Chunks or Chips?

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tmas1323

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 27, 2015
5
10
Pennsylvania
I have a 30" Mastercraft, two door, propane smoker, and I am having trouble maintaining tbs below 250 degrees.  I have been using chunks that I have been trying to knock down to smaller pieces, but that isn't working.  I have made all the recommended mods to the unit including using an 8" skillet to hold the wood chunks.  I use a Maverick ET-733, so I know the temp is accurate.  Will using chips or pellets instead of chunks fix this problem?  I appreciate any advice.  Thanks!
 
I'm not sure exactly what your problem is. Are you not getting smoke at all, or is it thick white smoke?
In either case, the simplest and most permanent solution is a tube pellet smoker. I made mine out of a mesh gutter guard, but Todd from Amaze-N sells them made out of perforated stainless. You just fill them with pellets, light one end, let it flame for a few minutes til it gets a good ember going, blow it out and put it in the smoker. It'll generate good smoke for hours and you don't have to worry about it.
 
I'm not getting any smoke at all at lower temps.  I have to turn the heat up over 250 to get the smoke to start, then after I turn it back down it stops again.  I pull out the pan and the chunks are charred on the edges but that's it. 
 
 
I'm not getting any smoke at all at lower temps.  I have to turn the heat up over 250 to get the smoke to start, then after I turn it back down it stops again.  I pull out the pan and the chunks are charred on the edges but that's it. 
If you are talking about the Masterbuilt two door smoker I have the same unit.  Even if you are not I have experienced similar issues, especially as the weather warms up.  In order to keep lower temps in the smoker, you have to turn down the flame, but when you do that, it is hardly heating the bottom of the cast iron pan which in turn heats your wood chunks and lets them start smoking.  Best way I have found to remedy this is to bring the cast iron pan closer to the flame without smothering it.  I am a assuming you have the cast iron pan on top of the stock chip pan that came with the unit.  Try throwing a small grill or a charcoal grate (I use a smokey joe charcoal grate) over the spot where the stock chip pan would sit.  That brings the cast iron pan closer to the flame without choking it out all together.  There are quite a few threads with different mods to get smoke at lower temps with these types of units.  If all else fails, MD has you covered with the Pellet tube.  Only real way to make a propane smoker a set and forget smoker.
 
Thanks for the advice.  I pulled out the chip tray, put a grate from my charcoal grill over the burner, put the cast iron pan on that and it smoked like a charm.  Thanks again! 
 
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