How to Use an Electric Smoker

Electric smokers allow you to smoke without standing guard throughout the cooking process as they are the most automated cookers. They are also easiest to clean andproduce minimal waste in terms of fuel consumption. This has made them popular, but many smoking enthusiasts are yet to figure out how to use an electric smoker to its full capability.

This article on how to use an electric smoker is a step-by-step guide with explanations of why each step is important. we hope it will help you appreciate the process. It is a combination of experiences from diverse users and recommendations from the manufacturers.

Seasoning The Smoker

This is especially important if it’s your first rodeo with a particular smoker. It takes care of dirt, odors left over from manufacturing, and any other residue that may have carried over from production. You season by running the smoker while it is empty. Check for instructions in the user manual as some smokers have a manufacturer-recommended seasoning process.

Pitmasters over the years have been rubbing the interior surfaces of the smoker with cooking oil including the racks and cooking grate then turning on the grill and letting it run empty for up to three hours. The recommended temperature for this process is between 250 and 275˚F.Some experts recommend adding one or two cups of wood chips during the last hour of seasoning to infuse a smoky essence that replaces the factory smell inside the smoker.

Turn it off after the process and allow it to cool down completely, keeping the door or hood open. Subsequent uses will not require seasoning unless the unit stays unused for a long period, which is not advisable.

Preheating

This is important as it ensures the heat is evenly distributed in the cooking chamber before you introduce your food, otherwise the side facing the heat source will cook faster, resulting in uneven cooking. Preheating also guarantees that by the time the food is introduced, the wood chips will have attained a combustion level that emits clean smoke which doesn’t foul the food. Finally, food does not stick to hot grates, you will get those desirable sear marks instead.

Add the prescribed amount of dry or soaked wood chips into the wood chip tray which is usually located at the bottom of the smoker.If your smoker did not come with a chip tray you can wrap your chips in an aluminum foil and poke a few holes in it then place the foil on top of your smoker’s heating element. You can also purchase a chip tray separately, especially if you plan on being a regular food smoker.

Turn the smoker on and set it to preheat. The desired temperature for smoking is between 200 and 225˚F although the kind of meat you are preparing, and the recipe may dictate otherwise. It takes 30 to 45 minutes for the smoker to preheat from a cold state.

Add Water to The Trough at The Bottom of the Smoking Chamber

Water acts as a moisturizer through the smoking process, making sure the meat doesn’t dry up in the heat and become crispy and hard. Wait for the smoke to die down a bit so you can see where you are adding water.

Most smokers have a dedicated slot for the water pan at the bottom, but you can improvise by filling a heat enduring container with water and placing it on the floor of the cooking chamber. The steam produced as the water evaporates keeps your meat moist.

Hot water is recommended as it’s already steaming, meaning the meat will be moisturized as soon as it is introduced in the smoker. It also helps in maintaining the heat that has been attained in the chamber as opposed to cold water. You can add flavorful liquids like wine, apple juice, or beer to the water to infuse different aromas into your meat at this juncture.

It is recommended to use this opportunity to add your wood chips to stoke the smoke.

Smoking The Food

Set the desired cooking temperature and timer on your electric smoker then place the meat on the cooking racks. Pay close attention to the rack setup; the bigger items go in the lower racks which usually have more space. Put on your barbeque gloves before handling the meat as the interior of the smoker is very hot at this point.

This is the appropriate time to insert the probes of your meat thermometer into the food so you can monitor internal temperature changes together with the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber. This is crucial for accuracy and consistency. The ambient temperature may not represent the internal temperature of the meat you just took from the fridge and different meats have different warming rates. In case you are wondering where to get these meat probe thermometers, we have a buyers’ guide in our review of the best smoker thermometers which should help you source one.

This process should take the least time possible because a lot of the smoke and heat that has built up inside the smoker might be lost through the open smoker door. Shut the door as soon as you can and lock it whenever possible so that the interior of the cooking chamber is insulated throughout the cooking process. This ensures temperature consistency and enhances accuracy.

Let the items smoke for the duration required by the recipe. This can be anything from two to eight hours. The size and type of meat also influence the amount of time it requires to smoke. Resist the urge to open the smoker during this period; smoking requires patience.

Keep an eye out for the smoke so you can tell when you need to top up the water or wood chips. If it stops being consistent and starts spluttering about, it is time to add water, wood, or both. Refill the water to the top and add more wood chips for a nice, even taste.

Some smokers believe that a single tray is sufficient for a smoking cycle and advise against adding woodchips in between. There is such a thing as over-smoking and the food ends up tasting burnt and unpleasant. Don’t be too heavy-handed with the woodchips.

Cleaning

Once the smoker has cooled completely, unplug it from the power source, remove all accessories and clean them with mild soap and a non-abrasive scrubber. Wipe all the walls of the interior until there is no debris left. Leave it open to dry out completely.

Cleaning prevents corrosion by food juices while protecting the integrity of the next recipe as it won’t be affected by residual smells and flavors. Read our article for more information on cleaning your smoker.

FAQ

What Amount of Wood Is Adequate for Smoking?

Your regular smoker will burn through approximately four cups of woodchips every three to five hours. They last a bit longer if you try soaking wood chips and they are damp, but that also slows down the flavor production. The size of wood also matters, small chips will ignite and produce smoke faster but also be depleted faster. They are great for short cooking durations like when smoking fish, steak, and chicken. Long and slow smokes like pork butt, ribs, and barbecue brisket are better handled with larger chunks of wood which burn steadily for hours. It is important to have sufficient supplies for your smoking technique before you start cooking.

What Is the Best Wood for Smoking Meat?

Hardwoods are preferred over softwoods generally because softwoods secrete too much resin that can ruin the food and your smoker in the process. Their flavors are also not palatable, and they burn too fast for the sustainability required by your smoking process.

Different food and wood combinations have been tried and tested in terms of flavor. The consensus is that light hardwoods are good for delicate meats like fish and chicken, and heavy hardwoods are for heavy meats like beef and pork. The specific flavors are a matter of preference and every pitmaster eventually settles on their own special combination to achieve the perfect smoky flavor.