# question about seasoning my new electric smoker



## fl girl (May 31, 2012)

I have a question. I am seasoning my new masterbuilt 30 electric smoker. Should I wet the chips or put them in dry? Any help would be great.

Thanks


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## scarbelly (May 31, 2012)

I would leave them dry - but I never we chips for anything - just my personal choice


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## smokinhusker (May 31, 2012)

I don't wet them.


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## Dutch (May 31, 2012)

Go with dry-if you wet them the heat and water on the chips will create steam and everyone knows that water and oil don't mix. You are going to wipe down or spray the interior of your smoker with cooking oil or a cooking spray, right?  If you use wet chips your seasoning will appear spotty on the interior.


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## deltadude (May 31, 2012)

You can do both, I personally soak my chips, either way after you season your smoker and you add meat, do NOT put in a handful of chips.  Smoke is just like seasoning, to much and you ruin your meat.  For the MES start out with 8-12 chips only, about 20 minutes later add another batch of chips same quantity, after the 3rd batch you can increase the quantity a little because you have a hot bed of ash, but be careful too much chips and you get black smoke.  Black smoke is creosote, which imparts a real bitter taste to your meat, which is nothing but bad. 

When you first put chips in you will get white smoke, you will get white smoke with both dry or wet chips.  Since you are putting in so little amount of chips if they are soaked the amount of white smoke will be the same, there is not enough moisture to create steam.  Yeah you can hear the chips sizzle when you put them into the tray that is the exterior moisture of loose water, since you most likely will take the chips right out of whatever you are soaking them in.  Since you can't use a lot of chips in the MES that is why I soak mine to get a few extra minutes of burn/smoke time. 

The white smoke will settle down into TBS (thin blue smoke) this is what you desire, TBS will not smell bitter coming out of the vent (BTW keep your vent wide open in the MES if using wood chips.  TBS actually has a sweet smell, and that is what is kissing your meat adding flavor.  Remember, after the 3rd dump of chips there is hot ash inside and even though the visible smoke will dissipate your meat is still getting smoke, just smell at the vent that is one way to tell.

I usually add a couple of wood chunks to get a little extra time.  Some even add a couple of briquettes, which inconsistently can help create the pink smoke ring in pork & beef.  However typically electric smokers do not produce the smoke ring, yet the meat is well smoked and just as flavorful as meat that has the smoke ring.

GL with your MES


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