Master built electric 30 smoker

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wizkidd1982

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 14, 2015
15
10
I got a master built 30 electric smoker for Christmas this year. So far I've mqde ribs about 3 or 4 times and they always turn out perfectly. But when I do a roast in there I don't get a bark on the roast like I did when I bbq it or like I see on YouTube videos. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I fill waterfowl up at bottom. I'm cooking at 235. The vent is about 1/2 to 2/3 open at top. I add wood every 2 hours. I use same rub I do on bbq. But when its in smoker it either seems to just absorb into meat or disappear or just dry up like powder(if I do beef roast). Any tips would be great. Really want to figure it out. Like I said. Ribs turn out perfect every time. But not roasts. Here's the pork shoulder I did today. Haven't tasted it yet. But not happy with look of it.
 
Dump the water out of the water pan. I haven't put water in mine in 4 years.

Open your vent at least halfway----Mine is usually open 100%.

Here's one of my Butts, in Step by Step form. Should be some tips on there that could help you:
Bear
 
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ok, so no water and vent open 100%  i'll try that next time, i remember one time i forgot to put water in and the first time i opened it i coughed and coughed for about 30 minutes after breathing in all the smoke..

thanks for the advise, i will try :)
 
 
ok, so no water and vent open 100%  i'll try that next time, i remember one time i forgot to put water in and the first time i opened it i coughed and coughed for about 30 minutes after breathing in all the smoke..

thanks for the advise, i will try :)
You don't want heavy smoke either. I know it's hard to get consistent light smoke with chips in an MES. It ranges from No smoke to Light smoke to nice smoke to Heavy Smoke to light smoke to no smoke, and all over again.

You should look into getting an AMNPS, and smoke happily ever after. Consistent perfect smoke for up to 11 hours, without touching it.

Bear
 
should i be smoking at a higher temp?  i usually do 225 or 235, wondering if it should be higher.  mine only goes up to 275
 
 
should i be smoking at a higher temp?  i usually do 225 or 235, wondering if it should be higher.  mine only goes up to 275
225° or 235° is fine for just about everything that's not cured like Bacon or sausage, etc, except Chicken.

You can check below & see what temps I use for a lot of things in my MES 40.

Just click on "Bear's Step by Steps".

Bear
 
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should i be smoking at a higher temp?  i usually do 225 or 235, wondering if it should be higher.  mine only goes up to 275
You should try one of Bear's step by step recipes. He uses an MES unit as well so his detailed instruction will apply directly to you. After a few successful smokes following a recipe you can start to tweak things to your liking.

One note on getting a good bark, you need to apply a heavy amount of rub with some sort of liquid/oil to help it stick. Then let it sit overnight so it turns into a paste. For instance, I rub boston butts with mustard then apply my rub (I use over 1/2 cup of rub on 1 butt). It might seem like a lot of rub but you have to keep in mind that the surface area of a large cut it small compared to the amount of meat you will have once it is pulled so you need enough rub to make it count.
 
 
You should try one of Bear's step by step recipes. He uses an MES unit as well so his detailed instruction will apply directly to you. After a few successful smokes following a recipe you can start to tweak things to your liking.

One note on getting a good bark, you need to apply a heavy amount of rub with some sort of liquid/oil to help it stick. Then let it sit overnight so it turns into a paste. For instance, I rub boston butts with mustard then apply my rub (I use over 1/2 cup of rub on 1 butt). It might seem like a lot of rub but you have to keep in mind that the surface area of a large cut it small compared to the amount of meat you will have once it is pulled so you need enough rub to make it count.
LOL----You make a Great Point on the amount of Rub. 

After doing a whole mess of Butts, I got used to putting a lot of rub on. Then not thinking, I put the same amount on a set of Pork Spares!!!

Mrs Bear ate one, and that was it. She even tried scraping it off, but it was still too spicy. I had to eat the whole rack myself, and it was even too spicy for me.

A big difference between Thin Ribs & big fat Butts, when it comes to the amount of Rub needed.

Bear
 
wizkidd1982 Are you using any external probes ie maverick or some sort,to check your CC and Meat IT? Masterbuilt has been known to be way off with their temps.
 
Ok, so I didn't put any water in today, I opened the vent up100% and I cooked pork roast at 250 degrees today. Turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. Was very happy with it. Guess I won't be putting water in anymore.
 
Ok, so I didn't put any water in today, I opened the vent up100% and I cooked pork roast at 250 degrees today. Turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. Was very happy with it. Guess I won't be putting water in anymore.
That's what I like to hear!!!
sausage.gif


I love it when a plan comes together!!
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Bear
 
One thing I did after that was really good was when I wrapped it in tinfoil to get it up to temp after (had to do a quick smoke, was only up to 158 by 4) was put brown sugar and honey in with meat and threw it on bbq and it just gave it a more Amazon flavor!! Was so good and so moist
 
One thing I did after that was really good was when I wrapped it in tinfoil to get it up to temp after (had to do a quick smoke, was only up to 158 by 4) was put brown sugar and honey in with meat and threw it on bbq and it just gave it a more Amazon flavor!! Was so good and so moist
Sounds Good!!

Everybody liking it is the best test !!

Bear
 
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