Cleaning smoker

[AmericanSmoker30]

How often or ever should I be cleaning the walls inside my Masterbuilt 40"?

 

[chestnutbloom]

I have a 30 and never clean the walls. Only if something leaks on the bottom. Anything removable gets soaked and scrubbed clean! 

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

Awesome. I typically clean the the grates and drip pan with a brisk wipe down before each smoke. Thanks for the feed back. Doing my 10th or so batch of baby backs tomorrow. Three racks with three different dry rubs. Going all out this time.

 

[deuce]

I haven't ever cleaned my walls, but I suppose if there was a big thick buildup I would. I just clean the grates and the glass. Be sure to post some pics of them BB's!

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

Definitely will be posting pics of the BB's. Found out my cayenne was bad. Had a really weird smell so it will just be my own rub with a little sweet in it. Standby for mouth watering pics in about nine hours.
:grilling_smilie:

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

Ribs were a bust. Think they went a little long. What's a good method without doing the 2-2-1?:confused:

 

[deuce]

Ribs were a bust. Think they went a little long. What's a good method without doing the 2-2-1?

 If you could provide some more details, like what temp, if you put any liquid in foil when you wrapped them and how they turned out it may be helpful to helping you out. Did you use this method on the previous batches of BB's? 

I learned everything I know about smoking meat on this website and  I still have lots to learn. You can always find some great ideas here on ways to make food. 

If you don't get the answers on this post, you could probably ask the same question under a different part of the forum like general discussion and it may get more views depending on how each person searches the site.

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

225 for two and a half hours. Got antsy and cranked the heat up to 250 and then 275 for thirty minutes each. I have never done the 2-2-1 method. I typically just put them in bone side down and let em rip. Some came out okay. I have gotten mixed results but I am still a novice for the most part. Just used a dry rub. The last batch was a good one. I really enjoy doing baby back ribs. It's frustrating to cook for that long and not get the results I was expecting.

 

[deuce]

The 2-2-1 method is usually pretty good for BB's some people modify it slightly for more smoke, less foil time or however they like but its still a pretty good overall cooking time. Bumping up the temp may have worked against you a bit.  Chef Jimmy J has a recipe for some foiling juice that has awesome reviews http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110881/foiling-juice-chef-jimmyj  I plan on giving that a try myself next time. It might be helpful to keep a logbook of your cooks in detail and list what was good and bad so you can always refer back to your notes. Once you have many smokes under your belt, its hard to keep track of what rubs went well with what meat, what wood flavor was best, cooking temps and times, etc. I keep a log for most of my cooks, but then again my memory isn't the best. There are plenty of variations on rubs, sauces, etc. for BB's. The best thing to do is keep trying different methods until you find one you like the best. Like I said, there are plenty of great ideas as well as people on this website, I have no doubt that you will find a way to make the best BB's you have ever had by the advice here!

 

[chuck41]

Repaired my MES 40 yesterday.  Ordered a new 1200w heating element from MES.  Cost about $30 including shipping which I thought was a very good price.  I have seen them on line for about twice that price.  I am anxious to get some more chicken legs and thighs to smoke up.  Its been down for a couple months.  Had plenty of meat in the freezer already smoked up so it wasn't important until the supply began to run low.  Funny how that works.

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

Glad u back smoking. Let us know how those leg quarters turn out with some juicy pics. :biggrin:

 

[AmericanSmoker30]

If smoking more than four hours have you had to empty the chip tray on an electric masterbuilt? I just did and it seemed to instantly smoke more. Any thoughts?:sausage: