How to Season Your New Electric Smoker

So you just got your brand new electric smoker. You’re definitely salivating just thinking about what you’ll make first.

While electric smokers are convenient, they, like any other smokers, must be seasoned. So, before you pull your new smoker out of the box, light it up, and chuck in a pig butt, put down the phone and read this advice.

Let’s look at why it’s vital to season your new smoker, how to do it, and how to have a successful first smoke with your electric smoker.

Why Do We Need to Season New Smokers?

A dry run is all that is required to season your smoker. You light the smoker without any food inside. The smoke created will cover the interior of the device with a fine black coating.

Seasoning your smoker in this manner should eliminate any residue left over from the manufacturing process, such as oil and dust.

Some of these leftover compounds are most likely petroleum-based or include solvents. Without a doubt, you do not want them in your stove while making meals. They are not only potentially dangerous, but they also make your food smell unpleasant.

Some people prefer to clean off the smoker with a sponge and some light detergent before seasoning it to ensure there is no residue left in the smoker for the first cook. If you choose to clean the interior of your cooker before seasoning it, take careful not to damage the surfaces.

Seasoning your smoker can also cure any paints or coatings on the interior of your cooker and aid in the prevention of corrosion.

Another advantage is that the thin coating of black smoke will improve the smoky taste of your cuisine. This black coating will harden with time, and the taste should only improve!

Let’s look more closely at how to season your new electric cooker.

How to season an electric smoker

This step-by-step instruction will mostly concentrate on how to season a Masterbuilt smoker, although the concepts apply to the majority of electric smokers.

The majority of new electric smokers come with an instruction booklet. Make careful to read the handbook for any unique instructions that may apply to your specific kind of smoker.

This Masterbuilt video does a wonderful job of teaching you the basics of curing your new smoker, but we go over a few more stages that are worthwhile.

Getting ready to season your smoker

1. Check that your cooker is properly built. Most smokers will need some assembly right out of the box. Even if your smoker is largely constructed, double-check that all the screws are snug and the unit is secure.
2. Clean your smoker. Wipe off the internal surfaces of your cooker, including all trays and racks, using a moist sponge and mild detergent. Make careful not to scrape any surfaces. Water should be used to remove the soapy residue. Allow the smoker to dry by opening it up.
3. Cooking oil should be used to coat the interior of your smoker. Wipe off the interior of your cooker with cooking oil spray or a little bit of oil on a towel. The surfaces do not need to be drenched in oil; a little coating is sufficient. It is not necessary to oil the chip tray, heating element, grease tray, or water tray.
4. Return all racks and trays to the smoker. Replace the equipment in the smoker. Do not fill the water bowl with water while seasoning a Masterbuilt electric smoker.

Starting up your electric smoker for the first time

1. Connect your smoker to a power source. When using an electric smoker, it is not suggested that you utilize an extension cord. If you must use an extension cord, be sure it is strong and includes an earth pin.
2. Open the top vent completely. Ensure that this vent remains completely open during the seasoning process.
3. Set the smoker to 275 degrees Fahrenheit set the timer to 3 hours. The highest temperature setting for most Masterbuilt smokers is 275F. Some electric smokers, like as the Bradley, may be seasoned at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adding Wood

When the timer reaches 45 minutes, Masterbuit advises adding a load of chips. However, most seasoned business owners do the following:

1. Fill the woodchip loader with 8-12 chips. While some individuals soak their chips, there seems to be no compelling need to do so. Masterbuilt makes no mention of soaking your chips.
2. Add another 8-12 chips to the woodchip loader after 20 minutes. There should be some ashes in the ashtray by now. These ashes will keep producing smoke and seasoning the smoker.
3. Add another load of woodchips to the loader after another 20 minutes. This time, you may add a few more than 8-12, but be cautious not to overload the woodchip loader. After the third load, you may allow the ashes that have accumulated in the ashtray do the job.
4. Allow the smoker to smoke at 275°F for 3 hours.

Maintaining your electric smoker

There is no need to clean the interior of your smoker after it has been seasoned. You should carefully wipe off the interior of the smoker every now and then to eliminate any stray ash. However, do not remove the black smoke covering.

If your smoker has a viewing glass, clean it while it is still warm by doing the following:

1. Scrunch a couple of damp paper towels into balls.
2. Dab the moist paper towel into the ash while the smoker is still heated (but not too hot, no visits to the ER please).
3. Wipe the viewing glass with this paper towel. It will be smudgy at this stage, but that’s OK.
4. Clean the window with dampened clean paper towels.
5. After you’ve removed all of the ash residue, dry the window with a clean paper towel.

• For seasoning, some types of smokers may demand that the water bowl be filled with water. To double-check, see your smoker’s owner’s handbook.
• Never overload the woodchip loader with chips.

Advice for your first smoke on your new electric

Now that your smoker has been seasoned, here are some pointers for your first smoke.

• It’s a good idea to start with less expensive pieces of meat that aren’t as complicated.
• Pork butt or a whole chicken are also excellent choices for your first smoking.
• Your first few puffs will always be a learning experience. Fortunately, electronic smokers are quite forgiving.
• You might try smoking cheese for the first time if you have also acquired a cold smoking adapter. Depending on your cooker, maintaining a low enough temperature to smoke cheese may be difficult, but it will help you get to know your cooker. Cheese is also easy to smoke, affordable, and tasty!
• Consider the moisture level. Placing a pan of water in the cooker helps prevent the smoked meat from drying out. Use the water pan that came with your electric smoker. If so, you may be able to make do with a tiny cake pan filled with water or something similar.

You’ll also want to make sure you have all of the necessary tools available before the cook. This might entail a few more purchases.

Anyone who wishes to smoke should have a decent quality meat thermometer (the one that comes with the smoker is generally inaccurate). It will provide you with a precise readout of where your meat is at. It will also guarantee that you do not poison your visitors, which is particularly important if you are preparing poultry.

Finishing upUnwrapping a new electric smoker and turning it on for the first time is an exhilarating event (especially if you try not to show it.) You’re probably bursting with ideas about what you’d want to smoke.

So it might be a pain in the buttocks to discover that you must season your smoker before you can begin cooking. However, seasoning your electric smoker is not a time-consuming or difficult operation. We hope that this post has shown you how fast and simple this important step is.

Do you own an electric smoker or are you considering purchasing one? Do you have any other questions regarding seasoning your smoker that we didn’t address in this post, or any helpful tips to share? Please include them in the comments area below. And, if you found this information useful, please share it!