New to smoking...just bought the most amateur smoking device possible...

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jpahos

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 27, 2008
2
10
Noblesville, IN
Hey all, my name is John from Indianapolis. I just picked up an electric smoker (Smoke Hollow model) and did my first smoke earlier this week. I brined (first time doing that as well) some chicken breasts and ended up drying them out pretty darn good. I learned a few things, one that my thermometer is 25 degrees short of reality from what I measured digitally at the exhaust pipe ... so my food is getting cooked at a higher temperature than normal. The second thing that I found out is that my wood doesn't smoke no matter what I do. I tried putting wet wood in the wood pan and no smoke. I replaced it with dry wood for several hours and no smoke....I'm not sure what the circumstance is, my wood pan is about 4 inches over the heating element which is good size. Does anyone have any suggestions or has anyone had a similar bad situation with the same make and model?
 
Welcome to SMF. You've come to the right place for information on your smoker. I don't have an electric, but someone will be by shortly to help you out.
 
Welcome. I don't have the same model, but the wood pan in mine is directly over the heating element. Not sure in an electric how you would get the wood to smoke 4 inches away unless you're running a little hot and give the wood time to reach temperature. sorry, probably no help.
 
Welcome to smf John. I have an electric smoker that I use sometimes for extra stuff. I couldn't get the smoke pan to smoke either. So now I just use a small laof pan, put in dry chunks and a few pieces of lump charcoal and place it right on the heating element. Works great.
 
all the electrics I've ever used had the chip pan within and inch to almost touching the element. Seems like yours might be too far away. I'm not familiar with a smoke hollow... is it possible you're putting the pan in the wrong spot?
 
Hello John, and welcome to the SMF. Plenty of folks using eletric smokers, so you should have some good feedback soon.
 
I don't have an electric smoker, but I do agree with Richtee. Get the wood as close to the heating element as you can. Remember also, if you smell the smoke, you are smoking.
Hope it works.
 
Hey bud, I have the same smoker you do. Just set the pan right on the loop of the element at the right hand side. It does a decent job.
 
it looks to me (from a google search), you have a GOSM clone. Great little smoker. I wasn't aware they had an electric, but good enough.

here is a post you may want to read - http://smokingmeatforums.com/forums/...ad.php?p=42213

I have two GOSMs and love them. I upgraded a little - and you will too in time, but I made some killer stuff out of it. Breasts are tough - can be very dry, so try some leg quarters - that'll get your juices rolling - plus they're infinitely less expensive - about $.50/lb at Wally.

Noodle around here and learn some tricks - like foiling the meat after about half the cooking time - see 3-2-1 posts for some tricks like this - plus there are a bunch of crazy characters here - and they're all willing to share all their knowledge.
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You came to the right place - now go forth and smoke!
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Brad Simmons
 
John...........did you SMELL smoke?.........if you are smelling it, you are getting it..........did it burn UP at all?......if it burnt up, you had smoke
 
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