The wood that I am using is pretty dry (cherry wood from a cherry tree that I pruned 2 years ago), so I have been soaking the wood chunks for a couple of hours before use. This seems to have stopped the flare ups, but then again, I don't open the door once the meat is in to check for fire! I do still get some belching type bursts of smoke around the door when the temperature reaches around 150-160F, but after a minute of so, it returns to a thin smoke. So, I don't know if the soaking helps, but I have been too nervous to try again without soaking.
