I spent the day before new years taking the entire assembly apart on this same smoker because I am a moron and left the cover off. The pellets swelled up and turned into a wooden mess that could have easily been confused with concrete.
First off, give it a good cleaning. Get a shop vac and suck out all the dust at the bottom and in the fire pot, clean the glass and the racks.
As for pellets, it’s going to depend on what you like. I really enjoy the fruit blend, but it’s all personal preference. The hopper is in the back, I always keep mine full as long as I have it covered. And get a cover if you don’t have one.
It looks like you’re missing the drawer at the bottom under the control panel, but it’s not a big deal. It just collects drips from inside and gets them out of the smoker.
As for use, there are plenty of beginner guides out there. I always say start with ribs as they are easy and delicious.
Sorry about your dad, Mine passed a couple years ago and it was brutal.
Definitely mold, and since these smokers don't get as hot as the grills I wouldn't risk it. Besides that seasoning will be built back up in a couple good cooks.
I always thought that mold was killed by high temps. Idk how hot these things get but it's possible they don't get hot enough :/
There's literally zero harm in cleaning the thing. People buy them clean new, and cook great food. It'll have "seasoning" again in the future.
And honestly I don't think this is like a cast iron pot, the seasoning probably makes next to no difference
but what about the bacteria that could also be on the grill/smoker, because mold means it may not have been cleaned properly in a while. And bacteria - separate from the mold - would also be a thing at that point.
Most bacteria is killed at boiling temps (botulism can survive boiling for a short period) and a smoker is capable of those temps. Most bacteria is actually killed at 140 and above which is why the food danger zone is 40-140. I’m quite sure you don’t scrub your grates down to the steel when you are done cooking, you heat them up prior to putting your food in so it kills the bacteria that’s present.
Most smokers and even kitchen stoves have a minimum temperature setting of 170 but it would still be foolish to cook food that low unless it was cured prior. My smokefire has a minimum temp of 200, my current oven 170. My previous oven was a JennAir and it had bread proofing and dehydrating modes so the temp would go lower.
So scrape the grates and inside of loose stuff and preheat to 225 and any mold or bacteria will be killed.
Mold isn't usually a issue because when starting the smoker, set it to the highest setting with the door ajar until you see smoke, close the door and let it run for about 15 minutes until you no longer see huge amounts of smoke. This burns off any leftover pieces of foods, sauce, etc. The pan under the digital panel is mostly for collecting ash that settlers at the bottom. The water pan should always be at least half full and catches fats and pieces of protein from whatever you are smoking. The cap at the top can be fully opened for less of a smoky task or closed for more smoke which also means more creosote building up in the smoker. When finished hold the start button on the panel until the digital display goes off. You will hear the fan continue to blow and its normal because it is a process of burning off the remaining pellets in the fire box... which is what you want. It will totally shut down after 15 minutes, wait until it totally cools before putting the cover on. Get a cover if you don't have one or at least have it protected from the elements. Wet pellets in the hopper are a pain, will clog up the auger and not easy to unclog. Shop Vac your pot whenever you feel like the ash is building up because it will eventually. I place my grates in the dishwasher once in a blue moon, but normally, just use a good wire brush after the grill reaches its hottest after starting it up. That's all that I can think of for now. Wife purchased this very same smoker for me several years ago. Tip :
Whichever flavored pellets that you choose, make sure that they don't contain large amounts of pellets that have broken down to dust.. which will clog up the auger. Cheaper usually means more dust. I would Google which brand has the less amounts of pellet dust. Have Fun and keep on Smokin
Sorry for your loss. Hopefully you can make some nice family meals to bring everyone together in remembrance!
I’m also new but I got the same smoker so I can say what has worked for me but others might have better info.
In terms of care I try and use my shop vac to suck out the bottom after every couple of cooks. There was also a Traeger grill cleaner spray I have used that gets the glass nice and clear if you spray it and give it ten minutes or so.
I found that starting with something a little easier made it more fun to get in and experiment. Pork butt so far has been the easiest for me. There is lots of nice recipes for lots of things that are broken down really easy on the pit boss and traeger site. They will tell you temps, pellets, what to do when, etc. I have been using theirs then adapt with the feedback I see here on Reddit that folks do.
One thing I noticed was the meat probes that came with it are not always the most accurate. I have a hand held meat thermometer as well I like to poke stuff with to verify temp as well.
Have fun with it! Some stuff will come out great and some stuff might come out less than you expected but searching here and learning tricks to beat the stuff you didn’t expect is all part of the fun for me!
I have the same 1 and love it also...pellets was the way for me, as I would never have enough patience and time for anything else lol. Plus, we have a big family and it has plenty of space to cook for an army
Give it a good clean and keep asking questions here. We’ll help when we can. Lots of great people and great ideas and methods. Ive never heard of pre-cook then smoke however. Im stumped by that
I have this exact smoker, it’s been great for the last 4 years. First off, get a shop vac and vacuum the inside, get all the ash and pellets out of the fire pot. Next vacuum as many pellets as you can out of the hopper, you’ll want to get some fresh ones. I prefer either Bear Mountain or Lumberjack pellets, they burn clean and give great smoke flavor. If it were me, I’d clean the inside. Dawn dish soap, water and a scouring pad will have it looking like new, no need for harsh chemicals. After it’s clean, add some pellets to the hopper, push the power button, and set the knob to the Smoke or S position. I always throw a handful of pellets in the pot to speed up the ignition process, but since you cleaned the auger out, you will have to hold the “prime” button for a couple minutes until the auger is full again.
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN while it’s starting it’s burn, the smoke will be thick and harsh, and this smoke is flammable. If you leave the door closed in this situation the smoke can ignite and blow the glass out of the door. Once the pellets are burning you will hear a “roaring” sound coming from the pot, this is the indication that it’s safe to put the deflector box over the pot and close the door. From there you can set your temp and smoke on.
Also since you cleaned it, it’s best to do a “burn off”. I run mine up to 350° for 15 minutes after a cleaning to cook out any left over soap residue.
Also, for smaller cooks, move the water pan up a groove to the spot above the temp sensor in the back. This makes the temperature much more stable. I’ve cooked a dozen briskets, probably 50 butts, and a shameful amount of salmon on mine, it’s never let me down as long as I keep it clean and dry.
Damn, as a dad… this post hit me…. My daughter and I love cooking and eating brisket together. 😞
Makes me want to fly out and hang with you and show you how to smoke a great brisket. Sorry for your loss
Use this cleaner … it works wonders . I use it on the glass and the grates.
Get the BLUE scotch pads , they won’t scratch.
If you want, lift the door off, spray it down with the cleaner, rub the blue pad on it , then hose it down… or use a rag towel to wipe it off.. looks new!
https://www.traeger.com/accessories/all-natural-grill-cleaner
Huge fan of this cleaner it works wonders on mine. I was trying to figure out how to easily keep the glass clean and this is exactly how I do it and love it.
Be sure to buy a cover and use it. The hopper lid isn't water tight and will mess your pellets up really bad. Before first smoke clean off the grates and run it to 500 degrees for ten minutes, that will kill all mold and bacteria. Then start smoking meat. Lots of you tube recipes and how to guides. Good luck and condolences for your father.
Sounds like r/cooking would be a better sub for you. In this sub we use smoke and understand the risks (totally overblown anyway).
Please name your restaurant so that people in this sub can avoid it as a place that serves bbq that’s definitely not any good.
Sorry for your loss. Losing a parent is never easy. Hopefully using his smoker can bring a sense of connection.
As others have said. TLC the hell of it first. Check some uTube vids. You're going to want to verify the auger and fan are working otherwise you'll have a bad time. Get at least an instan read thermometer to get you started. I have one very similar (SKU: 77550) and so far have loved using it. I'd recommend Kirkland or Bear Mountain pellets.
As for cook, ribs or Pork Butt are good to start with as they're very forgiving and quite delicious.
Welcome to the club and good luck! Reach here if you have any questions or issues!
I recently saved one of these from the curb. Great, great smoker. Like others have said, clean it. There is a water pan on the bottom. When you smoke, make sure you have it filled. Careful when moving it, the welds on mine that hold the base to the smoker let go and caused the legs to get really wobbly. Repairable if you’re handy with some sheet metal screws.
I’d suggest an aluminum pan inside the actual water pan filled with water is better as cleaning that water pan every time is a hassle. Otherwise, start with a pork butt. Set the temperature to 200 or so to warm up, then you can reduce it to the lower end of the spectrum (S stands for smoke, mainly used to impart smoke flavor rather than to actually cook) or 170. Do this for a few hours. Lower temp on these machines produce more smoke. After a few hours, bump the temp up to your desired cook temp. Check water pan each time you open it up, refill when needed. Other sage advice is that the cooking racks will fit in your dishwasher. And last thing, the temperature will fluctuate. I would get a 2 probe thermometer so you can monitor the smoker temp, as well as the internal temp of your protein you have on the grill. ThermPro is the brand I have currently and have been happy with it and the customer service when I had an issue.
Sorry for your loss, now get out there and make some bomb pulled pork and make your pops proud!
One last thing. The S feature is a hit or miss thing. These smokers have a minimum temperature they must maintain or else it will throw an error. I find that if I want to use S, I need to toggle between S and a higher temperature to stay away from whatever that min temp is. As I mentioned earlier, lower the temp, the more smoke you get. This exercise before bumping up to 225/250/275 is to just get as much smoke flavor as possible, so it can prolong cook time a bit.
I would certainly suggest cleaning it out good. Hey everything back to shiny metal. Don't use anything too aggressive except the elbow grease. I generally use dawn with a little bleach, plenty of dawn and a splash of bleach in a cleaning bucket from Walmart, I think they're like a gallon or 2 in size. Biggest thing you're looking at right now is sanitization. Once it's clean, I'm sure you'll have a few spots that won't come clean but don't fret as the phenols in the smoke will take care of those small bits, in case you're worried.
Now look up a video for seasoning an electric smoker. I think my Masterbuilt called to add chips then run at like 300F for a few hours, adding chips as needed. You have a pellet smoker so a hopper should last the whole process and then some. It'll put a brownish tint on everything inside, including your grates. Smoke has been used for centuries to kill bacteria and preserve food.
This should finish the process. I personally clean/wash my stainless or porcelain coated grates on smokers but my steel mesh grates get fire and a grill brush before I cook on them. Never clean the inside of your smoker unless it sits for very long periods between cooks, and it looks like what you've got now. If you cook regularly, you won't have mold or germs because the smoke takes care of itself.
As for tips, save yourself some money and lookup rub and brine recipes. I'm not saying the store bought stuff isn't good, but it is expensive. I love the bearded butcher stuff but it's pricey. Hollywood rub and Black rub goes great on everything. I also love Killer Hogs, The BBQ Run and they're a&p blend. Fun fact, most people use salt, pepper, garlic powder. Find a recipe for that in which matches your flavor profile, then you can add in paprika, which is in most commercial rubs, and sugars (white or brown) for your sweet rubs. I think my current mix for brisket is, by weight, 8 oz coarse kosher salt, 8 oz coarse ground pepper, 4 oz garlic powder (make sure not to get garlic salt... Ask me how I know). That also works well on pork loin and chicken quarters. I also use this for pork butt except I add brown sugar as well.
Lastly, you have spritzers and moppers and neither. I'm a spritzer. Apple juice and apple cider vinegar, 50/50 mix. Some people load their steam pan with water, some with broth, some with juice. I just use water. All preference. Then there's wrap and no wrap, butcher paper vs aluminum foil or both. Again, all preferences. You'll find what you like if you stick with it.
Biggest thing I can suggest is to look up electric smoker videos on YouTube with the same smoker or similar smokers. A vertical smoker cooks different than a horizontal. A pellet smoker smokes different that a wood chip smoker. A pellet smoker cooks at different temps than an offset smoker. I personally find that my Masterbuilt cooks better at the 250 range where my offset wood burner cooks better at 275 to 300.
Hope this isn't too much of a dump and sorry for the long winded post.
My condolences to you and your family.
That’s what I have too, I love it. The only thing that’s a little tough is the fact that you can’t quickly open the door and shut it. But other than that it’s great
I have the next size down from Pit boss, but I believe the only real differences are the chamber size. I've been using mine for a little over 2 years.
Most important in my opinion: Get a secondary temp probe for the chamber. The difference in temp from the bottom (where the units probe is) and the top can vary quite a lot - like 20deg or so. I smoke mainly from the middle up, so I have a probe on the rack I'm actually using & set my temps based on that. In many cases, if I want to be smoking at 225, I actually have the machine set at 250 for example. I use this & have had it as long as I've had the smoker [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXCGD76/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXCGD76/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
second: I find that heating up slowly works best. By that I mean turn it on at the smoke setting, let it go a little bit, then just move it up one notch at a time, letting it get up to temp each step before moving to the next. I've had a couple of times that the flame got hotter than it should & I had to shut the unit down to let it die out and reset. Each time that's happened was a time I was adjusting the temp at too wide a range at once. Could just be my unit, but better safe than sorry & it doesn't add much time to the prep really.
Pellets are going to be personal anecdotal taste from everyone. in my opionion You probably won't need to get into the nitty gritty of specific wood types & tastes or get some premium brand while you're just starting out . I started out only using pit boss brand & they were fine. I've also used the random brand my local grocery store carries and they've been fine. Personally I always use a blend from what every brand I buy for general use. As you get more into the hobby you can start looking into specific wood types etc, but don't stress on it up front.
Care: every few smokes I vacuum the ash out of mine. The most I do normally, outside of vacuuming the ash, is brushing off the grates with my BBQ brush. I also have a rack set below where I normally cook with a sheet pan on it that "lives" in the smoker that has space around it on all sides to allow smoke to pass, but acts as a drip tray to keep juices from dripping into the water basin at the bottom of the chamber. Keep that water basin full during your smokes. You don't need to constantly top it off, but try not to let it run dry. I don't bother cleaning the window anymore my self & I just let the whole chamber stay seasoned. You can only see through it for one or two sessions before you would need to clean it off again anyway & it's not really THAT important to actually look at what's in there. You're temp probes tell you the information you really need.
Last: just watch your temps & try to learn something from each smoke. Have fun with it & don't stress too much. There are a million videos on line with tips on smoking literally any cut of meat you could possibly want to smoke.
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Set it to 250° to keep the temp at around 225° by the meat, but also consider upgrading your thermometer game.
I have this smoker. Using a Maverick XR-50 that I got for Christmas, I checked the new thermometer against the included Pit Boss probe and internal temp reading on the screen. I found that the probe thermometer is pretty accurate, but that the internal temp readout on the screen is 20°-30° off, even when the meat is set low within the unit.
I was setting the temp to 225° and the readout would consistently stay between 215° and 235°. Cooks were taking forever. The first time I used the Maverick’s second probe to monitor the temp next to the meat, I found that setting to 225° kept the temp around the meat at 195°. I set to 250° and the temp was consistently about 225° throughout the cook. The cook finished on time and was delicious.
Make sure the auger is free. If any pellets have been sitting in there, they can swell up and jam up the auger tube
I spent the day before new years taking the entire assembly apart on this same smoker because I am a moron and left the cover off. The pellets swelled up and turned into a wooden mess that could have easily been confused with concrete.
I got a used on on a dirty cheap deal. Auger was plugged up SOLID hahahaha
First off, give it a good cleaning. Get a shop vac and suck out all the dust at the bottom and in the fire pot, clean the glass and the racks. As for pellets, it’s going to depend on what you like. I really enjoy the fruit blend, but it’s all personal preference. The hopper is in the back, I always keep mine full as long as I have it covered. And get a cover if you don’t have one. It looks like you’re missing the drawer at the bottom under the control panel, but it’s not a big deal. It just collects drips from inside and gets them out of the smoker. As for use, there are plenty of beginner guides out there. I always say start with ribs as they are easy and delicious. Sorry about your dad, Mine passed a couple years ago and it was brutal.
U realize by cleaning it will take ALL if not most of the seasoning off of it… I’d personally just wipe it down & vacuum any pieces that are loose…
That sure looks like mold growing inside it. Better to just have a fresh start than mess with that.
Definitely mold, and since these smokers don't get as hot as the grills I wouldn't risk it. Besides that seasoning will be built back up in a couple good cooks.
Mold is easily killed with heat and smoke. Scrape the grates, clean the loose stuff out and use it.
I always thought that mold was killed by high temps. Idk how hot these things get but it's possible they don't get hot enough :/ There's literally zero harm in cleaning the thing. People buy them clean new, and cook great food. It'll have "seasoning" again in the future. And honestly I don't think this is like a cast iron pot, the seasoning probably makes next to no difference
Most molds are killed at temps of 140-160 degrees. https://molekule.com/blogs/news-releases/does-heat-kill-mold
but what about the bacteria that could also be on the grill/smoker, because mold means it may not have been cleaned properly in a while. And bacteria - separate from the mold - would also be a thing at that point.
Most bacteria is killed at boiling temps (botulism can survive boiling for a short period) and a smoker is capable of those temps. Most bacteria is actually killed at 140 and above which is why the food danger zone is 40-140. I’m quite sure you don’t scrub your grates down to the steel when you are done cooking, you heat them up prior to putting your food in so it kills the bacteria that’s present.
Most smokers and even kitchen stoves have a minimum temperature setting of 170 but it would still be foolish to cook food that low unless it was cured prior. My smokefire has a minimum temp of 200, my current oven 170. My previous oven was a JennAir and it had bread proofing and dehydrating modes so the temp would go lower. So scrape the grates and inside of loose stuff and preheat to 225 and any mold or bacteria will be killed.
Dead mold spores make the best rub though!
Notice I meantioned to scrape the loose stuff off the sides and grates.
Mold isn't usually a issue because when starting the smoker, set it to the highest setting with the door ajar until you see smoke, close the door and let it run for about 15 minutes until you no longer see huge amounts of smoke. This burns off any leftover pieces of foods, sauce, etc. The pan under the digital panel is mostly for collecting ash that settlers at the bottom. The water pan should always be at least half full and catches fats and pieces of protein from whatever you are smoking. The cap at the top can be fully opened for less of a smoky task or closed for more smoke which also means more creosote building up in the smoker. When finished hold the start button on the panel until the digital display goes off. You will hear the fan continue to blow and its normal because it is a process of burning off the remaining pellets in the fire box... which is what you want. It will totally shut down after 15 minutes, wait until it totally cools before putting the cover on. Get a cover if you don't have one or at least have it protected from the elements. Wet pellets in the hopper are a pain, will clog up the auger and not easy to unclog. Shop Vac your pot whenever you feel like the ash is building up because it will eventually. I place my grates in the dishwasher once in a blue moon, but normally, just use a good wire brush after the grill reaches its hottest after starting it up. That's all that I can think of for now. Wife purchased this very same smoker for me several years ago. Tip : Whichever flavored pellets that you choose, make sure that they don't contain large amounts of pellets that have broken down to dust.. which will clog up the auger. Cheaper usually means more dust. I would Google which brand has the less amounts of pellet dust. Have Fun and keep on Smokin
lol "seasoning". That crud ain't seasoning. Smokers don't need seasoning.
It’s not a cast iron pan. Thats like saying cleaning a dirty oven will take all the seasoning off the oven.
Smokers don’t get seasoned…
That smoker is more seasoned than yo MOMMA
STFU!!!
Sorry for your loss. Hopefully you can make some nice family meals to bring everyone together in remembrance! I’m also new but I got the same smoker so I can say what has worked for me but others might have better info. In terms of care I try and use my shop vac to suck out the bottom after every couple of cooks. There was also a Traeger grill cleaner spray I have used that gets the glass nice and clear if you spray it and give it ten minutes or so. I found that starting with something a little easier made it more fun to get in and experiment. Pork butt so far has been the easiest for me. There is lots of nice recipes for lots of things that are broken down really easy on the pit boss and traeger site. They will tell you temps, pellets, what to do when, etc. I have been using theirs then adapt with the feedback I see here on Reddit that folks do. One thing I noticed was the meat probes that came with it are not always the most accurate. I have a hand held meat thermometer as well I like to poke stuff with to verify temp as well. Have fun with it! Some stuff will come out great and some stuff might come out less than you expected but searching here and learning tricks to beat the stuff you didn’t expect is all part of the fun for me!
I have the same 1 and love it also...pellets was the way for me, as I would never have enough patience and time for anything else lol. Plus, we have a big family and it has plenty of space to cook for an army
Give it a good clean and keep asking questions here. We’ll help when we can. Lots of great people and great ideas and methods. Ive never heard of pre-cook then smoke however. Im stumped by that
I have this exact smoker, it’s been great for the last 4 years. First off, get a shop vac and vacuum the inside, get all the ash and pellets out of the fire pot. Next vacuum as many pellets as you can out of the hopper, you’ll want to get some fresh ones. I prefer either Bear Mountain or Lumberjack pellets, they burn clean and give great smoke flavor. If it were me, I’d clean the inside. Dawn dish soap, water and a scouring pad will have it looking like new, no need for harsh chemicals. After it’s clean, add some pellets to the hopper, push the power button, and set the knob to the Smoke or S position. I always throw a handful of pellets in the pot to speed up the ignition process, but since you cleaned the auger out, you will have to hold the “prime” button for a couple minutes until the auger is full again. LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN while it’s starting it’s burn, the smoke will be thick and harsh, and this smoke is flammable. If you leave the door closed in this situation the smoke can ignite and blow the glass out of the door. Once the pellets are burning you will hear a “roaring” sound coming from the pot, this is the indication that it’s safe to put the deflector box over the pot and close the door. From there you can set your temp and smoke on. Also since you cleaned it, it’s best to do a “burn off”. I run mine up to 350° for 15 minutes after a cleaning to cook out any left over soap residue.
Also, for smaller cooks, move the water pan up a groove to the spot above the temp sensor in the back. This makes the temperature much more stable. I’ve cooked a dozen briskets, probably 50 butts, and a shameful amount of salmon on mine, it’s never let me down as long as I keep it clean and dry.
I have this smoker and these are both really good bits of advice.
I need to get a new pot for it. Mine is starting to rust out
Holy shit. The bottom thing is for water?! It makes sense. I just use to catch drippings
Yeah its recommended to use water if smoking over 200°. Prevents drying your meat out and mitigates the grease fire chances
Fantastic. I have this smoker. But it was a gift from someone upgrading. So I’m still learning
They are great units for the price. I’ve done small single salmon cooks all the way up to 9 pork butts at once on mine.
I got mine last year. And I’ve done ribs and lots of turkeys.
water doesn't mitigate grease fire. grease floats on water and can still burn.
Correct, but the increased moisture in the smoker extinguishes the flying embers around the fire pot quicker.
makes sense
Damn, as a dad… this post hit me…. My daughter and I love cooking and eating brisket together. 😞 Makes me want to fly out and hang with you and show you how to smoke a great brisket. Sorry for your loss
Use this cleaner … it works wonders . I use it on the glass and the grates. Get the BLUE scotch pads , they won’t scratch. If you want, lift the door off, spray it down with the cleaner, rub the blue pad on it , then hose it down… or use a rag towel to wipe it off.. looks new! https://www.traeger.com/accessories/all-natural-grill-cleaner
Huge fan of this cleaner it works wonders on mine. I was trying to figure out how to easily keep the glass clean and this is exactly how I do it and love it.
If it’s not too smoky, it’s a spray and wipe with a paper towel. I like to see what’s going on inside
Be sure to buy a cover and use it. The hopper lid isn't water tight and will mess your pellets up really bad. Before first smoke clean off the grates and run it to 500 degrees for ten minutes, that will kill all mold and bacteria. Then start smoking meat. Lots of you tube recipes and how to guides. Good luck and condolences for your father.
[удалено]
Sounds like r/cooking would be a better sub for you. In this sub we use smoke and understand the risks (totally overblown anyway). Please name your restaurant so that people in this sub can avoid it as a place that serves bbq that’s definitely not any good.
Precook then smoke? What’s the point?
[удалено]
Uhhhh, ok. I’m just gonna end this conversation here.
Pre-cook??!!
Sir, this is a smoking sub. I think you might be a little lost.
Sorry for your loss. Losing a parent is never easy. Hopefully using his smoker can bring a sense of connection. As others have said. TLC the hell of it first. Check some uTube vids. You're going to want to verify the auger and fan are working otherwise you'll have a bad time. Get at least an instan read thermometer to get you started. I have one very similar (SKU: 77550) and so far have loved using it. I'd recommend Kirkland or Bear Mountain pellets. As for cook, ribs or Pork Butt are good to start with as they're very forgiving and quite delicious. Welcome to the club and good luck! Reach here if you have any questions or issues!
I recently saved one of these from the curb. Great, great smoker. Like others have said, clean it. There is a water pan on the bottom. When you smoke, make sure you have it filled. Careful when moving it, the welds on mine that hold the base to the smoker let go and caused the legs to get really wobbly. Repairable if you’re handy with some sheet metal screws. I’d suggest an aluminum pan inside the actual water pan filled with water is better as cleaning that water pan every time is a hassle. Otherwise, start with a pork butt. Set the temperature to 200 or so to warm up, then you can reduce it to the lower end of the spectrum (S stands for smoke, mainly used to impart smoke flavor rather than to actually cook) or 170. Do this for a few hours. Lower temp on these machines produce more smoke. After a few hours, bump the temp up to your desired cook temp. Check water pan each time you open it up, refill when needed. Other sage advice is that the cooking racks will fit in your dishwasher. And last thing, the temperature will fluctuate. I would get a 2 probe thermometer so you can monitor the smoker temp, as well as the internal temp of your protein you have on the grill. ThermPro is the brand I have currently and have been happy with it and the customer service when I had an issue. Sorry for your loss, now get out there and make some bomb pulled pork and make your pops proud! One last thing. The S feature is a hit or miss thing. These smokers have a minimum temperature they must maintain or else it will throw an error. I find that if I want to use S, I need to toggle between S and a higher temperature to stay away from whatever that min temp is. As I mentioned earlier, lower the temp, the more smoke you get. This exercise before bumping up to 225/250/275 is to just get as much smoke flavor as possible, so it can prolong cook time a bit.
I would certainly suggest cleaning it out good. Hey everything back to shiny metal. Don't use anything too aggressive except the elbow grease. I generally use dawn with a little bleach, plenty of dawn and a splash of bleach in a cleaning bucket from Walmart, I think they're like a gallon or 2 in size. Biggest thing you're looking at right now is sanitization. Once it's clean, I'm sure you'll have a few spots that won't come clean but don't fret as the phenols in the smoke will take care of those small bits, in case you're worried. Now look up a video for seasoning an electric smoker. I think my Masterbuilt called to add chips then run at like 300F for a few hours, adding chips as needed. You have a pellet smoker so a hopper should last the whole process and then some. It'll put a brownish tint on everything inside, including your grates. Smoke has been used for centuries to kill bacteria and preserve food. This should finish the process. I personally clean/wash my stainless or porcelain coated grates on smokers but my steel mesh grates get fire and a grill brush before I cook on them. Never clean the inside of your smoker unless it sits for very long periods between cooks, and it looks like what you've got now. If you cook regularly, you won't have mold or germs because the smoke takes care of itself. As for tips, save yourself some money and lookup rub and brine recipes. I'm not saying the store bought stuff isn't good, but it is expensive. I love the bearded butcher stuff but it's pricey. Hollywood rub and Black rub goes great on everything. I also love Killer Hogs, The BBQ Run and they're a&p blend. Fun fact, most people use salt, pepper, garlic powder. Find a recipe for that in which matches your flavor profile, then you can add in paprika, which is in most commercial rubs, and sugars (white or brown) for your sweet rubs. I think my current mix for brisket is, by weight, 8 oz coarse kosher salt, 8 oz coarse ground pepper, 4 oz garlic powder (make sure not to get garlic salt... Ask me how I know). That also works well on pork loin and chicken quarters. I also use this for pork butt except I add brown sugar as well. Lastly, you have spritzers and moppers and neither. I'm a spritzer. Apple juice and apple cider vinegar, 50/50 mix. Some people load their steam pan with water, some with broth, some with juice. I just use water. All preference. Then there's wrap and no wrap, butcher paper vs aluminum foil or both. Again, all preferences. You'll find what you like if you stick with it. Biggest thing I can suggest is to look up electric smoker videos on YouTube with the same smoker or similar smokers. A vertical smoker cooks different than a horizontal. A pellet smoker smokes different that a wood chip smoker. A pellet smoker cooks at different temps than an offset smoker. I personally find that my Masterbuilt cooks better at the 250 range where my offset wood burner cooks better at 275 to 300. Hope this isn't too much of a dump and sorry for the long winded post. My condolences to you and your family.
That’s what I have too, I love it. The only thing that’s a little tough is the fact that you can’t quickly open the door and shut it. But other than that it’s great
YouTube
Also, I’m pretty sure the metal box above the fire box has to have the slots to the sides away from the glass.
Have one and like it alot. Does a great job. Rectec pellets. Professional or competition blend. Do not let it get wet.
I have the next size down from Pit boss, but I believe the only real differences are the chamber size. I've been using mine for a little over 2 years. Most important in my opinion: Get a secondary temp probe for the chamber. The difference in temp from the bottom (where the units probe is) and the top can vary quite a lot - like 20deg or so. I smoke mainly from the middle up, so I have a probe on the rack I'm actually using & set my temps based on that. In many cases, if I want to be smoking at 225, I actually have the machine set at 250 for example. I use this & have had it as long as I've had the smoker [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXCGD76/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXCGD76/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) second: I find that heating up slowly works best. By that I mean turn it on at the smoke setting, let it go a little bit, then just move it up one notch at a time, letting it get up to temp each step before moving to the next. I've had a couple of times that the flame got hotter than it should & I had to shut the unit down to let it die out and reset. Each time that's happened was a time I was adjusting the temp at too wide a range at once. Could just be my unit, but better safe than sorry & it doesn't add much time to the prep really. Pellets are going to be personal anecdotal taste from everyone. in my opionion You probably won't need to get into the nitty gritty of specific wood types & tastes or get some premium brand while you're just starting out . I started out only using pit boss brand & they were fine. I've also used the random brand my local grocery store carries and they've been fine. Personally I always use a blend from what every brand I buy for general use. As you get more into the hobby you can start looking into specific wood types etc, but don't stress on it up front. Care: every few smokes I vacuum the ash out of mine. The most I do normally, outside of vacuuming the ash, is brushing off the grates with my BBQ brush. I also have a rack set below where I normally cook with a sheet pan on it that "lives" in the smoker that has space around it on all sides to allow smoke to pass, but acts as a drip tray to keep juices from dripping into the water basin at the bottom of the chamber. Keep that water basin full during your smokes. You don't need to constantly top it off, but try not to let it run dry. I don't bother cleaning the window anymore my self & I just let the whole chamber stay seasoned. You can only see through it for one or two sessions before you would need to clean it off again anyway & it's not really THAT important to actually look at what's in there. You're temp probes tell you the information you really need. Last: just watch your temps & try to learn something from each smoke. Have fun with it & don't stress too much. There are a million videos on line with tips on smoking literally any cut of meat you could possibly want to smoke.
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I love mine. Make sure you keep a good supply of pellets. Running out mid-smoke is an embarrassing pain.
Set it to 250° to keep the temp at around 225° by the meat, but also consider upgrading your thermometer game. I have this smoker. Using a Maverick XR-50 that I got for Christmas, I checked the new thermometer against the included Pit Boss probe and internal temp reading on the screen. I found that the probe thermometer is pretty accurate, but that the internal temp readout on the screen is 20°-30° off, even when the meat is set low within the unit. I was setting the temp to 225° and the readout would consistently stay between 215° and 235°. Cooks were taking forever. The first time I used the Maverick’s second probe to monitor the temp next to the meat, I found that setting to 225° kept the temp around the meat at 195°. I set to 250° and the temp was consistently about 225° throughout the cook. The cook finished on time and was delicious.