7 Tips for Using a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and Prepare a Mouth-Watering Barbecue
Everyone knows there are times when the weather doesn’t allow you to use the grill as much as you want. It also seems that you would like to be able to make your favorite smoked dishes without the hassle of having to watch the fire, calculate the air, or hope the weather permits it. If so, then you need to try using an electric smoker.
What is that? You ask. Well, we’ll explain what it is and show you how you can take advantage and start cooking! Never done it before? Not to worry! These Masterbuilt electric smoker tips will make your life much easier.
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Tips
Electric smokers are a modern version of a very old cooking tradition. Though the flavor of smoked meats is tender, full of flavor, and has great texture, it has often been seen as difficult and demanding. Electric smokers save you the trouble of watching over the charcoal, or the chips, the fire, the temperature, and simply, just watching over in general.
It may sound scary at first, but using an electric smoker is fairly self-explanatory. Just in case, we have some tips for you below, and we also like this video, which shows you how to handle your smoker, clean it and prepare yourself for using it.
When you want to make the best out of your barbecue, an electric smoker allows you to have full control over temperature and smoke, the two key factors in creating the perfect smoked dishes.
Masterbuilt offers you different kinds of smokers, from your 30” Electric Analog Smoker, to the Cookmaster Electric Smoker and the 30” Digital Electric Smoker, we will give you the best tips for becoming a master at smoking amazing food. Check them all out here.
7 Tips for Using a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker:
#1. Consider All The Details.
Before you pick your Masterbuilt smoker, you have to keep 5 important factors in mind:
- Price
- Unit dimensions
- Ease of use
- Construction
- Ease of cleaning
These 5 factors will make your experience with smoking easier. Masterbuilt offers 3 different electric smokers ranging in price, and size. But they all have a similar ways of being used, they are all built similarly and thus equally secure and they can be cleaned using the same method.
#2. Know your smoker.
First and foremost, you have to familiarize yourself with the type of smoker you have and what you can cook with it. In this case, we know that the Masterbuilt electric smoker is vertical and stands up very much like a refrigerator, making it easier to keep it safe and balanced.
Via Amazon.com
Find a good spot for your electric smoker, it’s better to have it in an open space so that there is good ventilation. With the Masterbuilt smokers you can add water as an option on the water pan, though it is not required, adding water helps maintain the temperature and prevents the grease, dripping from what you’re cooking, from starting a fire.
It is also key to add a good amount of wood chips, or wood chunks. With your Masterbuilt smoker, this is an easy step, as it comes with a sliding door, allowing you to add more chips without opening the smoker doors.
You can read the Masterbuilt manuals for electric smokers here.
#3. Pre-season smoker before using it for the first time.
Before you fill your smoke with water, there is something you need to do, and that is to pre-season it for best flavor and performance.
Set your Masterbuilt electric smoker to 275 degrees F and allow it to run under this temperature for at least 3 hours. For the last 45 minutes add half a cup of wood chips to the tray. After the time is done, turn smoker off and allow it to cool off.
#4. Preheat the smoker.
Some of the most common rookie mistakes is to put your meat in too early. Before your start smoking your meat, you should turn your electric smoker to the desired temperature. Your Masterbuilt electric smoker might come preset to a high point of 225 degrees F, check what your meat cooking temperature is and set it to that.
Use the thermometer built in your smoker and check that the smoke coming out looks good, what do we mean by “good”? A thin blue smoke and not a white one full of chemicals. Make sure that the wood chips are starting to ash.
#5. Prepare your meat.
While your smoker is preheating, the time is right to get your meats ready. We recommend a dry rub for your meats, as it helps with the flavor and saves you the added sauces later.
If you are pressed for time, you can rub the meats while you wait for the smoker to be temperature-ready, but if not, it’s better to do it the night before. Prepare the rub, put it on your meats and wrap them with plastic paper, then put them on the fridge overnight.
Try using some of these recipes to make your own rub and vary the flavor every time and for every meat!
Tip: if you have thicker meats to smoke and you want the best flavor possible, you can put the rub on it for as much as 2 days prior.
#6. Be Patient But Careful.
While some recipes can take as little as 3 hours, some may take up to 8, so you need to make sure you are careful about the time, but also patient enough to let your Masterbuilt smoker do its job.
Always have a meat thermometer at hand and check your meat every once in awhile. It is especially important if you are cooking different meats at the same time, because they may have different times but the same temperature.
It’s also important to note that some meats smoke faster, which is why you can use the vents to help maintain the temperature and time of cooking. When cooking something like fish–which cooks faster than other meats–keep the vents closed.
#7. Clean your smoker regularly.
With your Masterbuilt electric smoker cleaning should be easy and fast. Thanks to the drip tray, you can get rid of unnecessary grease without it splashing all over your smoker.
When you clean your smoker use half hot water and half apple cider vinegar. You can mix both in a spray bottle to make things easier. Use a sponge to clean around. Do not use any hard chemicals, as they will damage your smoker and will probably give food a bad taste afterward too.
Never leave your smoker dirty for too long, as grease will build up and be harder to clean afterward. Before you use your Masterbuilt smoker again, clean the door once again with a paper towel, ensuring that the door closes well.
Final Thoughts
Did these help? These tips are not specific to only Masterbuilt electric smokers, but we do recommend that you use either of the three, as they provide the best quality and technology for smoking. It’s also important to keep in mind that each of these 3 Masterbuilt smokers have specific dimensions, tools and instructions, which you can see here.
When cooking with a smoker and choosing which one fits your needs best, with Masterbuilt you will have the advantage of having at least 4 smoking racks, a 24 hour shut-off switch, temperature control with a thermostat, and more than 2 cubic feet of cooking space.
Use your Masterbuilt to make your favorite recipes, from smoked baby back ribs, to sweet and sour chicken. Check out some delicious and fun-to-make recipes here.
Let us know what you think of these tips. If you have an additional tip for us, be sure to tell us in the comments section below. Time to start smoking!
