Now that your brand-new electric smoker is unpacked, it’s time to start cooking. Just thinking about what you’ll make initially has undoubtedly got your mouth watering.
Electric smokers, like all other types of smokers, are convenient but still need seasoning. Take a break from your phone and read this tutorial before you unpack your new smoker, light it up, and put in some pig butt.
How to properly season an electric smoker and how to make your first smoke a success will be discussed in this article.
What’s the Point of Pre-Seasoning New Smokers?
Doing a “dry run” is all it takes to season your smoker. You light the smoker but don’t have anything to cook in it. In the event of a fire, the resulting smoke will leave a thin layer of black carbon residue within the appliance.
This method of seasoning your smoker should help eliminate any manufacturing residue, such as oil and dust.
Some of the remaining components may be petroleum-based or solvent-based. When it comes to cooking, you definitely don’t want to have any of these in your cooker. Aside from being a health risk, they also provide an unpleasant flavor to your meal.
Some people like to clean the smoker with a sponge and mild detergent before seasoning it, just to make sure there isn’t any leftover residue for the first cook. Avoid scratching the surface of your cooker by wiping it down before applying the seasoning.
In addition to removing any paint or coating from the interior of your cooker, seasoning it will prevent rust from forming.
In addition, the thin layer of black smoke enhances the smoky flavor that is already present in your food. With time, the black coating will thicken, enhancing the taste even more.
How to season your new electric cooker is the subject of the following discussion.
Seasoning an Electric Smoker
We’ll walk you through the process of seasoning a Masterbuilt smoker, but the basics are the same for most other electric smoker models.
An owner’s handbook is included with the majority of brand-new electric smokers. If you have a certain brand or model of smoker, be sure to read the directions in the handbook.
Masterbuilt has a fantastic video on how to cure your new smoker, but we go through a few more processes that are worth the time and effort.
Preparation for seasoning your smoker
1. Assemble your smoker before using it for the first time. Most smokers come partially built. Keep an eye out for loose screws, even if your smoker is essentially pre-assembled.
2. Use a sponge and some mild detergent to clean the inside of your smoker, including all trays and racks, using a moist sponge. Avoid causing damage to any surfaces by using extreme caution. Use water to rinse away the soapy residue. The smoker should be opened up and let to air dry.
3. The interior of your smoker should be sprayed or coated with cooking oil – either with cooking oil spray or with a tiny quantity of oil on a cloth. Oil doesn’t have to be slathered all over the surfaces; a thin film will suffice. No need to oil the chip tray, heating element, grease pan, and water tray.
4. Put the racks and trays back in the smoker – Put the attachments back in the smoker. Avoid filling Masterbuilt electric smoker water bowls with water when preparing a seasoning for the smokers.
First time using your electric smoker
If you’re using an electric smoker, it’s best not to utilize an extension cable when it’s time to light it up. Do not use an extension cord unless it is heavy-duty and contains an earth pin.
Open the top vent all the way and leave it open the whole time the grill is seasoning.
A Masterbuilt smoker’s maximum temperature is 275°F, therefore you’ll need to set the timer for 3 hours. Some electric smokers, like as the Bradley, may be seasoned at a temperature of 250°F.
Adding Wood
The timer has 45 minutes left when it comes to adding more chips, according to Masterbuit. Most experienced owners, on the other hand, will tell you to do the following:
Some individuals like to soak their chips before loading them into the woodchip loader, although this seems unnecessary. No mention of soaking chips is made in Masterbuilt’s instruction manual.
Add another 8-12 chips to the woodchip loader after 20 minutes; the ashtray should be filling up with ash at this point. Smoker seasoning will continue as long as the ashes are there.
It will take another 20 minutes to add another 8-12 pounds of woodchips to the loader, so be cautious not to overfill the woodchip loader. You may let the ashtray handle the rest of the job once the third load has been used.
The smoker should be left running at 275°F for the whole three hours.
Electric smoker maintenance
There is no need to clean your smoker after it has been seasoned. You may wish to clean the interior of your smoker from time to time to remove any stray ash. Keep the black smoke on, but don’t scrape it off.
While the smoker is still warm, you may clean the viewing glass if it has one.
1. Scrunch up a couple of damp paper towels into balls.
2. Dab the moist paper towel into the ash while the smoker is still warm (but not too hot – no visits to the ER please).
Wipe the viewing glass with this paper towel. This is going to be a mess, but that’s okay.
3. Wipe off the window with some clean, damp paper towels.
4. Dry the window with a new paper towel once you’ve removed all the ash.
- For seasoning, certain smokers’ water bowls must be filled with water. To be sure, see the owner’s handbook for your smoker.
- The woodchip loader should never be overloaded with chips.
How to get the most out of your first electric smoker experience
Here are a few pointers to help you get the most out of your new smoker, now that it has been properly seasoned.
- Start with inexpensive cuts of beef that aren’t as time-consuming.
- Your first smoky meal might be anything from a full chicken to a pork butt.
- The first few times you light up are always going to be an education. Fortunately, electronic smokers are quite forgiving.
- A cold smoking attachment might make it possible to smoke cheese as your first experiment. Keep the temperature low enough to smoke cheese may be tricky depending on your stove, but this will help you learn about your cooker. As a bonus, smoked cheese is easy to make, affordable, and tasty.
- Keep an eye on the moisture content. The meat will not dry out if a pan of water is placed in the smoker. Use the water pan that came with your electric smoker if it has one. It may be possible to improvise by using a small cake pan filled with water, or something similar.
In addition, you’ll want to be sure you have all the necessary tools and supplies before you begin the cooking process. This may need a few further purchases.
Anyone who intends to smoke meat should have a trustworthy meat thermometer (the one that comes with the smoker is sometimes faulty). An accurate assessment of your meat’s condition will be provided. As a bonus, it will guarantee that your visitors aren’t inadvertently poisoned.
Conclusion
Making your new electric smoker work for the first time is an exhilarating sensation (even if you are trying to play it cool.) You’ve probably got a lot of thoughts about what you want to smoke.
As a result, learning that you must first season your smoker might be a pain in the neck. However, the procedure of seasoning an electric smoker is neither time-consuming or difficult. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Do you currently own or plan to purchase an electric smoker? Please let us know if you have any further questions or recommendations regarding seasoning your smoker that we haven’t addressed in this post. Don’t forget to include them in the comments below. If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues!
