Using a Propane Smoker

[cmayna]

Cast Iron helps distribute the heat. My cast iron skillet sits on top of a support bracket that sits on top of the round metal ring that surrounds the burner, giving space between the skillet and the ring. I started out with chips in the cast iron and it was very successful except I had to replenish the chips all the time. Thus now, I use the amazen tube just inside the lower door.

Also keep in mind that the Amazen tube needs to reside above the burner. If below, when the smoke rises up from from the tube, the flames of the burner will consume a lot of the smoke before the smoke gets to the meat.

 

[JLeonard]

I use a MB Gas House smoker. I have the factory chip tray in and if I am doing a low and slow cook like for a butt or etc....I use a smoker box on top of the chip tray. I will put chunks in it. It providers enough separation from the flame to smolder as I want for the TBS. If i am doing a higher heat cook I have a CI skillet that I do the same setup in. The CI heats up well to get the chunks smoking but doesnt set them afire like the smoker box does. Just my 2 cents. It works for me.
Jim

 

[bill1]

Smoking, instead of burning, wood comes down to just 4 things:
1. The temperature the wood sees
2. The O2 the wood sees
3. the size of the wood
4. the coupling of the wood to the heat source

Controlling variable 3 is fairly simple, you choose either pellets, chips, or chunks with chips being right in the middle in terms of its flammability. Variable #4 is only really controllable with wood chunks...this is where the great suggestion to cut a full "split" into slices with a chop saw and place the "flat as a saw blade" side against a flat heated surface like a CI pan becomes valuable. With chips and pellets, varying 4 is not really an option.

Variable 1 is best controlled by the distance your pan/box is from your heat source. If the wood regularly exceeds 1000F, it is hard to prevent the transition from smoke to flames no matter how hard you work at the other variables. So you don't want your pan/box too close to the heat. Also part of this is the heat source in an electric smoker is cycling on and off every few minutes. Using a pan or box with thick sides like cast iron helps spread this heat out in time so that the temperature the wood sees is more constant. For gas flames, equalizing the heat in time isn't an issue. But you usually also want to equalize the heat spatially, i.e. spread it out over a larger spatial area so more wood can be used for more smoke. CI is great for allowing an area of wood to be exposed that is larger than your flame or element.

But the variable easiest to overlook is #2. For tubes or labyrinths where you start the smoking with a torch but then place it in a relative cool part of the cooker the remaining time, the more air the better. They tend to have fairly small cross sections and contain the wood with "walls" that are highly porous to air...thus maximizing the O2 in combination with low temperature. (People will even use U-bolts and other tricks with them to ensure the bottom isn't resting on a flat surface that would impede air flow.)

But if you're using a pan/box close to a heat source, it's seeing high temperatures and if the top is fully open to air, the wood will cross that threshold from smoke to flames very easily. So you want to keep it covered and the size and number of holes in it is your variable to how much air is available to the wood...it takes very little O2 to maintain a good smoke when you're at that optimal temp of ~800F or so at the wood. Some folks manage this with aluminum foil over the pan they puncture a fixed number of places with a knife or they use a pie pan punctured in 5-20 places with a punch or nail. I find the round, steel pizza sheets sold at Walmart for a buck and a half work well and are easy to puncture until you find the sweet spot for number and size of holes. (It helps to put a small 1-2# steel weight on the top to keep it flatly sealed against the pan so they don't bow or warp causing gaps at the edges.)

 

[FargoGrilling]

Wow, Bill, thanks for this. This is why I joined this forum! I will digest this more and get back with a progress report. The smoke issues are temporarily going to the back burner (maybe that was pun-intended).

Smoking, instead of burning, wood comes down to just 4 things:
1. The temperature the wood sees
2. The O2 the wood sees
3. the size of the wood
4. the coupling of the wood to the heat source

Controlling variable 3 is fairly simple, you choose either pellets, chips, or chunks with chips being right in the middle in terms of its flammability. Variable #4 is only really controllable with wood chunks...this is where the great suggestion to cut a full "split" into slices with a chop saw and place the "flat as a saw blade" side against a flat heated surface like a CI pan becomes valuable. With chips and pellets, varying 4 is not really an option.

Variable 1 is best controlled by the distance your pan/box is from your heat source. If the wood regularly exceeds 1000F, it is hard to prevent the transition from smoke to flames no matter how hard you work at the other variables. So you don't want your pan/box too close to the heat. Also part of this is the heat source in an electric smoker is cycling on and off every few minutes. Using a pan or box with thick sides like cast iron helps spread this heat out in time so that the temperature the wood sees is more constant. For gas flames, equalizing the heat in time isn't an issue. But you usually also want to equalize the heat spatially, i.e. spread it out over a larger spatial area so more wood can be used for more smoke. CI is great for allowing an area of wood to be exposed that is larger than your flame or element.

But the variable easiest to overlook is #2. For tubes or labyrinths where you start the smoking with a torch but then place it in a relative cool part of the cooker the remaining time, the more air the better. They tend to have fairly small cross sections and contain the wood with "walls" that are highly porous to air...thus maximizing the O2 in combination with low temperature. (People will even use U-bolts and other tricks with them to ensure the bottom isn't resting on a flat surface that would impede air flow.)

But if you're using a pan/box close to a heat source, it's seeing high temperatures and if the top is fully open to air, the wood will cross that threshold from smoke to flames very easily. So you want to keep it covered and the size and number of holes in it is your variable to how much air is available to the wood...it takes very little O2 to maintain a good smoke when you're at that optimal temp of ~800F or so at the wood. Some folks manage this with aluminum foil over the pan they puncture a fixed number of places with a knife or they use a pie pan punctured in 5-20 places with a punch or nail. I find the round, steel pizza sheets sold at Walmart for a buck and a half work well and are easy to puncture until you find the sweet spot for number and size of holes. (It helps to put a small 1-2# steel weight on the top to keep it flatly sealed against the pan so they don't bow or warp causing gaps at the edges.)

 

[imhungrymk]

Hi, everyone,

I have a question regarding use of a propane smoker. I have had an electric Masterbuilt for about 6 years and just changed over to a propane Masterbuilt that I got at a great price. Everything is working well, but I have some issues on learning to use it. I haven't dived in much yet, but when I did the first pre-seasoning to get it ready, I noticed that the chips or chunks (I used chunks to see how it would go) are basically just catching on fire and burning up without much smoke at all. Is this how it's supposed to go? I have not had to deal with anything like this in the electric smoker, so it's a new experience.

Unfortunately, Masterbuilt's manual doesn't say much beyond putting it together and a token recipe. The website isn't much better at all, with little to no getting set up advice. If you have ideas or can point me in a direction for some more advice on using a propane smoker, I would appreciate it.

Warren

Soak them in water before adding them, also you should be adding them to a pan near the bottom, not directly in the fire.

Also once you get that corrected, make sure you watch the temperature, sun and weather around and on this type of smoker. I can tell you how many time I have set one up and then the sun came out and changed everything. Worst is when the sun just moves and now the smoker is in direct sun light, we are talking 25 to 50 degree swings, and over time that is a big deal.

 

[shkalmi]

I used a MB propane for a few times and kept having the same issue, before I stumbled on some mods for it an electric one had fallen in my lap. The propane one has been banished to my shed...any one want a propane one?

What is it and where do you live?

 

[bill1]

Hard to beat a propane smoker for pure portability. I wouldn't turn one down either if it's <1 hour drive.

 

[CayuseCowgirl]

Where exactly do you put the Amazen tube? On the cast iron? Inside the smoker?

Trying to picture exactly how to set it up with the cast iron. Do I set the pan in the chip tray that came with the vault? Also I have always thought it was necessary to soak the wood prior to smoking. Is that just a variation some people do? The person I saw used to soak the wood and then add apple juice to the chip tray and mist the meat with apple juice as well. It always tasted amazing for pork.

 

[bill1]

I'd recommend if you truly want both (an Amazen-style tube/tray AND a cast iron skillet with chips/pellets) that you keep them apart, e.g. put the tube/tray on your lowest food grate, off to a side. The CI skillet of course needs to be closer to the flame since the idea is you're periodically adding fresh wood fuel to this fire (rather than starting at an end and letting the burning wood pass the fire along bucket-brigade-style like in an Amazen tray.)
As far as soaking chips, opinions vary. Some say the Soakers are all wet (couldn't resist) and are confusing steam with smoke and others say the evaporating moisture helps to carry the smoke flavor molecules better to the meat. (Same argument as a water tray, another controversial element here.)
I'm a non-Soaker, but I could possibly be converted. Now as far as adding flavors (e.g. apple juice), I'm pretty confident in saying you're always more efficient just spraying it direct on the meat. I'll add that many like adding up to 50% apple cider vinegar to that flavor shower.