Group,
Ive had a green brinkman smoker (similar to a cajun cooker) and have
had a HORRIBLE time getting it lit. I've used an electric starter, a
chimney, wrapped up newspaper, charbroil parfaffin "candles", and even
standnign on my charcoal (either kingsford, cowboy brand, or this
mesquite briquettes I found at Meijer marked Frontier Charcoal). With
a blow torch. The most I get is a little bit of grey marks, that's
it, no continuous lighting. I can leave the electric starter on for
15-20 minutes and they all do not light,or it takes a long time, and
it's frustrating when you tell your friends you have a smoker but
can't produce any results.

The chimney starter was my latest failure, and with that I'd get the
newspaper lit at the bottom but then it'd just let off a little bit of
grey smoke and then smolder and go out. God forbid I do anything like
charcoal lighter fluid because that would not give the meat a good
flavor.

The times when it has lit I've had trouble keeping the temperature up
near the "ideal" mark on the thermometer. Somebody suggested that
since I leave my charcoal in my garage, which unfortunately has very
poor ventilation, that humidity might be the problem.
is there any warrant to that?

Also the smoker looks like the vent holes on the firebox, which sit in
the base, may not allow very much ventilation therefore the charcoal
will not light very well.

Please, any advice would be appreciated, even if you tell me to go out
and buy a propane or electric assist, or the one with the side mounted
firebox with a cross draft (which would definitely hold more meat than
what I've got now), but I'd like one that burnt charcoal/wood to give
me the flavor I want, thanks in advance!