Help w/ new Lowes master forge domed red electric smoker

[steve-wa]

Best would be to talk to someone who owns this smoker - but here's the deal:

Wife took me to choose my first smoker for dads day. I am done nursing over charcoal, so I picked this inexpensive unit as a starter. Nothing in the assembly book tells about where to put the chips!!! So at 11 pm, after rubbing and resting the 13# brisket (cut in half to fit), I dialed it up to high (temp choices only lo-med-high), made a tinfoil boat and loaded about a cup of soaked hickory, put it on top of the burner, loaded the water pan, and gave it 13 hours. Temp held @ about 225. When I woke up, the wood was ash and the water was gone. Dropped dry chips into the boat and some fell right on the burner, and replenished the water. Awesome at 13 hrs - barky and moist, it looked like I knew what I was doing.

Questions: HIGH yields 225- seems odd when the gage goes to 750.

Also, what is the best configuration for the chips? Soaked and scattered directly on the burner? in an open foil pan or boat? or bundled in a holey foil packet?

 

[smokin phil]

Don't have that exact model, but have a Brinkmann electric, which is basically identical.

As to chips, don't use them, use chunks. Bigger pieces of wood. Place them between the coils but not touching. Also, soaking does nothing for chunks. Put them in dry. Wood will usually last 1-2 hours. Most meat stops taking smoke flavor after 2-4 hours. Experiment and see what works for you.

Water pan: water usually only lasts 4-6 hours. Running it dry will increase your smoker temps. Also, if fat has dripped into pan, when it boils dry the fat will burn. If you have a sweet rub with sugar in it and THAT drips into the pan (it will), when the pan boils dry the sugar will burn. I found this out the hard way myself.... NOT a pleasant smell. 

Temps: in stock form, you will have a hard time getting temps over 250F. Make other arangements for cold smoking, like this: http://www.amazenproducts.com/  Good stuff!!

Any more questions, just ask!

LETS Q!!!