Seasoning a new electric smoker is a decision that assures you of excellent returns in the long run. It helps burn the residues in the device, ensuring it is ready for cooking.
This process significantly improves the lifespan of your electric smoker too. Remember, you need to season your device only once, and it is often when it is still brand new.
Yet, not everyone understands how best to season electric smokers. Here, we look at some of the steps to observe during this process.
Some of the critical elements to keep in mind are as follows.
How to Prepare to Season Your Smoker?
Ensure that you are ready to season your smoker. The following steps will suffice:
- Proper Assembly – The first step would be to assemble the electric smoker, preferably per the user manual. However, if yours is pre-assembled, ensure it has no loose parts and every screw is in place.
- Wipe It – Wiping the surface of your electric smoker helps remove the dirt, debris, chemicals, and solvents on it. Ensure you use a damp sponge and mild detergent to wipe the interior. Next, you’ll rinse it with clean water.
- Apply Cooking Oil – Add a layer of cooking oil to the interior of the electric cooker and apply a cooking oil spray or a damp cloth to apply this coat. However, you do not have to apply the oil to the cooking element, chip tray, and grease tray.
- Reinstall The Accessories And Other Parts – Place all the removed parts and accessories back where they belong. Take the time to screw them accordingly, ensuring maximum stability. Also, its water bowl should not be full of water during the seasoning process.
How to Start an Electric Smoker for the First Time?
Perhaps this is the first time you want to use an electric smoker. In this case, it would be best to be a little careful when handling it. Here are the steps to keep in mind.
- Plug It In – An electric smoker uses electricity. It would be best to use a steady electricity supply, as this helps improve its performance. Experts suggest you not use an extension lead when using this smoker, as it could overwhelm it. If you must use one, ensure it is heavy-duty and features an earth pin.
- Keep The Vent Open – Enough ventilation is a requirement when seasoning your electric smoker. Ensure you open the vent, allowing enough air circulation within the smoker. This vent has to remain open for the entire seasoning process.
- Get The Settings Right – The ideal temperature for seasoning your electric smoker is about 275 degrees Fahrenheit, while the suitable duration is three hours. Ensure that you set the device’s timer and temperature knob accordingly.
How About Adding Wood?
If you use a Masterbuilt smoker, you’ll have to add wood chips approximately 45 minutes before the timer runs out.
The following are the steps to follow when adding your load of wood chips:
- First Load – The first load takes about eight to twelve chips, which you’ll put on the woodchip loader or tray immediately. You do not necessarily need to soak your chips.
- Second Load – The second load comes about 20 minutes later. During this time, you’ll add another set of 8 to 12 wood chips. At this time, there will be a little ash that’ll help keep the chips alive.
- Third Load – The third load is the final one. Put about eight to twelve chips on the wood chip loader after another 20 minutes. At this time, you will still add 8 to 12 chips or even more, depending on your preferences.
If you intend to smoke briskets in your smoker, be sure to read our reviews on the best wood for smoking brisket.
Why Do You Season Your Electric Smoker?
Electric smokers are significant assets, and any owner would want the best for their devices.
Seasoning this electric smoker provides you with two merits, including the following:
Remove Residue
Seasoning an electric smoker helps remove the chemicals and dirt the manufacturer leaves. These machines are often exposed to dirt, oil, solvents, paint, and adhesives in the factory.
Each of these elements is harmful when consumed. Besides, this residue can affect the flavor of your meat.
Boost Longevity
Your electric smoker is a considerable investment, meaning you must aim to protect it. Seasoning it helps make it rust-proof, extending its longevity.
In addition, this process releases carbon, which forms a layer that helps prevent moisture from getting to the metallic surface.
How to Season Your Electric Smoker?
Seasoning an electric smoker is a relatively straightforward process.
However, it requires you to observe the following steps:
- Ensure that you assemble the electric smoker correctly. During this time, watch out for any missing or faulty parts.
- Take the time to wash its interior. It would be best to use specialized grill cleaners or even soapy water.
- Add a thin coat of cooking oil to the surfaces, as this helps create a protective layer.
- Connect your device to electricity, and turn it on.
- Ensure that you open all the vents. This step allows for the accumulated smoke to escape freely.
- Ensure the temperature is approximately 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and leave it for about three hours.
How to Maintain Your Electric Smoker?
You’ll hardly worry about how to maintain your electric smoker. If you leave it clean and handle it carefully, this device will last a long time.
However, here are some other critical tips you should consider in this pursuit.
Keep the Smoker Clean
Ensure that you clean your device occasionally, preferably after every use. Usually, accumulated food results in grime, compromising the device’s longevity.
Keep an Eye on Rust
Rust can significantly affect the longevity of your device. Therefore, it would be best to inspect your device whenever you clean it. This move will help identify corroded parts, allowing you to handle the situation before it explodes.
Lubrication
Keeping moving parts lubricated helps improve the performance of your electric smoker. So ensure that you get to oil and grease these parts occasionally.
Keep it Screwed
Ensure that you screw any loose parts. It will enhance performance and functionality.
What Is The Best Oil to Season Your Smoker With?
You can choose any oil at your disposal. This choice will depend on your budget and the oil at your disposal. Often, people choose affordable vegetable oil, mostly made from canola or soybeans.
Some of the most common choices are:
- Almond
- Avocado
- Sesame
- Almond
- Sunflower
- Canola
- Grapeseed oil
- High-temperature palm
- Lard
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do You Season an Electric Smoker?
There is barely a one-dimensional answer to this. That is because the duration varies with the electric smoker’s make, model, and brand.
However, you’ll average season the smoker for between two and three hours. You should exceed the minimum amount of time, as this helps realize unrivaled results.
You must also consider the maximum temperature level during this period, ensuring that you burn or eliminate every residue in the smoker.
What Temperature Should I Season My Smoker At?
Seasoning your electric smoker should be done at extremely high temperatures. These temperatures will ensure that all the surface solvents and chemicals get burned.
The ideal temperature to season your smoker is between 275 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ensure the device stays at this temperature for two to three hours.
Does Smoking Wood Need to Be Seasoned?
There is no way wood will directly go to the smoker from the tree. Therefore, for excellent results, you must consider seasoning.
This process could take six to eighteen months, depending on the type of wood. Ensure you do not go over eighteen months, which means the wood will lose its flavor.
Unless you season your wood, you will spend so much heat trying to remove its moisture. In addition, you’ll not get the flavor you envision.
How Long Should You Season Your Wood?
There is no straightforward answer to this, as the duration varies with the moisture content in the wood. Usually, the goal is to ensure that the wood remains with less than 20% moisture content.
Seasoning allows for moisture evaporation, making the wood burning more efficient and safe.
Reaching this stage could take between 6 and 12 months. Yet, some would consider waiting until 18 months.
Should I Season the Outside of My Smoker?
Seasoning your smoker aims to improve your BBQ experience and results. This process helps remove unwanted odors, solvents, and chemicals, protecting your smoker from various elements.
Seasoning the outer part of the smoker is a healthy move. It helps burn the chemicals and solvents on the outer part of the smoker.
Seasoning the outside of your smoker is a straightforward process. All you have to do is apply a thin layer of vegetable oil with a smooth cloth. You’ll then burn this oil to about 275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Low Will a Masterbuilt Smoker Go?
There is no denying that you look forward to enhanced flexibility when using a Materbuilt Smoker. Having the room to select whichever temperature you prefer allows you to get the flavor and results you envision.
Masterbuilt is an excellent brand, allowing you to cook at temperatures of between 100 and 275 Fahrenheit.
For that reason, you can conclude that a Masterbuilt smoker can go as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Where is the Hottest Part of a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
The hottest part of any electric smoker, including a Masterbuilt, is above the cooking element. This cooking element usually sits at the bottom back of the electric smoker.
With an increase in temperature, this part gets hotter. It is from this spot that the temperature spreads to the other parts.
On the other hand, the coolest part of the electric smoker is on the opposite side of the heating element. That means the top front does not get as much heat as the other parts.
Can You Get Bark from an Electric Smoker?
It’s possible to get bark from your electric smoker if you follow certain rules. During the smoking process, you must maintain the temperature inside the electric smoker at a specific range between 225 and 235 degrees Fahrenheit.
In addition, make sure that there is sufficient ventilation — open some windows, or operate an exhaust fan — based on the number of hours the smoking process will take.
This allows smoke to flow freely into every compartment to remove moisture in each piece of meat. Remember not to use a lot of smoke wood while smoking beef since its flavor is already strong.
What Exactly is Bark?
In smoking circles, it’s a fancy name for the layer of meat directly exposed to the smoke and flames at temperatures above the exposure limit.
This part of the meat carries a lot of flavor and protects the inner part from overcooking.
To get technical about it, define it as a thin layer of thermally altered meat cells within the muscle tissue of smoked foods.
Final Thoughts
You look forward to using your smoker for a long time. Yet, you can hardly achieve this feat if you do not season it properly. It would be best to use a maximum temperature for up to three hours during the seasoning process.
That is because it helps burn off the solvents and chemicals on the surface, assuring you of no health issues.
This process ensures you get authentic flavors and delicious meat in the long run.