Hey everyone, name's Alan. I have been grilling for a little over twenty years, just the basics. Burgers and dogs, chicken, pork chops, occasional steak. I decided i wanted to branch out to smoking after eating brisket that a buddy of mine brought to a football watch party. I did some research, and felt for the price this was the perfect smoker for me to start on. So I bought a green Master Forge charcoal smoker from Lowe's last summer and have gotten some good smokes out of it without any mods. Did a pork shoulder for some pulled pork last weekend for Memorial Day that would melt in your mouth, the family raved about it. Have tried a couple of briskets as well with mixed results. I was impatient (I know, rookie mistake!) and pulled off a little too soon. I've been checking out the YouTube videos of mods done to my model of smoker. I'll be ordering some vent dampers in the next week, then the work will begin. It is difficult to keep the fire going after a while because the ash clogs the vents in the bottom of the charcoal pan. I bought a Weber charcoal rack that fits perfectly in the bottom of the charcoal pan. I'm going to cut the bottom of the charcoal pan out, leaving enough of a lip for the grate to rest on. Then I'm going to put two dampers on the bottom, and one on the top to better regulate airflow. I'm always looking for pointers, so feel free to step in anytime.