# New Smoker from Wyoming



## smokininthewind (Jul 15, 2008)

Hello all -

Just plugged in my new Masterbuilt 30" Electric, and am pre-seasoning it (to taste, lol) per instruction manual.  Got the smoker sitting right next to my trusty old Weber. 

Tried slow-cooking on the Weber through the years with some success with ribs, but it's too hard to maintain constant low temp on it. (I followed an old Weber recipie for ribs years ago and think I invented rib jerky!).

I retired not too long ago, now working part time, and finally have the chance to sit back on my porch and S-L-O-W cook some good food! I'm excited to start with something easy tomorrow. Will a few game hens smoke okay?

Looking forward to joining the community of smokers and maybe asking for a little help once in a while.

Smoke on!


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## cowgirl (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome aboard, glad to have you here. Game hens will smoke just fine.


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## dennisdocb (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome to the world of smoke. Great place and Great people here


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## bigbear (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome to the SMF from Oregon!  You'll realy enjoy all the good stuff from this forum, and the great people.

Game hens (and all the other small game birds, quail, chuckur, patridge etc.) smoke well but they are really delicate.  It's very easy for the leg and wing tips to burn quickly.  Put some foil around them and go low and slow and you will have wonderful meal!  Use mild woods like the fruit woods or alder. And enjoy everyday of your retirement!

Happy smokin'


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## smokininthewind (Jul 15, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions, BigBear. Just how low and slow should I go with the game hens?  I was thinking of setting to 225* and using my remote thermometer to gauge doneness, perhaps in 3 - 4 hours.  Can I get smoke from my Masterbuilt below 225?


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## smokin out the neighbors (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, happy to have you here.


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## ronp (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome aboard.

That is the only thing I smoked that didn't come out outstanding, kinda dry. Maybe it was something I did. 

As far as getting smoke, as soon as the element starts heating you will get smoke. Hope this helps.


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## shooterrick (Jul 16, 2008)

Welcome to the site.  About those game hens never smoked myself.  Would guess a good brine and injection would help the dryness


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## kookie (Jul 16, 2008)

Welcome to the smf.....................


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## bbqgoddess (Jul 16, 2008)

I ditto ShooterRick!
Congrats on the retirement! Happy smokes!!
BBQG


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## waysideranch (Jul 16, 2008)

Welcome SITW.  Game hens make great smokes.  Hope you try the brining technique.


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## smokininthewind (Jul 17, 2008)

Here's my very first offspring from the Masterbuilt 30".  I took your suggestions and brined for about 4 hours with kosher salt, worcestershire sauce and a little sugar.

At 225*, the dang thing took 6 hours to reach 170 in the breast meat!!!  Maybe it was the late dinner hour, but it tasted really good and moist, perhaps thanks to brining and me putting hot water in the tray(?). It was a little salty to my taste, but had a nice, smoky flavor, but with no smoke ring.

The skin did not come out crisp, and was a little rubbery.  Any ideas on why that might be?

And why would it take 6 hours to cook?  I know that low and slow is the way to go, but 6 hours for a little critter like that???


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## pineywoods (Jul 17, 2008)

Looks good nice first smoke on the new smoker 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






After you brine rinse well this will remove most of the salt. The low and slow is great for the meat but not so good for the skin. You can always throw it on a hot grill for a couple minutes to crisp up the skin. Six hours does seem a bit long but you never know. Are you using a thermometer at grate level or just going by the thermometer on the smoker? The thermos on the smokers are usually wrong and often way wrong mines off about 50*


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## jbchoice1 (Jul 17, 2008)

six hours is a bit long it seems.  welcome.  kick off yer shoes and stay a while.


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## grothe (Jul 17, 2008)

Totally agree! Checked thermos on my smoker and grill, both were off about 50*. Don't trust the originals - junk!!!


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## bigbear (Jul 17, 2008)

Smokin- sorry I didn't see your response to my post and get you an answer earlier.  My guess at the long cooking time is your thermometer could be way off.  Check it out in boiling water or some other method.  These little birds should only take a couple of hours.

The skin could be related to the heat as well.  Also, did you coat them with EVOO?


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## smokininthewind (Jul 18, 2008)

Thanks to all for your support and suggestions for this newbie!

I used a Weber-branded, remote thermometer with the probe in the breast meat. Waited until it hit 168, which took those 6 long hours. Maybe this bird is made of a lot of insulation and a little meat 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Based on past experience with the thermometer, a reading of 168 is about 170*.  I had recently checked its accuracy.  In boiling water, the thermometer reads around 204, but then again, I live at 6200' so that boiling point should be about right.

How do I best check the accuracy of the Masterbuilt's thermostat/thermometer reading?  Place an oven thermometer on a middle rack?


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## richoso1 (Jul 18, 2008)

Welcome to the best smokin' site this side of Mars, SMF that is.


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## norrell6 (Jul 19, 2008)

Hey Smokinthewind,

I think what you need is an oven thermometer that you can set on the grate to gauge what your air temp is inside the grill. Using the probe thermometer in your meat is absolutely the best thing to do. But if you do not know what the exact temp is inside the smoker, it is very hit or miss when your food will be done. The built in thermometer in most smokers is very inaccurate and an oven thermometer is a cheap and accurate alternative.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!


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## pineywoods (Jul 19, 2008)

Spam reported go away qrst353


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## smokininthewind (Jul 19, 2008)

FYI, I purchased a cheapie oven thermometer, laid it on the middle rack (the rack near what I think is the temp sensor for the thermostat on my Masterbuilt), and checked against the MES's readout. Once the temp stabilized at 225*, the on-rack oven thermometer read about 224*.  I think that's close enough for now. (Still scratching my head over my game hen taking 6 hours to be done).

Today, I intend to smoke my first rack o' ribs, using mustard coating, then a rub.  Is it possible/aviseable to use my digital thermometer probe for the ribs? Seems it'd be hard to stick in the probe since its only baby backs, not super meaty.  If I use the probe, at what temp should I call it done?

Thanks for all your help to this newbie. You folks are great!

P.S.: Cheyenne Frontier Days, the largest outdoor rodeo, starts today. Anyone gonna be in town for that?


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