How to use Electric Smoker

Step 1: The first thing you need to do is make sure that your electric smoker is in a safe place.It is important to make sure that the smoker is setup on a flat surface that will be able to firmly sustain the weight of the smoker.

Step 2: Next what you will want to do is add water to your water pan. The water pan is not necessary to smoke and you will find that it is about a 50/50 split between the people that use it and the people that don't.

It just depends on your personal preference while cooking, we suggest using it because the water pan helps keep the temperature stable and makes sure the grease dripping from the meat doesn't start any fires.

Once your smoker has finished preheating, fill the small metal cup included with your machine with hot water and slide it into its designated slot at the bottom of the smoker. If your smoker doesn’t have a separate slot for the water cup, simply set it on the floor of the chamber. The steam created as the water evaporates will keep your meat moist.

Step 3: After that your next step will be to add the wood chips to your smoker. This is a fairly easy process, especially if you have the Masterbuilt Smokehouse Electric Smoker since it has easy slide doors that will allow you to add more chips without opening the smokers doors.

A good rule of thumb is to use about 4 cups (600 g) of chips for every 3-5 hours of smoking you plan on doing. This means you may have to replenish the chip tray at regular intervals.

Always use hardwood chips in your smoker, such as mesquite, apple, pecan, birch, or hickory. Soft wood, like fir and pine, burn fast and tend to produce unappetizing flavors.

Step 4: Next turn on your electric smoker to your desired cooking temperature WITHOUT THE MEAT and wait until it is reached. You can use the thermometer on your smoker or an external one that you bought separately either way, it will tell you the temperature inside the smoker.

Once the temperature is reached it doesn't mean you are ready to add your meat just yet, I like to wait until I get the smoke that I want. Also having your wood chips start to ash and nice coals start to form is the ideal time to add your meat.

Step 5: After all of the above steps are completed you are now ready to get to the part we have all been waiting for, adding the meat! Open up the smokers door and add the meat to the racks inside.

Use a long-handled meat spatula or tongs to transfer the meat to the smoking racks safely. Arrange the meat according to how the racks are set up—situate the biggest items on the wide lower racks and save smaller ones for the upper racks.

Always open and close the door on your smoker using the built-in handle. The metal on the surrounding parts of the door can get extremely hot, and may burn you if you're not careful.

Try to do this as quickly as possible to try and retain as much heat as possible. Close the doors and sit back, now all you have to do is sit and smell the aroma of smoked meat until the meat is finished cooking.

Step 7: The last step is to enjoy your perfectly smoked meats with your family and friends!