New (to me) smoker and need advice

[Dirty Dorf]

Some friends of ours recently turned vegetarian (thoughts and prayers) and gave us their smoker. It's a CharBroil vertical propane smoker (I'm guessing it's the 595).

We used it for the first time this weekend (smoked a London Broil and some chicken breasts). They turned out nice but I have a couple questions for the group...

I preheated the smoker to 225. Of course, when I put in the meat, I had to open the door and lost a lot of heat. My smoker never got above 225 even though I had the flame on high. Is this normal? How do you regulate the temperature aside from the propane controls?

I had to replenish the water and wood 3 times over 2 hours. How frequently do you check and replenish?

I used a Weber iGrill Bluetooth meat probe and the meat cooked quicker than what I anticipated after reading a bunch online. Do you cook by time or temperature and are there general guidelines for time based on pounds of food? For instance, sausages take 3 hours while the chicken breasts took 1.5. That sounds weird based on the size of a sausage vs a chicken breast.

I saw where you can wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper and store in an empty cooler to rest and keep warm. Can you do that for every meat (chicken, pork, beef, etc) or just certain meats or cuts?

Thanks.

 

[normanaj]

Is this normal? How do you regulate the temperature aside from the propane controls?

I know nothing of propane smokers so I'm not really the guy to answer that but I'll make the assumption this would be the way to raise or lower your boxes temp.

I had to replenish the water and wood 3 times over 2 hours. How frequently do you check and replenish?

That's way to much.Not sure how well insulated a Charboil smoker is but water in the pan isn't necessary in a well insulated unit.As far replenishing wood I HIGHLY recommend an AMAZEN pellet tray or tube and do away with the wood chips altogether.

Do you cook by time or temperature and are there general guidelines for time based on pounds of food? For instance, sausages take 3 hours while the chicken breasts took 1.5. That sounds weird based on the size of a sausage vs a chicken breast.

I cook by internal temp and not time.Time is a basic guide.

saw where you can wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper and store in an empty cooler to rest and keep warm. Can you do that for every meat (chicken, pork, beef, etc) or just certain meats or cuts?

Chicken not so much,short rest and ready to go just like as if it came out of the oven,cuts of beef or pork that are cooked to a certain doneness same idea.Briskets,roasts,pork butts that's a whole different deal...resting wrapped in foil then in towels and thrown into a cooler for several hours can be a very good thing,keeps warm and moist.

 

[JLeonard]

Following for advice for this newbie also.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

That's way to much.Not sure how well insulated a Charboil smoker is but water in the pan isn't necessary in a well insulated unit.As far replenishing wood I HIGHLY recommend an AMAZEN pellet tray or tube and do away with the wood chips altogether.

Thanks. I think the problem with the wood chunks is that I forgot to soak them. But, I do want to try pellets. Pellets do not need to be soaked, correct?

 

[Dirty Dorf]

That's way to much.Not sure how well insulated a Charboil smoker is but water in the pan isn't necessary in a well insulated unit.As far replenishing wood I HIGHLY recommend an AMAZEN pellet tray or tube and do away with the wood chips altogether.

How would I use it? My vertical smoker has the pan for wood and water above the flame and then the compartment for the meat (looks like https://www.charbroil.com/vertical-propane-gas-smoker-595).

Would the pellet tray go inside with the meats (bottom rack) or in with the water?

 

[Braz]

I highly recommend you get Jeff's Five Day Smoking Course. (Jeff owns this forum.) It is a great starting place. https://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse

And welcome to this fun activity.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

I highly recommend you get Jeff's Five Day Smoking Course. (Jeff owns this forum.) It is a great starting place. https://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse

And welcome to this fun activity.

I did sign up and thanks!

I contacted A-MAZE-N and told them I had a vertical propane smoker. They said that, with propane as my fuel source, they recommend the tube over the maze. Any idea why? (I asked them and will post the answer if no one knows.)

 

[uncle eddie]

The water pan will act as a temperature regulator as the water can't go over 212F...so the full water pan is a big heat-sink/temperature limiter. The fact that you had to fill your water pan up 3 times indicates to me that the water pan did a good job keeping the temp near the 225F range.

You may want to experiment with an empty - but hot smoker, water pan filled as usual and turning down the temp to see if the smoker stays at 225F. Once you find that happy setting, you will save on propane, water pan fillings, and probably smoking wood. Be aware you may have to turn it up a bit from that point depending on the meat being smoked...the meat can act as a heat-sink as well.

Correct - you don't soak AMNPS pellets.

Closing thoughts:
At least your friends didn't turn militant-vegan...there is still hope. Never give up :-)

 

[Dirty Dorf]

The water pan will act...

Closing thoughts:
At least your friends didn't turn militant-vegan...there is still hope. Never give up :-)

Wait... so water is not necessary when smoking?!? Dag. I'm learning here. So, I could take the water pan out, put the A-MAZ-N tube in the meat compartment towards the bottom and be good?

No, they're good people. A little daft in the head, giving up meat - if you ask me. But, I won't criticize them. They gave me a smoker, after all.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

I contacted A-MAZE-N and told them I had a vertical propane smoker. They said that, with propane as my fuel source, they recommend the tube over the maze. Any idea why? (I asked them and will post the answer if no one knows.)

FYI,

It’s an issue with the oxygen/air – the pellets are competing with the propane for oxygen. With an electric heat source there is no competition for oxygen.
• The 5x8 tray is an inch high, so the surface area of pellets burning is small and requires more oxygen
• The tube smokers are about 2 inches in diameter and has a larger surface area burning, which requires less oxygen to keep burning

 

[uncle eddie]

For my MES40 - a water pan is not necessary as it is essentially a smoky electric oven with great temperature control. I do not know if that is the case with your gas fire smoker. Best thing to do is fire it up and do some experiments on an empty smoker.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

For my MES40 - a water pan is not necessary as it is essentially a smoky electric oven with great temperature control. I do not know if that is the case with your gas fire smoker. Best thing to do is fire it up and do some experiments on an empty smoker.

So why would they (Char Broil) put it in their instructions?? Yes, I realize I am one of a very small minority of people who actually read the instruction manual.

I guess it makes sense... I never put a pan of water in the oven or on the grill. I have soaked my wood chips when I use them on the grill so they don't burn too quickly.

I guess just take out the water and wood pan altogether? And just use the A-MAZE-N smoker tube?

 

[uncle eddie]

So why would they (Char Broil) put it in their instructions?? Yes, I realize I am one of a very small minority of people who actually read the instruction manual.

I guess it makes sense... I never put a pan of water in the oven or on the grill. I have soaked my wood chips when I use them on the grill so they don't burn too quickly.

I guess just take out the water and wood pan altogether? And just use the A-MAZE-N smoker tube?

I am an engineer so, like you, I read the manuals as well. I can't help myself haha.

I can't speak for the Char Broil - but in my MES40 my water pan is wrapped in foil and used as a drip pan. I know some other MES40 users that fill their water pan with sand or lava-rock so there is a big mass of "hot" to get the smoker back up to temperature faster after opening...of course, it takes a little longer to pre-heat the smoker then.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

I am an engineer so, like you, I read the manuals as well. I can't help myself haha.

I am a failed engineer. It only took my first 2 semesters in college to realize that engineering was not for me. (At my college, they referred to engineering as "Pre-Business.")

I can't speak for the Char Broil - but in my MES40 my water pan is wrapped in foil and used as a drip pan. I know some other MES40 users that fill their water pan with sand or lava-rock so there is a big mass of "hot" to get the smoker back up to temperature faster after opening...of course, it takes a little longer to pre-heat the smoker then.

So where does your wood go? Or do you use an A-MAZE-N product for smoke?

 

[uncle eddie]

The MES40 has a chip tube that you can use...which I do use for short smokes - like 2 hours or less (beer can burgers, salmon, etc.) Drop 6-8 (dry) chips in the tube, push it in, turn it...you get smoke for 20-25 minutes or so. Repeat.

For longer smokes I use the AMNPS.

 

[Dirty Dorf]

The MES40 has a chip tube that you can use...which I do use for short smokes - like 2 hours or less (beer can burgers, salmon, etc.) Drop 6-8 (dry) chips in the tube, push it in, turn it...you get smoke for 20-25 minutes or so. Repeat.

For longer smokes I use the AMNPS.

Quick, dumb question: Do you lay your meat directly on the grate or use foil on the grate or some other arrangement?

Oh, and for your chip tube that smokes for 20-25 minutes, are you opening the smoker to add ships every 20-25 minutes or is it in a separate compartment at the bottom?

 

[uncle eddie]

Meat directly on the grate..and when I remember, I spray non stick cook spray on the grate first. That really helps for cleanup.

The chip tube is at the base of the smoker and it is about 2/3 the size of a can of tennis balls - that is the only thing that pulls out/goes back in...so the heat stays in the smoker. Because if your looking, you ain't cookin