Hey there Lisa, all you need to do is put the 8" cast iron skillet on top of the fire pan that the smoker came with. Don't put any wood chips in the old fire pan, ONLY put your wood in the cast iron skillet from now on! Don't add water to your skillet! That's what your water pan is for!! If you like to charcoal smoke you can still use the old fire pan to put your briquettes in and then add any wood you may want for your smoking session in the cast iron skillet on top of the fire pan. Also, it doesn't take much wood to produce the smoke flavor you want, plus you really only need to add smoke (for ribs) in the first couple hours. The rest of the time you will will be slow cooking the meat (paying close attention to getting the temp properly set before you leave the ting on it's own, adding water occasionally and spritzing with apple juice (or whatever you like to use) to keep the ribs from drying out. Only sprtiz if you use the non-foil method. That is all.
Nice guides and reviews. I love it. BTW, you can read more reviews here: smokerreviewsratings.com/propane/masterbuilt-propane-smoker-review/ hope this can help.
I've just done my first smoke with this unit. Before buying, I tried looking up about charcoal vs propane vs electric. Overall, I'd say this unit is great! Some reviews say the included thermometer isn't good, but mine seems to be within the same range as my other thermometers. One tip that seems to be invaluable for these units is putting an iron skillet on top of the fire pan. I find the wood just singes and smokes: I have the propane at low, and no flare ups/ great blue smoke.
Skippy John Jones I bought the double wide version of this smoker and you are totally correct about using a cast iron pan for the wood chips. on my first smoke I noticed the wood chips were burnt to ash about 15 min into the smoke. I found a 8" cast iron pan on clearance at Wal-Mart. I fill it right to the brim with chips (making sure none hang over the sides of the pan) Now I get a constant smoke lasting most of my smoke time. There is one modification I have made to my smoker. I have took some thin scraps of paneling and made a wood skirt that goes around the bottom, on the windy days I smoke I have had the wind blow out the burner. not only does this help in keeping the wind from blowing out the flame but it helps maintain a constant temp inside the smoker
Thanks for the info, Scott! I've wondered that myself. I never want to run out of propane so I have 2 propane tanks and as soon as one runs out, we fill it up. With the nice weather we keep one tank hooked up to the smoker and the other to the grill.
If your wood's burning it's not smoking. Put a lid on the wood holder to make is smolder. If you don't have a lid wrap the wood in foil and puncture it with holes.
for an example of the skillet on fire pan, search masterbuilt pro and pork roast. I just got the masterbuilt propane like yours, and from what I gather, it's a bit different in intake air. But the standard fire pan is not great for smoldering wood.
Yeah, putting the wood chips/chunks in a 8" skillet directly on top of the fire pan is a good tip. I also tried having a disposable lasagne pan on the bottom rack, with water and was big enough for a drip pan. With the propane fire underneath and hot ambers, the seasoning wears off quickly and isn't good for a cooking skillet anymore. So cheapest 8" iron skillet is all that's needed!
I've seen your other videos...but I would really recommend trying the skillet on the fire pan! In this and other videos I've seen of yours, you tend to get a lot of flare ups/ more direct heat from actual flame. When I was seasoning, I had a couple apple chunks. With my first meat cook, I had one remaining chunk, then kept adding some hickory chips. With the skillet, easy to get a chunk a smoking, then hardly any propane is needed for the rest of the cook.
My thermometer seems to work too. I've never tried putting an iron skillet over the water pan, but in my search for making it easier to clean my smoker, I use a large disposable aluminum pan in place of the water pan. It is almost as big as the smoker. You might want to watch this video "How to Make it Easier to Clean Up Your Smoker".
Do you put water in the skillet? Or do you put the wood chips in the skillet? Do you think you can turn the propane down because the iron skillet holds the heat in? That does stand to reason.
The lasagna pan doesn't cause the skillet's seasoning to wear off (it's good for a larger waterpan and catching drippings): The propane flame and burning wood is what burns off the black seasoning of the skillet pretty quickly. You're left with a pure gray colored iron skillet: not suitable for cooking and would rust if you have water in it.
cattail3 you can get 3 8hr smokes on one tank and still have some propane left. to your video if you get to much flame still which u probably dont it helps if u use a cast iron pan on top of stock pan that comes with smoker thats what i use for mine.
You are only supposed to use 1 cup of chips... i guess you missed that part when building it? If you google the mods for this then you can use a castiron pan on the stock pan and you don't get the flares and can actually use chunks
WATCH OUT!!! I have this smoker and the propane nut assembly just under the valve loosened up over time or moving it or something. IT MELTED THE PROPANE HOSE!! - Dangerous!
It probably depends on which 2 models you are comparing. I like my propane smoker better than the electric one I had last. Also it depends on your personal preference.
I got a very similar Dyna Glo vertical propane smoker shortly after this video was posted and I am loving it! Going to smoke a couple of whole chickens tomorrow! :) :) :)
Hey there Lisa, all you need to do is put the 8" cast iron skillet on top of the fire pan that the smoker came with. Don't put any wood chips in the old fire pan, ONLY put your wood in the cast iron skillet from now on! Don't add water to your skillet! That's what your water pan is for!! If you like to charcoal smoke you can still use the old fire pan to put your briquettes in and then add any wood you may want for your smoking session in the cast iron skillet on top of the fire pan. Also, it doesn't take much wood to produce the smoke flavor you want, plus you really only need to add smoke (for ribs) in the first couple hours. The rest of the time you will will be slow cooking the meat (paying close attention to getting the temp properly set before you leave the ting on it's own, adding water occasionally and spritzing with apple juice (or whatever you like to use) to keep the ribs from drying out. Only sprtiz if you use the non-foil method. That is all.
Good advice, Skippy JohnJones! Thanks! Also, I've stopped using charcoal!
Nice guides and reviews. I love it. BTW, you can read more reviews here: smokerreviewsratings.com/propane/masterbuilt-propane-smoker-review/ hope this can help.
Yes the cast iron pan will make life much easier. More control.
Just got one. Didn’t make it through my fist smoke and decided to get a skillet. Big chunks only. Chips go up in flames real quick
I like That
I've just done my first smoke with this unit. Before buying, I tried looking up about charcoal vs propane vs electric. Overall, I'd say this unit is great! Some reviews say the included thermometer isn't good, but mine seems to be within the same range as my other thermometers. One tip that seems to be invaluable for these units is putting an iron skillet on top of the fire pan. I find the wood just singes and smokes: I have the propane at low, and no flare ups/ great blue smoke.
Skippy John Jones
I bought the double wide version of this smoker and you are totally correct about using a cast iron pan for the wood chips. on my first smoke I noticed the wood chips were burnt to ash about 15 min into the smoke. I found a 8" cast iron pan on clearance at Wal-Mart. I fill it right to the brim with chips (making sure none hang over the sides of the pan) Now I get a constant smoke lasting most of my smoke time. There is one modification I have made to my smoker. I have took some thin scraps of paneling and made a wood skirt that goes around the bottom, on the windy days I smoke I have had the wind blow out the burner. not only does this help in keeping the wind from blowing out the flame but it helps maintain a constant temp inside the smoker
I have just started using mine, there is a real art to smoking. Thank God for youtube.
Thanks for the info, Scott! I've wondered that myself. I never want to run out of propane so I have 2 propane tanks and as soon as one runs out, we fill it up. With the nice weather we keep one tank hooked up to the smoker and the other to the grill.
Wood Chips are Burning up. They are supposed to be smoking. Wet the Wood Chips
If your wood's burning it's not smoking. Put a lid on the wood holder to make is smolder. If you don't have a lid wrap the wood in foil and puncture it with holes.
RUclips is so helpful for anything new to you or even reviews of products! I still look for ideas for using my smoker on RUclips! Thanks for watching!
for an example of the skillet on fire pan, search masterbuilt pro and pork roast. I just got the masterbuilt propane like yours, and from what I gather, it's a bit different in intake air. But the standard fire pan is not great for smoldering wood.
Yeah, putting the wood chips/chunks in a 8" skillet directly on top of the fire pan is a good tip. I also tried having a disposable lasagne pan on the bottom rack, with water and was big enough for a drip pan. With the propane fire underneath and hot ambers, the seasoning wears off quickly and isn't good for a cooking skillet anymore. So cheapest 8" iron skillet is all that's needed!
I've seen your other videos...but I would really recommend trying the skillet on the fire pan! In this and other videos I've seen of yours, you tend to get a lot of flare ups/ more direct heat from actual flame. When I was seasoning, I had a couple apple chunks. With my first meat cook, I had one remaining chunk, then kept adding some hickory chips. With the skillet, easy to get a chunk a smoking, then hardly any propane is needed for the rest of the cook.
My thermometer seems to work too. I've never tried putting an iron skillet over the water pan, but in my search for making it easier to clean my smoker, I use a large disposable aluminum pan in place of the water pan. It is almost as big as the smoker. You might want to watch this video "How to Make it Easier to Clean Up Your Smoker".
Do you put water in the skillet? Or do you put the wood chips in the skillet? Do you think you can turn the propane down because the iron skillet holds the heat in? That does stand to reason.
Thanks for the question, cattail3--and thanks to Scott for the answer!
The lasagna pan doesn't cause the skillet's seasoning to wear off (it's good for a larger waterpan and catching drippings): The propane flame and burning wood is what burns off the black seasoning of the skillet pretty quickly. You're left with a pure gray colored iron skillet: not suitable for cooking and would rust if you have water in it.
Now I see, I watched the video you recommended. Makes me sorry I gave my cast iron skillets to my son's Boy Scout troop!
cattail3 you can get 3 8hr smokes on one tank and still have some propane left. to your video if you get to much flame still which u probably dont it helps if u use a cast iron pan on top of stock pan that comes with smoker thats what i use for mine.
Why would using a disposable lasagna pan cause the seasoning to wear off? I don't really understand.
You are only supposed to use 1 cup of chips... i guess you missed that part when building it?
If you google the mods for this then you can use a castiron pan on the stock pan and you don't get the flares and can actually use chunks
Yep! This is my first attempt at using this new smoker!
WATCH OUT!!! I have this smoker and the propane nut assembly just under the valve loosened up over time or moving it or something. IT MELTED THE PROPANE HOSE!! - Dangerous!
Dave Jones Thanks for your advice! I will check that out! We had a similar thing happen to a propane grill once--scary!
Klisa what size us this smoker?is it 30'' or 40''?
Mine is the 30".
How much propane does it use for one run?
Which is better propane smoker or electric?
It probably depends on which 2 models you are comparing. I like my propane smoker better than the electric one I had last. Also it depends on your personal preference.
Oh yeah, I can see that!
sorry, but flaming wood produces soot... Soot is NOT a flavor enhancer....
Jubei Kibugame Yep, this was my first attempt at using this smoker! Live and learn!
A for effort! It's still better than the smoke I don't have... 😉
Jubei Kibugame
:)
I got a very similar Dyna Glo vertical propane smoker shortly after this video was posted and I am loving it! Going to smoke a couple of whole chickens tomorrow! :) :) :)
your wood is not set up correctly
Lee Barret Very true! It was my first time using this smoker! And it had a big flare up! Live and learn!
This video deserves to be removed from RUclips