Greetings fellow smokers! I'm out here in Riverside, CA (Southern CA). I've been grilling since '97 on Webbers. Then moved on to a Lowes grill that I could raise and lower the charcoal and dabbled in some smoking. Fast forward to this past February when my Engelbrecht Braten 1000 was finally shipped, now I've been grilling and smoking about every weekend since. I use whole logs (usually oak or almond) for my smokes.