Why Can't I get Smoke Going?

[janegael]

I'm still very new at this.  I have a small Masterbuilt electric smoker.  I read that a good way to get your chips going is to put them in an iron skillet and set them directly on the element.  That worked once.  The last time and this time its been two hours and the chips still aren't smoking.  The chips are dry, not wet, by the way.  The thermometers both say it is near 300 degrees, but no smoke.  At this rate it's taking forever to cook anything. I'm using Webber hickory chips and it worked once.  I don't know why it has never worked again.  I looked at the pellet smoker but frankly I can't afford it. 

If anyone has any suggestions to get the thing smoking so a simple chicken doesn't take all day I'd appreciate it. :)

 

[pops6927]

Welcome to our forum!

First off, if you could go to Roll Call and introduce yourself so we may welcome you properly?

Also, if you could put your location in your profile it would help others by understanding what part of the world you are in.

Third, I will move this thread out of General Discussion and into Electric Smokers so you can get more responses to your inquiries, ok?

Thank you for joining us and enjoy!

 

[daveomak]

Jane, evening....  A cast iron skillet has too much thermal mass for the element to get the pan hot enough to generate smoke...

Get a chip pan from W-mart designed for a big chief smoker.... or get an element cover in housewares designed for covering stove top elements.... preferably in stainless steel... anything thin so the heat can transfer to the chips....  And if you have it plugged into an extension cord, plug it directly into an outlet, or buy a new cord 12 gauge wire size... 

The reason it worked once and not again.... maybe the skillet carbonized and can't transfer heat... also you can try a SS measuring cup.... that might work too.....    Dave

 

[janegael]

Thanks for the help.  I will try your suggestions.  I did try the iron frying pan once and it worked like a charm.
 

 

[hkeiner]

The good advice you received above will likely solve your problem. If it does not, I suggest you provide a picture or link to the particular smoker model you are asking about and you will likely get more good advice that is specific to your particular smoker's design. Another solution that many have found is getting an AMNPS for smoke generation.

 

[wjordan52]

Hi Jane... I am also using an electric, though it's something I built and not the same model as yours. I had the same problem generating smoke; either the wood was too close to the element and burned up too quickly, or it was too far away and didn't get hot enough to smoke. I had the best success with loosely wrapping the chips in foil and placing them very close to the heat. You'll have to experiment with the exact placement, but it may be a solution.

By the way, I too couldn't afford the AMNPS for a while. I did save and eventually bought one a month or so ago, and it instantly solved all my smoke problems. So if money is tight I can say from personal experience that that device is worth saving for.

Best of luck w/ smoke, and keep us posted.

 

[janegael]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I was unable to find a Big Chef anything, apparently parts are hard to come by.  I did find stainless steel burner covers and used one and that worked.  I think I was also keeping the temp too low in the beginning.  At some point I will have to spring for that AMNPS and take the fuss out of all of this.  I tend to pack the smoker full, so it's good to get it going and now have to mess with it.

I appreciate all the feed back.  What a nice group of folks here. 

 

[tjohnson]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I was unable to find a Big Chef anything, apparently parts are hard to come by.  I did find stainless steel burner covers and used one and that worked.  I think I was also keeping the temp too low in the beginning.  At some point I will have to spring for that AMNPS and take the fuss out of all of this.  I tend to pack the smoker full, so it's good to get it going and now have to mess with it.

I appreciate all the feed back.  What a nice group of folks here. 

Do you have the Masterbuilt w/Digital Controller or the Masterbuilt w./Analog Controller?

Todd