Masterbuilt smoker - smoke

[TommyB]

I have a Masterbuilt 40" smoker that I've used quite a bit. Even had to replace the bottom plate, but that's not the question. When I begin a smoke and after putting in chunks of wood, I turn it up high. This is get the wood starting to smolder. But, when I turn it down to 225-250 degrees it doesn't seem to be enough heat to continue the smoke. FYI, I have a cast iron fry pan above the burner that I put the wood chunks in. (I read somewhere that this was a good idea for this smoker). Any thought on this or does anyone have a solution to this.

Thanks, Tommyb

[Spinaker]

TommyB I would pre heat your cast iron skillet in the oven at 450F before you put it in the smoker, then add the wood. My thought is, maybe your not generating enough BTU's to continue to heat the skillet and the wood. I have never used a Masterbuilt, but this would be my guess. Pre heating the skillet will help though. Then your smoker isn't having to heat that thermal mass and burn the wood. Once the Cast iron is heated it will retain heat like a mofo and work as a nice diffuser as well. Good luck. Let us know what you find out works for you.

[rat88]

I have one too. It is hard to get much smoke out of these. I have tried sawdust, shavings, chips, chunks and pellets in the original chip pan. IF it gets hot enough to start the wood smoldering, it doesnt seem to last more than 30 minutes and then you need to reload the pan. Making foil smoke packs helps but still isnt that good. The smoke tubes and a-maze-n pellet smokers are a better way to go. I use sawdust and chips in mine and it works pretty good.

[DeusDingo]

i use chunks, anything smaller doesn't last since there isn't enough room for large amount of chips. with chunks i am able to get 2 hours of smoke from 1 chunk

[DeusDingo]

i have a masterbuilt 30inch gas.

i do not have a cast iron pan in mine but i'll still tell you what i do.

with chunks of wood i keep the temp low to 225, i wrap the circumference of the chunk with foil to keep it from catching on fire and i put it right in the lower area of the heat dissipation plate (wood side down and up, foil to the flame) so the flame/heat can get access to it. it takes 10-20 minutes for the smoke to start depending on the wood and the day but i find once the smoke starts it keeps going until it's spent. depending on the chunk size (8+ oz) i can get 2 hours of smoke from 1 chunk.

the problem with masterbuilt smokers is that they are so leaky and poorly insulated that as soon as you turn the heat down the heat inside starts to go as well which cools off everything. if you were able to get a high temp at which the wood would get dry and smolder but then remove a large portion of that heat then your situation changes. it now takes longer to dry out the wood and longer for it to start smoking which causes an interruption in your smoke production

if you can start it smoking at the temp you actually want to cook it you have a much better chance of it being maintained until the chunk is spent. i would imagine it would take a little longer to get your cast iron hot enough to start the wood smoldering but patience is what this hobby is all about. do a dry run and see how long it takes at 225 for your wood to start smoking.

[rat88]

I make my own chips with a cheap electric hand planer from tree limbs. mostly apple cherry and maple. Hedge will give a good smoke too, but its kinda like hickory... a little goes a long way. Fresh cut wood is easier to work with but will get skunky if you bag it wet. I spread it out on a piece of 1/2" shaker screen and dry it in the hog smoker for a few hours before I bag it.

[RonB]

You don't say if your smoker is gas or electric. If electric, is there any way you can set the pan directly on the heating element? If gas, try to place the pan right on the flame, or as close as possible.
It the thermostat accurate?
Remember, when you turn the temp down, it's just like turning a burner down on your stove - you get less heat.
You can smoke easily up to at least 275*, so try to find the lowest temp setting that generates smoke on a dry run and go from there.

[l'inferno]

I have to second the Amazen. It's probably "cheating" but I have not been able to be tethered to the cooker this summer. Plus it's helpful to use when you want to put brisket and/or shoulders on Saturday night before going to bed so that they are ready for early dinner time on Sunday.
Do you use the water pan? I have a newer model (sounds different than yours) that seems pretty well insulated. It has been recommended to me on the forum and by the owner of Amazen to go waterpan-less. Maybe lessening the additional moisture would create a drier environment for you and allow for cleaner burning.
I'm very new to this so consider the source accordingly.

[TommyB]

WOW, I didn't expect so many responses so quickly. Thanks.
FYI, the smoker uses propane as it's heat source.

But on with the problem. As I said I start the smoker at a high heat, until it does in fact start to smoke. After a little bit, I turn it down to whatever temperature that I want to cook at (line 225-250). It's from this point that it slowly starts to loose the smoke. I add new chunks to it, but they just don't seem to start smoldering enough at this low temperature. Maybe I'll try as DeusDingo suggests and put the chunks in foil and move them right down onto the flame.

Then again, Rat88 suggested "The smoke tubes and a-maze-n pellet smokers are a better way to go. I use sawdust and chips in mine and it works pretty good." I'm not familiar with this at all. It looks like it's a tube that gets filled with pellets (or something). I'm wondering how I might use this in my Masterbuilt smoker?

By the way, I have a question about smoking with wood as the heat source vs. propane as the heat source. Can I ask that here or should I use another forum?

[rat88]

The a-maze-n smoker is a tray that holds wood pellets or sawdust and you light one end. It slowly burns towards the other end like a fuse. The company that makes it claims up 6 hours of smoke on a single fill. obviously it depends on what material is used and how fast it decides to burn on that particular day. The Masterbuilt I have is actually electric and possibly the cheapest form of electric smoker you can get short of using a garage sale hot plate and a trash can. I bought it for a jerky oven and to keep meat warm between the end of the cook and time to eat. It works well for that.

[tommybob55]

I use Masterbuilt Electric Smoker...I love this smoker...I buy this smoker for parties..

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit.

[Towering Inferno]

Not to get all sciency and stuff but you don't need to see smoke to smoke your product. There are other elements to burning or smoldering wood chips other than the particles you see. Just my 2 cents worth. I have a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, glass door, with top vent on the upper left side. Works great. After so many hours, lets say 2 to 3, your meat isn't really going to absorb much more flavor from the smoke. And a smoke ring does not guarantee a great flavor, this is just a chemical reaction. If your fuel (chips or chunks) is getting used up and you don't see smoke while cooking below 225, I wouldn't worry too much. Don't soak your chips either. A smoke tube is a great idea if you don't want to fill the smoker tray every 1/2 hour. I use one, just haven't done it on this smoker

[Greenb479]

On my master built smoker, I went out and got a bunch of lava rocks and filled the bottom of the smoker with them. Then I put the wood chunks right on the lava rocks. They are thick enough that the flames don't get to the wood, and it produces a great amount of smoke.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit.

[crpeck]

This sounds interesting, can you post a picture of the smoker with the lava rocks in it please.