The Good the bad & the Ugly

[smokinberto]

Ok after some less than exhaustive research I pulled the trigger on a Masterbuilt 2 door propane smokehouse. For those of you that have done likewise gimme the straight scoop. I've already read that the chip pan sucks & the water pan is less than adequate. What else, I'm in the process of preseasoning the smoker now. Checked the heat range. Appears to run from about 225 to in excess of 500.

I'm considering adding additional walls to the inside to give it a little more insulating affect & perhaps an oven gasket around the door.

In advance thanks.......

Berto

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I don't have a masterbuilt, but I do have a propane smoker (GOSM). Here's a few things to do. One if you are using the thermometer that came with the smoker, get a good digital like the Maverick Et-732, etc. Do a boil test on the digital to make sure it is accurate, then use it to test the temps in the smoker.  The temp gauge that came with my smoker was about 20 degrees off (when it worked, 8 years later it doesn't anymore). I no longer use the water pan with water. I have filled it with sand and covered it with tin foil. The only other thing I did was change out the regulator so I could control the low end temps (less than 200) better. Good luck and have fun smoking!

 

[smokinberto]

Thanks for the advice Dirt Sailor. I'm a bit miffed by the sand in the water pan. What does the sand accomplish? Seems there are a number of acronyms used here I'm unfamiliar with as well. GOSM? There should be a thread to cover them LOL. Where do you buy your upgraded gear like the thermometer & regulator? Ive seen some model smokers with a probe that stays stuck in the meat with the display outside, seems this would be an advantage when cooking turkeys & large pieces of pork & beef.I guess I need a book.

 

[chef willie]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/104113/master-forge-vertical-gasser-mods  Don't have a Masterbuilt but have a MasterForge gasser...probably close. Here's a link to some mods I had to do to try & control temp loss here in the PNW. Built a 3-sided hooch and did the doors. Have since put some 3/4" styro building insulation on back side and door but still have issues holding steady. Nature of the cheap beast. The Amazing Smoker company will have much of what u need for improving smoke and temp monitoring. Click on the link banner for info....Todds a good guy and a member here. I highly urge you to make use of the search bar for specific info needed....like type in 'Masterbuilt propane mods' to see what others with ur unit have done. At the very least you need a accurate therm with double probes. The sand in waterpan acts like a heat sink to stabilize heat (hopefully). Start with some cheap chicken or turkey to break in ur unit in case u make an error so it doesn't cost u a fortune in meat. Everything is a learning curve.....keep records of ur smokes. Good luck

 

[hambone1950]

Seems there are a number of acronyms used here I'm unfamiliar with as well. GOSM? .:45:

I believe he was telling you that his smoker is a G reat O utdoors S moky M ountain :welcome1:

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Thanks for the advice Dirt Sailor. I'm a bit miffed by the sand in the water pan. What does the sand accomplish? Seems there are a number of acronyms used here I'm unfamiliar with as well. GOSM? There should be a thread to cover them LOL. Where do you buy your upgraded gear like the thermometer & regulator? Ive seen some model smokers with a probe that stays stuck in the meat with the display outside, seems this would be an advantage when cooking turkeys & large pieces of pork & beef.I guess I need a book.

A thread or two with a list of acronyms commonly used here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/acronyms

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/73935/acronyms

GOSM Great Outdooors Smokey Mountain

I and some prefer to use a dry smoke chamber when smoking. You could leave the water pan empty, but filling it with sand helps maintain heat, it provides more thermal mass. When you open the door you wont get as big of a temp swing. That's important where I live during the winter months especially.

You can get some great accessories (smoke generators, digital thermometers)  from Todd at A-Maze-N Products :

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

The Maverick ET 732 has two probes. One for the meat and one for using in the smoke chamber. Money well spent.

For the regulator you want to go for a needle valve upgrade. it can be as simple as using a manufactured one, or building one:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/128297/needle-valve-mod-using-bayou-classic-regulator

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/needle-valves-for-gassers

 

[s2k9k]

Here's a list of acronym's:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/73935/acronyms

The Maverick ET-732 is probably one of the best therms out there right now. Todd has it on sale right now with free shipping and he's also throwing in at not extra charge some of the best customer service in the world!

http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MAVET-732

I didn't change the regulator on my GOSM propane but I installed a needle valve which let me really dial in the temps and get them a lot lower for things like jerky. You can read about the needle valve here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/needle-valves-for-gassers

The water in the pan is used for a thermal mass to help regulate temps and also to add a little humidity to the air inside the chamber. Humidity will aid in smoke penetration into the meat and supposedly helps add moisture to the meat which I do not believe. I think all the moisture in the meat comes from the meat. The problem with using water as a thermal mass is that it will not go above 212* so if you are cooking at 225* the water is actually cooling off your chamber. Also as the water evaporates the size of your thermal mass gets smaller so consistency will change. Using sand or pea gravel in the water pan as a thermal mass really helps maintain temps because it will go above 212* and stabilize at whatever temp you are cooking at and the size of the mass will not change keeping everything more consistent.

Back to humidity, I believe in a dry smoke chamber, no humidity. I believe all the moisture in the meat is already in the meat and the key is to lock it in there. The dry smoke chamber will help form a "skin" on the meat locking the juices in it. If you would like to read more on the dry smoke chamber, Eric (forluvofsmoke) has written some good threads about it, this is where I learned about it and am now a firm believer of his methods:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...dry-smoke-chamber-q-view-finished#post_855699

He has a lot of other good advice, just look at the links in his signature.

Here's another thread about modding a Masterbuilt, I know not your exact model but it should give you some good ideas:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/99373/masterbuild-xl-mods-post-your-mods-here

Hope this helps!

 

[michael ark]

You just have to play with it and find what works with your smoker. My gosm runs 225f-230f with a water pan and 250-260 without both on low. For my smoker and my cooking style. I use water to help maintain my low and slow style. Literarly I keep it on low . You can also get a welding blanket and wind breaks to help tempature control in the winter. Have youu checked for spiders yet they will give you hell sometime. They love the smell of propane. The rotten eggs smell makes them think of rotten food that attractes bug for them to eat.

 

[smokinberto]

I went to a couple of hardware places looking for needle valves.One of them was Lowes I asked the guy in plumbing (they had nothing close in grills) about them & he "informed" me that a needle valve wouldn't do what I wanted. This after reading a number of posts saying it would. I really hate it when I go into a store have a better knowledge of what I'm looking at & have someone waste my time with nonsense. Similar issue at Bass Pro when I went in there. The kid working the grill/smoker section knew nothing about the merchandise he was selling. Shouldn't stores make sure their employees have at least a basic knowledge of the items they're selling? Sorry I kind of hijacked my own thread

 

[aeroforce100]

Go Here http://bayouclassicdepot.com/misc_propane_burner_parts.htm. One of these is what you need.

 

[smokinberto]

Okay did my first cook last night everything went well.  We were suppose to have dinner guests but they had to cancel

. So I have a fridge full of smoked stuff.lol.

Problems, everyone was right the water/drip pan is inadequate. Which leads me to my first query. Who has a good selection of steam table pans? I saw that a member long gone I suppose

"Darthtrader" posted that he modded his with one. I need one approximately 13.5" square. The smoke stack I saw on the same thread looked cool, though I see it as more a novelty than a necessity.

Another issue I encountered was the foods sweating down on to each other. I put the turkey in a baking dish so that wasn't much a problem but the fatties the ribs & the ABT's having been cooked

right on the racks dribble on one another.

I wrapped the wood chips in doubled aluminum foil this kept the flare-ups minimal, I think I'll modify the "flame disk" maybe just a smokebox.

Thanks for all the good info

 

[smokinberto]

I bought a needle valve came in yesterday couldn't wait to get home & plug it in. With nothing in the smoker I can keep the temp down around 150F according to the door thermometer. My drip pan came in today. I'll have to remodel the rack to accept the bigger pan. I have a cast iron smoker box on order should receive that by monday or tuesday. I'm pretty pumped about all this, The electric & charcoal brinkmans were a bit of a let down. :(

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Good Deal, now get out there and smoke something!