Hey guys, I wanted to make an update. I know this is not specifically related to mods for our Masterbuilt smokers, but I think it's good info. I bought a smoke tube off of Amazon last week and gave it a try yesterday when I smoked a 4lb pork shoulder. Prior to using this tube I used an 8" cast iron which sat on the burner, with 2-3 large wood chunks for smoke. I used the stock water pan lined with aluminum foil full with water, meat placed on rack 2nd from the top, and smoker temp thermometer on same rack. I used this method for 2 years, and although it requires a ton of fiddling with needle valve and babysitting the smoker, i maintained temps from 215-235 for hours at a time. Yesterday I used the cast iron on the burner but with no chunks in it. I figured cast iron is very good for heat retention, and will allow consistent temps. I filled water pan and warmed her up to 225. Once at 225, I followed the instructions from the tube and filled it with pellets and lit vertically, and let burn for 10 minutes. I then placed it in the smoker as well as the meat. For the first 2.5 hours I had very consistent temp of 220-235, but at the 2.5 hr mark my water had completely boiled away. Instead of replacing it I mistakingly removed it based on thinking I'd be able to let er roll without having to add water every 2.5 hrs. Big mistake, lol. I had a hell of a time keeping the temp consistent, and from hour 4 on had to fiddle with it until 9.5 hrs when I took it off. This is all unrelated to the tube, which did perform well and lasted about 4 hrs . The key is to let it burn for the 10 minutes before laying it flat. I didn't do this the second fill, and it didn't smoke well. So, I am a believer in the tube, but would like to know the setups of you guys who use the tube with these smokers. Are you guys using cast iron still for radiant heat? I know I messed up removing water pan, but what other things are you doing to achieve consistent temp?
Thanks!
Where in the smoker did you place the tube? The tube needs to be above the flame.