New Smoker

[bcdaddy]

Hey all. I'm about to embark into the smoking world abyss with a 30" Masterbuilt electric smoker with a digital thermometer. So far that's all I have. I've been grilling (burgers, dogs, brats, etc) for just a short time to but I seem to do a good job and I sure do enjoy the heck out of it.
I'm from central IL and had the pleasure of taking in Pappy's Smokehouse in StL. I don't plan on matching that taste, but I am striving as hard as I can to acquire something reasonably close.
I'm going to have hundreds of questions! I'm going to want to smoke everything I can think of but I'm so nervous on temp control, time, smoking different items at once (butt, ribs, corn, etc), meat prep, chips, rubs and more! Looks like I've come to the right place.
I guess I'll start with some basics. I'm eyeing a ThermoPro TP-07 thermometer from Amazon for $35.99. I'm kinda cheap (single income family of 5!) but don't want to mess around in this department. Anyone heard of this item? Good? Bad?
Also, to season my smoker, should I start with Apple chips?
My wife and I love sweet taste and prefer little kick in our BBQ. So, to go in line with the chips question, what kind of rub do I look for for butts/shoulder, ribs, etc and where could I find it/them?
I appreciate any feedback and hope to bring home some great food and good reports. Maybe, just maybe I'll dabble in my own rub recipes. But that'll be a while down the road.

 

[bluewhisper]

Welcome to the board, you came to the right place! We share a lot of information and pics.

Apple is a mild and sweet wood to start with, but don't let that keep you from trying other woods and seeing what you like.

I can't advise you on the electric; I'm burning sticks in an offset.

 

[joe black]

Welcome from SC. It's good to have you on this great site. I'm a stick burner also but I will tell you that I really like the Thermowand. It's very quick and quite accurate. Look on Amazon for it. IMO, any wood will work just to season your cooker. As for meat flavor, I like hickory on beef, apple on chicken and cherry on pork. As for rubs and sauce, check out Jeff's recipes that are available here for a very reasonable price. The proceeds go to maintain the site. His recipes are a very good base to build from. You can adjust the heat and sweet to your personal preference very easily.

Good luck and good smokin', Joe

 

[gary s]

  Good evening and welcome to the forum, from a really nice, sunny day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything. 

Gary

 

[puckhed33]

I too am looking at the thermopro. It says the presets can be reprogrammed to your tastes. My current probe will not go above the presets of 170* max. I need something to go into the 200's. Welcome BTW.