You don't need to preheat the smoker with wood chips unless you want too.
Instead if you want a complete smoke and the best results you should start with a cold electric smoker, set the time and temperature and then add the meat and then add the wood chips.
The cold electric smoker will make for a better longer burn time and the wood chips will also smoke better.
Wood chips are better for an electric smoker than wood chunks are as they provide quick smoke to the electric smoker.
Wood chunks can take a bit longer to begin smoking in an electric smoker and are best suited for non electric smokers.
An electric smoker takes between 30 minutes to 45 minutes to reach 225 F which is the ideal smoking temperature for most meats.
Once the electric smoker is preheated, fill the water pan with hot water and slide the water pan into the slot or place it at the bottom of the smoking chamber.
Electric smokers do not get hot on the outside although they do get warm to the touch on the outside but not hot enough to burn you when touching it.
The top and bottom rack in a smoker are the same temperature and neither rack is hotter than the other.
However because heat rises the meat smokes better on the top rack than it does on the bottom rack.
The easiest meat to smoke in an electric smoker is brisket, pork shoulder, pork chops and ribs.
To keep meat moist in an electric smoker you can use a water pan.
Place the water pan in the electric smoker with water, which helps to regulate the temperature and add moisture to the electric smoker and meat and prevents the meat from drying out.
Also don't open the smoker when not needed as it releases the heat and smoke and increases the cooking time.
The vent should be open on an electric smoker so the electric smoker will have a boost in smoke flow and give the food a unique flavor.
Some people prefer to have the vent on the electric smoker half open and others prefer the vent to wide open.
You should at least have the vent on the electric smoker wide open when starting the cooking process.
Another reason to run wide open is so that you don't get condensation inside the box and have the dreaded "black rain" dripping on your cook.
It's not uncommon for woodchips to catch fire in electric smokers.
To prevent this from happening, consider soaking your woodchips before using them with your electric smoker.
You can also try using the foil pouch or smokebox method to prevent heat from directly contacting the wood chips.
Also small cuts of meat will undoubtedly cook faster than larger pieces in the electric smoker.
If need be, I recommend flipping smaller cuts only once, preferably halfway through cooking.
Larger cuts will need at least more than one flip to result in tender and juicy pieces of meat.