Brand new to smoking and have lots of questions..

[WessPort]

Hi all...I am new to smoking and just received my SI #2 at noon today.  After getting it put together and onto the stand, I am finishing up the first seasoning.
I live in North Central Kansas and have recently retired from the State and got a bug to learn how to smoke, rather than have friends smoke things for me. 
I am also new to this forum and am not sure how to navigate it, but will be here often, so will figure that out quickly. 

My first question(s) is, how do I tell how long something will take to smoke and reach the correct temp without opening the door to check the temp?  Is there a guide that tells me approximate times and what temps for what type of meats?  Is there a trick/secret to how much wood to use?  Will stop there since you are now thinking, she bought a smoker...WHY?!???
 

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[WessPort]

OKAY...Just found this and am now reading it.  Has answered my first question already! 

Basics for Beginners  New

[DivotMaker]

Welcome, and congrats, Wess!  Yep, we've tried to give some info for anyone new to our hobby (addiction?).  There's also a guide to smoking temps/times/wood you might check out, too.

Hit us with any questions - we're here to help, and have all been in your shoes!

[swthorpe]

Hi, Wes and welcome to the SI family!   I bought a #2 almost two years ago and absolutely love it...I pretty much have something smok'in every weekend.    You have found the right place for lots of good recipes and advice, but don't hesitate to post questions as well.   As for monitoring temps, most of us have purchased remote thermometers (like the Maverick 732 or 733) that have probes to monitor the box temp and the meat temp.   The probe wires can be pushed up through the top hole in the smoker and then plugged in to the Maverick unit.

As for wood, the SI takes very little to generate good smoke, usually about 3oz for any smoke will suffice.   Several of us have purchased digital scales to weight the wood for each smoke.

[es1025]

Wes
Welcome to the family!

I was in your boat 18 months ago. there is a lot of information on the forum for smoking times/temps, and types of wood.

You will become a seasoned veteran in no time.

[Calicoast]

Welcome to our secret society!

You will love this smoker. It makes great Q, without all the gadgets.

But I would give a x2 on a Remote Thermometer and Digital Scale.

[BedouinBob]

Wess, welcome. You will love the #2, I know I do. There's a lot to learn but no worries! Start with ribs since these are more of a timing thing rather than temperature. There's lots of advice on the forum. That approach will let you enjoy some great Q without having to wait to get a thermometer purchased. BTW there are some recent suggestions on those that are not as expensive as the Maverick but work well. Basically anything with a wire will work. Have fun!!

[jcboxlot]

The smoking times, temp and wood chart is a must print out.  I think this is the link.

Enjoy, easy to use operation.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0