I'd burn in it first to see how it does....no sense changing things if they work.
It's more than just smoke.....how well it holds temps, are temps fairly even across the cc, will it get hot enough, will it burn low enough, etc.
Just what they all say here.....start with a small fire and let it heat up slowly. Control the fire with the intake vents as much as you can and use a stack damper if you need more control.