Hello, New here and need some help with new smoker

raiderhawk1993 · May 28, 2010

hello! We just bought a Masterbuilt propane smoker today and were VERY disappointed in the instruction manual. There are no real instructions for how to use it, only a chart for how much charcoal to use, how much wood and how long. I have checked the masterbuilt website and they do not have a manual or instructions for our smoker. We have used a charcoal smoker before.

I searched the internet for better instructions and found nothing, other than this forum (which we are very excited about!). I would just like some direction on where I could look for instructions on using this smoker or does anyone have one and could provide direction. The model numbers on the manuals are 20050106, 20050107,20050207.Thanks for any help you can provide.

pineywoods · May 28, 2010

Welcome to SMF congrats on the new smoker

mballi3011 · May 28, 2010

First off welcome Raider to SMF. You'll like it here cause there are alot of really good folks that would just love to help you with anything to do with smoking. Now we like having new folks here to give a new prospective on some of the ways we do things around here. Now if you are really new then I would suggest that you sign up fir the 5-day E-course it free and it will give you the basics on smoking and a few recipes too. Here's a link to it:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/list/127

then you will have a method to your newly found madness and believe me it will be a madness. Then when you start smoking things you will have to learn how to post the pictures / Qview

here. So here's a link to a tutorial on how to post your Qview so we can see what your doing.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/82034/how-to-post-qview-to-smf

Now the next thing you have to do is run out and get something to smoke. Then just smoke it and if you have any questions just post them here and we will answer all your questions that you might have. Oh yea there's no stupid questions we were all there in the beginning and we just really like to help others enjoy the fabulous smoked foods that we do. So again

Welcome to Your New Addiction

pineywoods · May 28, 2010

If it is a propane smoker it doesn't require any charcoal

I would put a plastic bag over the burner and igniter then wash it out good to remove any oil or dirt

Then light it and let it dry

Once dry turn it off and spray Pam on everything except the burner, igniter, chip box, water/drip pan

Put either wood chips or wood chunks in the chip pan

Put water in the water/drip pan

Light the smoker again and leave it on low or 30 minutes

Turn it up to medium for 20 minutes

Turn it to high for 30 minutes

It is now seasoned and ready to use

I would suggest you get an a digital meat thermometer with a wired probe or maybe 2 of them

Check to see that the thermometer is correct by placing just the end in a pot of boiling water (use gloves it will get hot)

Once you know that thermo is correct get a potato and place the probe through it to stick out on the other side and place this on the middle grate in the smoker and use it to check the readings of the smoker thermometer. (they are usually not correct)

When smoking you want a nice thin blue smoke or no smoke and just the smell of the wood white billowing smoke is not good and can produce creosote which doesn't taste good. Control the smoke by how many chips/chunks you add

Most of use use the meat thermometer to tell when things are done two pieces of meat the same size will often take different times to get done.

If you have two thermometers use one through a block of wood or the potato and place it on the rack near the meat to monitor smoker temps and the other one in the meat to monitor meat temps

Sorry this was so long if you have questions just ask

raiderhawk1993 · May 28, 2010

oh my goodness! Thank you already! What great responses. We will plan to season tomorrow and smoke on Sunday then! So I just need to put chunks or chips in the bottom pan then? I think I am seeing it is a matter of preference if you soak them or not?

I do have one question. Do I need to get the Pam that is meant for grilling (high temps). I have Canola Pam Spray on hand now.

Also thinking about taking the e-course. Will look at that more tomorrow! We are going to keep a journal and will update often here. I am reading tonight and am seeing that this will be a process and there will be lots of learning and testing and trying! I have one digital thermometer but will consider another.

This is what we bought http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...0212357_325009000_325000000_325009000_325-9-0

pineywoods · May 28, 2010

The Pam you have will work or any cheap cooking oil the spray is just easier

The Ecourse is great and I recommend you sign up for it

You will find lots of good info here as well as some great recipes

You should have a chip pan for the chip to go in and you can use chips or chunks try both and see which you prefer. Same with soak vs not soaked.

Oh another thing if you take the water pan and cover it pushing it down into the bottom and then up the sides before putting the water in it clean up will be much easier.

What are ya'll gonna smoke first??????

treegje · May 29, 2010

Welcome to the SMF, We are glad to have you onboard

scarbelly · May 29, 2010

Pineywoods gave you some great advice. I would recommend smoking some easy stuff to start with. Look at the recipes for a Pork Butt (shoulder) they are a long and forgiving smoke.

Whole chickens and chicken thighs are good too - they are also somewhat forgiving. Until you know how to use the smoker better I would not do chicken breasts as they dry out easily.

You can also look at ABT's (Jalopeno's stuffed and wrapped in bacon then smoked) would give you some quick reward - Go to the tab marked forums and go down and find the category and browse thru the posts for recipes and technique

Most of all WELCOME and good luck

richoso1 · May 29, 2010

Hello, and welcome to the SMF. I see you're getting some great advise on the subject. It's all good my friend.

nickelmore · May 29, 2010

Welcome, I almost think you could read forever on this forum. Seems like there is always something new popin up.

If you want a little bit of a fun challenge, look up making and cooking "fattie" They are easy and forgiving and taste great.

raiderhawk1993 · May 29, 2010

Thank you everyone! What a GREAT forum. I have been on others for my other interests and this one definitely one of the most useful and friendly I have ever experienced.

I think we will try whole chickens and the Pork butt/shoulder first per the recommendation above. What we REALLy bought it for was ribs. We LOVE ribs and I usually cook them in the slowcooker all day in beer and broth and then finish them on the grill but we really like smoke flavor when we go out to eat and want to perfect that (ok get as close to perfection) but want to wait with ribs until we have the hang of the thing.

I read on the bass pro shop page for our smoker in a review that we are not supposed to use chips with this smoker. I don't know if that is true or not because, again the instructions for this smoker are terrible. Does anyone know if it matters.

Also we bought mesquite chunks, I see that doing pork with mesquite is not recommended..would you agree? Thanks again!

b-deep · May 29, 2010

If you use the stikyed pulled pork recipe, and the finishing sauce, along with any generic rub on here, I PROMISE you people will be in awe. I do that about twice a year, smoking as much pork as my ECB can hold, and everyone thinks I am a genius. Truth is it could not be easier, but no one has to know that :)

squirrel · May 29, 2010

Welcome! man did you come to the right place for help! This is the greatest place, you are so gonna love it here!

mossymo · May 29, 2010

raiderhawk1993

Welcome to SMF, A little time getting use to your new smoker and a few tries with ribs and I will bet you will be exceeding your expectations and be eating better ribs than you can have from most resturants !!!

raiderhawk1993 · May 30, 2010

Well here we go! Going to do our first smoke in our gas smoker today. Seasoned it yesterday per the post above! Doing pork cushion (butcher was out of pork butt but is a smoker and recommended this for us) and two whole chickens. Going to follow the instructions for the pork in the sticky on the pork page. Have the apple juice and rum ready to go (and the rum and coke!!) so we'll see how it goes. Ready....set....smoke!

lugnutz · May 30, 2010

Welcome to SMF! I agree with you 100% that this is the most friendly place. The bad thing is it can get expensive, and I'm not talkin about the equipment, I've bought more dang meat than I ever have since being here.

I don't know if you got a reply to your choice of wood or not, but for pork I like the apple I tried last weekend.

this might be handy for ya in the near future:

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/smoking/wood-for-smoking.htm

micker · May 30, 2010

raiderhawk1993 said:
I read on the bass pro shop page for our smoker in a review that we are not supposed to use chips with this smoker. I don't know if that is true or not because, again the instructions for this smoker are terrible. Does anyone know if it matters.

Also we bought mesquite chunks, I see that doing pork with mesquite is not recommended..would you agree? Thanks again!

You should be fine with either chips or chunks. I checked out the webpage you linked to and your smoker is very similar in design to the GOSM unit that many of us have. Actually, other than the smoke stack and the door opening on the wrong side its identical to my GOSM. Most of the info in the propane smokers section of the forum will directly apply to that unit.

I would definitely recommend that you foil the water pan as some have suggested. As for oiling the grates I just hit them with some spray PAM before lighting it up. You don't need to worry about the "high-heat" grilling spray, this thing is going to run low and slow.

Good luck with it, cant wait to see some of your Qview

pineywoods · May 30, 2010

Mesquite is a very strong smoke flavor in fact the strongest that I know of I would have recommended something like Hickory first couple smokes then adjust to taste either stronger or milder. I guess you can start strong and if you think its too much adjust down. Good luck with your smoke

raiderhawk1993 · May 30, 2010

Ok here we are 1.5 hours into our first smoke on the new gas smoker! Thanks to everyone and their advice so far! If you see anything we are doing wrong please point it out! I did douse the chunks that were on fire! Thanks again for your help so far!

lugnutz · May 30, 2010

SHUT THE DOOOR !!!

Other than that looks like your on the right track!

Hello, New here and need some help with new smoker

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