Welcome form Indiana. Sounds like a frustrating experience with the Charbroil. And to think I was very close to buying one of those.
As you await your new smoker, your best investment will be to read this forum. There is so much advice on here about any topic you want to know. But one thing that I have seen become a failure for too many users who migrated from other smokers is using too much wood. And it will be bitter. Get a kitchen scale and weigh your wood. You only need between 2 and 6 oz for most smokes. These smokers are efficient! Download the Guide to Smoking Times, Temps, Woods from here:
https://www.smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0While you are at it, scroll down on the forum home page to the User Guideliens and Instruction section. Lots of good info for new owners there.
