Smokers, what kind do you have??

[lispeej]

Will do. I have it set to max/hi and it has made no difference wether it is cooking or not. I recall when I first plugged it in to do the preseason/break-in, it never go past 200 degrees F. I thought it was going to get better, but I guess not.

[SkunkedAgain]

RH1 or others - Why do you consider the electric smoker to be better than the propane? Just wondering which one to get.

[reinhard1]

i have never had a propane smoker so i cant judge it. there were some who had issues with the propane that had problems with temp control but others chimed in and gave advice on how to solve that. i am finding that having a electric i can get the temp control i like and is good for low temp smoking as well as up to 270 or so on the high point. also i just plug it in and dont have to deal with the tank. electric is good with the smoke as well. but maby others can chime in an talk about the propane. good luck.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Reinhard1. I ran out and grabbed the propane version after doing some additional web searching. It seemed to me that the negative of propane is that it's harder to reach ideal temps in the 225 range and that you have to worry about propane running out of gas. The negative of electrical is that they may struggle to maintain heat during the harshest winter days and that you need to stay tethered to electrical outlet.

I figured that with propane, I can more easily mess with venting and the door to bring the temp down if needed but couldn't do the opposite for electric. It seems like 6 of one and half dozen of the other though.

I got some cherry and mesquite for the smoker and some additional cherry to toss in my charcoal grill for ribs. Tonight I'll be scouring this forum for past smoking threads. Thanks in advance!

[reinhard1]

congrats on you adventure with the smoker!!!you know a person get's used to what they are using after time. tweak there and a tweak there and all is good. plus you got guy's and gals here for ideas anytime. good luck.

[Leaky]

You'll have fun with your new toy. I know I have. Electric, propane, charcoal, whatever...You'll figure yours out to do what you want it to do. I would pick up an extra tank or two just so you have it when you need it. And at some point you absulutely will.

[OnAFly]

Once you get get used to your smoker, you'll swear it's the only one to get They're all good!

[corncob]

I have a homemade 2' x 4' x 5 foot tall.....insulated and wood inside and out....Cedar inside , LP single burner using wood assist for smoke and heat. Set on a small trailor frame for transport if needed. Works great and easy heat control.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup, I have a rotation of two 20 pounders for my gas grill plus my 10 pound for ice fishing. I figure that I'll always keep the more full cylinder on the smoker since it'll run for longer stretches.

I set everything up last night. I have to admit that I was impressed with how well they laid out the assembly instructions and parts for the Masterbuilt. I read some bad things about these smokers on a few websites, but for what it could have been the assembly was a breeze.

First newby question: How long should I run the smoker tonight to burn off any off-gases left over from manufacturing? I'm assuming that running it on high for 30 minutes out to do.

[reinhard1]

i have the electric and i did this. this is called to "pre-season" your smoker. i set the temp at 200 deg with a pan of chips in the smoker for 4 hrs. it said to do this for 2 to 4 hrs but i went with the 4. this got rid of the new smoker smell or to season it. i dont know if propane is different but it shouln't be. i remember doing something like this with a small electric smoker i had also. good luck.

[lispeej]

UPDATE....................

Well,

As I have already stated, I couldn't get my new smoker model# 20070111 to get past 200 degrees F. So, I called up the store where I bought it from and exchanged the controller for a new one. Sadly to say that still didn't take care of the problem.

So, within the past week, I've been working with customer service at masterbuilt. If I were to get a new controller through them, I'd have to wait until June 8, 2012. They are currently on backorder on this part. Because of this, they asked me to ship/mail my defective controller to them in exchange for a brandnew electric analog newer model# 20070210 free of charge. They even paid for shipping. I should mention, I did have to pay my own shipping on the defective controller though.

I did receive this new unit today. It is nice! And it seems to be a better design. Right now, I am in the process of the preseason process. And yes, it does get beyond 200 degress F.

Time for some smoking!!!!!

Here's a pic of the new unit.

http://www.masterbuilt.com/prod-smokers-analogue.html

[reinhard1]

sounds like they have good customer service. glad it worked out for you. good luck.

[SkunkedAgain]

lispeej - there are plenty of good forums out there regarding mods to these smokers. A few weeks ago I got the propane version of what you've got now. You'll notice that smoker can and will come out of many places on these smokers...the door, the door thermometer, the smoke damper, etc. I also found that there is no good way to run remote thermometer cables into the cabinet. I tried using the exhaust damper holes but that prohibits you from either fully opening or fulling closing the damper. I think that I'm going to drill a new hole into the side and seal it.

You'll have fun running the smoker. I think that I'm going to try some chicken tomorrow afternoon

[lispeej]

lispeej - there are plenty of good forums out there regarding mods to these smokers. A few weeks ago I got the propane version of what you've got now. You'll notice that smoker can and will come out of many places on these smokers...the door, the door thermometer, the smoke damper, etc. I also found that there is no good way to run remote thermometer cables into the cabinet. I tried using the exhaust damper holes but that prohibits you from either fully opening or fulling closing the damper. I think that I'm going to drill a new hole into the side and seal it.

You'll have fun running the smoker. I think that I'm going to try some chicken tomorrow afternoon

Thanks.

Good to know.

Now, I am left with an extra shell. I was going to build a door on it and turn it into a charcoal or wood smoker. It doesn't hurt to have more than one smoker!

[mnvikes32]

Just picked up the Master Forge gas smoker from Lowe's. It sure seems like a great deal for $169. Does anyone elese have one? Any modifications I should make?

[lispeej]

Just picked up the Master Forge gas smoker from Lowe's. It sure seems like a great deal for $169. Does anyone elese have one? Any modifications I should make?

I saw that one today when I went to Lowes.com.

Let us know how you like it once you get a chance to use it.

I just got started smoking, and now I'm already have 2 of them.

[lispeej]

I ran to Lowes today at Maple Grove and picked up 2 of the Masterforge square covers for my smokers. They are a little stiff but will probably be fine after they break in. For $18.99, it can't be beat. Good price IMHO.

On the other hand, masterbuilt covers are running anywhere from $29.99-$39.99.

[lakeshoremunster]

for those of you who have a masterbuilt with a thermocouple built in and are trying to get it to work in the winter time. This is what I do to get around it, I pour in hot water in the smokers water pan and program my time and temp, give it about an hour before putting any meat in so the temps can stablize and you are good to go. The smoker will not work when the temp drops below 30 deg F.

[lispeej]

for those of you who have a masterbuilt with a thermocouple built in and are trying to get it to work in the winter time. This is what I do to get around it, I pour in hot water in the smokers water pan and program my time and temp, give it about an hour before putting any meat in so the temps can stablize and you are good to go. The smoker will not work when the temp drops below 30 deg F.

So you have the 30" digital electric masterbuilt?

[OnAFly]

I have the 30" Digital MB and have started it up below 30F. Though, I've heard of people getting them started that low. I'm sure it varies a little unit to unit.

[lispeej]

Would it make any difference if you kept in indoors and took it out, plugged it in when you want to use it during winter months?

[OnAFly]

Yes. From what I hear, the temperature controller doesn't work well when it's very cold. If you use something to heat up the inside of the unit, they work fine. If you just kept the whole unit inside, it should have the same result.

[eyeguy 54]

I must not have a thermocouple on mine. It works whenever. :>)

[KEN W]

When I smoke in the winter,I bring my smoker inside in the entryway for an hour.Open the door,works fine after that.

[lakeshoremunster]

yes I do, it is the windowless model