Seasoning and Cooking Instructions from Masterbuilt - Are they geniuses or crazy?

[hebjamn]

I e-mailed Masterbuilt asking if there was a user manual with more info than the assembly manual has (model 20050611).  They replied with an e-mail that had seasoning instructions and cooking tips that are MUCH different from anything I've read anywhere.

Their seasoning instructions are:

Apply cooking oil to the cooking grates and inside of the door only

Put 2 cups of soaked chips in the flame bowl and fire up the burner

Burn for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F

Shut down and cool off completely

Reapply oil and burn for another 20 minutes (no mention of chips or temperature)

Most of the tips I've read here at SMF say coat all the interior surfaces (excluding the burner) and burn for 4 hours.

They also have some unusual cooking tips.  The highlights are:

Load food and 1 cup of soaked chips before lighting the burner.  Add a second cup of chips after 90 minutes and another cup 90 minutes after that (I'm guessing that one or two chunks could replace one cup of chips in that plan).

They also state that 1 to 2 cups of water should be all that's needed for the entire cooking process.  I've read a few comments about the water pan provided being much too small.  Is that because it doesn't hold enough water to regulate the temperature or because you have to keep adding water or some other reason?

 

[SmokinAl]

I don't understand why they don't want you to put oil on the walls. I use sand in the water pan with foil over it. Very easy cleanup. I think dry chunks would be fine instead of chips

 

[big casino]

Yeah the instructions with my MES 30 just said turn up to highest setting for so many  hours with chips, no coating of oil I don't hink you would need a second batch of chips but I don't think it would hurt either

 

[hebjamn]

I decided to season my rig using Masterbuilt's instructions and as far as I can tell, everything worked fine. I wiped the grates and the inside of the door with peanut oil and did the double smoke hokey pokey. I used the 'foil in the flame bowl' tip I read elsewhere and didn't have any flareups, even on max heat, until I opened the door.

The next day I smoked a rack of spare ribs using the 3-2-1 method and a 6 lb Boston Butt.  I am more than pleased with my results!  My wife had made up some beef rub a few months ago and it worked out just fine.

Still haven't got my door gasket material yet but even a 9 hour smoke used less than 1/3 of my 20 lb propane tank.

I'm especially pleased with the smoke ring on the ribs!

Thanks for all the tips and advice.