Masterbuild XL Mods - Post your mods here!

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Iv did all of the common known mods to my xl however I would like to share this on with SMF.
I got mt xl 40 back in July of 2012 well about 2 months later I needed a new cabin due to one brass fittings that was bad so masterbuilt sent me a new cabin so I figured why toss the bad one right... ;-).
Well here it is.



I went to Home Depot and picked up a chimney vent






 
first, awesome mod! I want an extra cabinet now!

second, I believe the smokers are now on sale at bass pro again.... if I didn't miss the sale end, they at least were 159.97

I got mine for 150 a couple years ago when it was on sale.... 160 aint bad.
 
I hate to beat a dead horse, but if I put my skillet on top of the original chip pan that will be fine? also are u guys just putting the chips in the skillet open  or wrapping them in tin foil with holes in it?
 
I hate to beat a dead horse, but if I put my skillet on top of the original chip pan that will be fine? also are u guys just putting the chips in the skillet open  or wrapping them in tin foil with holes in it?
I throw mine in the open pan and have never had a problem.

Edit: I did close the holes under the raised parts of the stock pan and that's what I use.
 
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They are on Sale at Bass Pro for $159.97.  I picked mine up the other day and upon putting it together I was disappointed to see several quality issues.  There were poor welds - one with a sharp piece of slag and one rusty weld. The sheet metal on the face of the body was buckled at the lower corner causing the door not to seal properly.  There were scratches in the paint, paint missing on one of the hinges and rust inside of the smoker.  The box was perfect from shipping so this was obviously an overlooked quality issue at the factory in China.. Sure I could have fixed these things myself but why should I? So this morning I contacted Masterbuilt and they are sending me a new smoker body.  I guess I can use the old smoker body for storage of my wood chips and cooking utensils.  I was thinking of putting it on casters and use it as a supply cabinet and prep station while smoking.

One concern I had while putting together my XL, I noticed that the burner tube is not centered with the valve orifice.  Is this normal?  It appears that I can't center this or make adjustments.
 
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Hey everyone, I am trying to get the mods together for my new XL. I just had a couple questions.
1- What did you use for gasket material to seal the door better?
2- What is the preferred method to mod the chip tray? Homemade rack or screws.
3- I see a few people have put casters on the legs. Do you mount them to the legs or connect the legs with boards then put the casters?
4- I bought an 11.5" x14.5 lasagna pan, how was the water mod done? Did you mount the pan length wise or across the box?
Thanks in advance. Tom
 
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Hey everyone, I am trying to get the mods together for my new XL. I just had a couple questions.
1- What did you use for gasket material to seal the door better?
2- What is the preferred method to mod the chip tray? Homemade rack or screws.
3- I see a few people have put casters on the legs. Do you mount them to the legs or connect the legs with boards then put the casters?
4- I bought an 11.5" x14.5 lasagna pan, how was the water mod done? Did you mount the pan length wise or across the box?
Thanks in advance. Tom
For a chip pan, I purchased a 12" cast iron skillet.  I drilled three holes through the extreme perimiter of the skillet, then put a bolt/nut combo through each hole. With the right length bolts, you can adjust the height of the pan.  (  bolt {------------Nut pan Nut--------), except vertical, not horizontal.  I'm not overly concerned about sealing the door .. the unit holds temperature perfectly and the smoke has to go somewhere.  Seal the door, and all the smoke will go out the back vent.  I honestly haven't had a lack of smoke flavor in any of the smokes I've done.

As far as water pan, just get a big aluminum turkey roaster pan at the supermarket (About $2.00).  Place in on top of the water tray rack.  The only reason I can see doing this is to catch more drippings and not get the bottom of the smoker so dirty.  The best "mod" I can recommend is the Maverick et73 dual sensor thermometer .. it has two probes .. one for the meat and the other clips on to the smoker rack so you know EXACTLY what your smoking temperature is.  It has a remote sending unit so you can monitor from your recliner, and you can set it to alarm when smoker temperature goes above or below specific temperatures.  Also, will alarm when meat reaches a set temperature.  Pretty nice piece of gear for around $35.00.
 
For a chip pan, I purchased a 12" cast iron skillet.  I drilled three holes through the extreme perimiter of the skillet, then put a bolt/nut combo through each hole. With the right length bolts, you can adjust the height of the pan.  (  bolt {------------Nut pan Nut--------), except vertical, not horizontal.  I'm not overly concerned about sealing the door .. the unit holds temperature perfectly and the smoke has to go somewhere.  Seal the door, and all the smoke will go out the back vent.  I honestly haven't had a lack of smoke flavor in any of the smokes I've done.

As far as water pan, just get a big aluminum turkey roaster pan at the supermarket (About $2.00).  Place in on top of the water tray rack.  The only reason I can see doing this is to catch more drippings and not get the bottom of the smoker so dirty.  The best "mod" I can recommend is the Maverick et73 dual sensor thermometer .. it has two probes .. one for the meat and the other clips on to the smoker rack so you know EXACTLY what your smoking temperature is.  It has a remote sending unit so you can monitor from your recliner, and you can set it to alarm when smoker temperature goes above or below specific temperatures.  Also, will alarm when meat reaches a set temperature.  Pretty nice piece of gear for around $35.00.
Best tool for smoking, grilling and general cooking
 
Hi I just got a Masterbuilt XL gas smoker for Father's Day. I have done a few thing, went to stove shop put seal around door work grate ,replace smoke box with a cast iron pan. Put two quater inch thick metal on rim and iron pan on top. Now the lowest temp. I can get is 246 f. Is there any way to get lower temp. And not getting smoke I want any help

Frank4820
 
Can you describe more specifically what type of smoke you are getting?  Not enough, too cloudy and white?  What are you using 

As far as lower temps, I think the best thing you can do is increase the draft with a chimney on top, if you take the flame much lower I think I would have a problem getting the smoke I want especially with a big cast iron pan. Those are both mods that will be going on my new one when I can figure out how to cobble it together.  Until I get it running perfect I will keep using my regular size GOSM.  

Also a larger water pan should help bring temps down a bit, I know alot of people use gravel but I like to run water, the fact that it won't get hotter than 212 degrees is a big factor to me.  
 
I have a twelve inch cast iron pan I'll go after the water pan, the smoke is lite white now if I take it over 250 I get a bit more. Write now I used a egg smoker get nice smoke, maybe looking for more than I should in the smoke! One more thing I found a cover call Masterbuilt told them were dumb not to have a cover for this unit,like talking to a wall.went to LOWS the cover is called Patio Armor stack chairs cover. 30" L x27"w x48"h nice fit $20.00 check it out

Frank4820
 
What are you using to generate you smoke?  I get white smoke when using chips in my propane smokers like this, I have great luck with larger chunks.

Also are you soaking your wood?
 
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The gasket for the door I went to a place that sells fireplaces thay have all kinds of gasket and cement
 
How close is the bottom of your skillet/chip pan to the black metal cylinder that the burner is mounted in ?  If it is too close it can hamper draft and affect temps.
 
I went from chips to chunks to now pellets in a 12" tube smoker.  The tube smoker was the best investment as I can fill it, light it, and smoke for almost 4 hours before having to refill. Still a great smoke and great flavor.

However, I am now looking to upgrade to a larger smoker that can accommadate a full rack of ribs without having to cut or stand on their side.
 
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