Maybe it is only precautionary, but most of the things I have read tell you not to put the meat in until the smoker has come up to the desired temperature. Since I followed the instructions and ran it for 4 hours to season it, it just seems strange.