# Members Mark Propane Smoker



## pg

Is anyone familiar with this smoker? It's a great stainless, insulated, propane, box smoker with pretty good capacity. Works well with one exception, the smoke. It has 2 chip drawers that are located above a "U" shaped burner. Totally inadequate.  The problem is that it does'nt hold enough wood chips to get the job done. I have to constantly refill the chip drawers (every 15 minutes and the smoke flavor is weak. If I could just figure a way to get more smoke in this thing it would be a wonderful unit. As everyone knows Members Mark is a product sold under the Sam's Club system. Any suggestions on modifications that could be made to this unit to make it more smoker friendly?


----------



## Dutch

PG, can you post a picture of the buner/smoke box set up. If there is a way to get a larger chip box above the burner that should help some.


----------



## bob-bqn

I've seen suggestions for using a tin can (such as a bush's bean can) or a cast iron skillet to put wood chunks in on GOSM smokers for increased capacity. But being unfamiliar with Member's Mark it would be a good idea to post a picture as requested.

Finding a way to use chunks will most likely improve your smoke flavor.


----------



## Dutch

Brother Bob is right, chunks will usually go farther. My GOSM smoke box filled to nearly the top with wood chips will last about an hour. And 3 pieces of wood chunks (2X3) will last almost an hour and 15 minutes. Some folks soak the wood before smoking-others don't. The key here is to do a little experimenting to see what WORKS BEST FOR YOU.

I, ah-umm- have found found that experimenting with the wood and then trying SOME MINOR modifications will help reduce the embarrassment factor when you have to answer to your better half  when they ask "What in blue blazes where you thinking?" :oops:


PG I moved this topic down to Porpane Smokers in hopes that more members will see it-not all members visit every forum-hope ya didn't mind-


----------



## ggnutsc

Ok..... Where lack of smoke is concerned, I have a question..... When the wood is pretty much charred and I look in the smoke box and all I see is black and smoldering charcoal, am I still getting anything out of it?? Or is there no smoke from this? 

I don't get as much longevity out of my GOSM as I thought I might. OR...... Is when your down to just lightly smoking charred wood in the box am I getting the desirable "Thin Blue Smoke"? 

I have a friend that is into blacksmithing and we have discussed making a larger smoke box for mine, but I have held off on the idea until now. Maybe some feedback from some of you experts on this will sway me one way or the other.

I can get pretty good temp regulation out of my smoker and quite awhile out of my water supply but I hate having to open the smoke to add wood regularly if I can get around it.  What do you guys/gals think?


----------



## smokin_all_night

About the GOSM, Earl-D is right on here. If you have the large fire box, it should last 2.5 hours if you use larger chunks. I cut mine and make them about 1 inch on a side average with a mix of the one inch, and smaller ones and larger ones.  I line the bottom of the woodbox with chips about 1/2 inch deep and then fill the rest with the chunks. 

About the Member's Mark unit, I saw it at Sam's last season. I was impressed with the solid construction but I did not like the tray that holds the wood chips. My only advice to PG is consistent with Earl's post and mine here, use the largest chips that you can. As I remember this unit, there is really nothing else that you can do short of making or purchasing an external smoke generator.

Regards,
Aubrey Page

OTBS 007


----------



## Dutch

Greg if it's charred and smoldering 'bout all you're getting out of it is minimal heat. On my GOSM I have the air intake dampers set to 50% open and the top damper all the way opened. Using a combination of wood chips and chunks I can go for a while before replentishing the wood supply. When I use sawdust, I really have to pack it in or it will burn down way too fast.


----------



## ggnutsc

Thanks Dutch

I was kind of afraid that was the case..... Looks like a bigger smoke box is gonna be in the works one of these days....

I have done about the same thing as you mentioned about the small pieces/saw dust with chunks on top, and It lasts me a while but I'd like to get more time between adding wood.

 There's a lot of stuff that I have smoked that I don't bother to mop with anything, and it just seems to me that If I can stretch the time in between opening the door to add wood to equal the time to how often I have to add water that I would be able to run it unattended for longer times thus keeping the wife happier thus keeping everyone else in the household happier.


----------



## Dutch

Greg, I've seen a post where the smoke box was replaced with an empty "Bush Baked Bean" can. Can't remember if it was on this site or the one at Yahoo. Maybe someone will remember and list the particulars about the "BBB" mod.


----------



## bob-bqn

Earl, I've seen pictures of the BBCM ( Bush Bean Can Mod ) that we've mentioned on a yahoo mailing list forum, however, they're not there any longer. They were posted by Darren who goes by the login name bbqlvr2000. He came up with the idea back in 2003:

My smoker came from the factory with a small iron "chip box" I just came up with the BBCM to facilitate using Chunks instead of chips. I get longer smoking times with chunks and it also helps keep temps consistent as I don't have to open the smoker door to add chips. Before using the BBCM I had a problem with my chips being burnt up to quickly. I tried soaking but it didn't help.  I took a Bush's Baked Beans can approximately 4 inches across the bottom. I burned it out good (it had a plastic coating on the inside) and now I just put chunks in it and lay it horizontal on the little factory supplied chrome grate. It works fantastic and its cheap!!


That's all I know. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






EDIT: Here is the site that gave Darren the idea and it has some pictures:
http://gassmoker.com/Afterburner_H.htm


----------



## bwsmith_2000

Bob-BQN,
      Good site! I looked at the after burners and also at the wood they sell. I grew up in a farm environment and can't imagine buying those types of wood that we used to have by the acre. But believe it or not, I ordered some Pecan, Peach, Pear and Wild Cherry (can you believe PAYING for Wild Cherry?). But, it's kind of hard to find it here on the beach and I really do enjoy the smoke so what do you do? I'm sure it'l be great. Again, thanks for the site.


----------



## johnnyreb

here is a pic of the can mod, i use a big 'ol coffee can


it gets hot really fast and the smoke starts in a couple of minutes


----------



## Dutch

Thanks CrazyHorse-I'll have to remember to have the wife bring me home some #10 cans from work.


----------



## pg

Responding to my own questions about the Members Mark (Grand Hall) smoker. I contacted Grand hall about my problems. 1) temp readings wrong, 2) water evaporation too quick causing grease fires, and 3) lack of smoke and inconsistant burn of wood chips. They emailed me saying that the have upgrades available to correct these problems and that they would send me the parts to correct them. If they follow through on these corrections I would consider them and stand up company. I will keep you posted. I also own a stainless steel grill, model YO660 built by Grand Hall....I love it!


----------



## pg

Grand Hall came through! They sent me a new chimney with temp gauge, water pan insulator that is suppose to extend the evaporation time to 6 hours, and a heat deflector to reduce the temp in the propane bottle area. 
No questions asked, no cost.

I'm still working on mods to improve the smoke.


----------



## pirate40

PG,  I have been reading up on the mods that you made to your Makers Mark Smoker.  I have been looking at purchasing this particular smoker myself but after reading the posts in this thread, it kinda made me hesitant to buy it.  After reading about the low smoke problem I went back to Sam's Club to investigate a little more.  I did notice that directly above the burner is a removable water tray & tray insert.   Do you think that the water tray could be removed so that  a bean can type smoke box could be inserted on top of the burner? A water pan could be placed on the botton rack instead.  Just a few ideas on the low smoke problem for this smoker.  If I don't buy this particular smoker I will invest in the Great Outdoors Big Block.  Anybody else have any thoughts??

Scott


----------



## pg

Hey, Pirate. I love the smoker, great insulated double wall stainless construction. It does, however have it's shortcomings which I am determined to overcome.

As far as the lack of smoke, if you remove the water tray and the smoke chip drawers, you will see that the actual flame that hits the bottom of the chip drawers is very limited. The drawers are like 16" long, however the chip burning only happens in a 4" area of the drawer.

What I did was to remove the burners and drill holes in the top of the burners to match the length of the drawers, hoping that more of the chips would burn. I did a test to see if this improved the burn. It did, however I haven't had a chance to test under real smoking conditions. I'm sure that Grandhall would not endorse this, and I would only recommend doing it at your own risk.

Hope this helps


----------



## pirate40

PG,  That is a great idea, please let me know how everything turns out once you do a real test.  I like this particular smoker but i want to make sure its going to work for me.  Are you using chips or chunks


----------



## pirate40

Hey PG,
When you get a chance, send me a picture of the modification you did on the burner.  Have you done a real smoke with all the mods you have done so far??

Scott


----------



## pg

The smoker actually worked pretty well out of the box, however I love lots of smoke flavor. Soooo, the Tim Allen in me made me do it.....add horsepower!! I own three muscle cars, so I can't help myself, when it comes to tweaking things to make them perform better.

I will send more pictures this weekend.


----------



## c2500

The following is my opinion on the Members Mark Smoker  (2006) from Sam's...

I had been looking at them for a while and finally convinced the wife that I had to have one.  I bought it, got the monster onto my deck via an appliance dolly and neighbor, and got it assembled.  Before I smoked with it for the first time, I set it on low to see what the temp would be.  It Was close to 300 at the chimmney.  I called Grand Hall, and they ask if I had water in it...which I did not.  (I may be wrong here, but I cannot imagine that water in the pan would have reduced the temp by 100 degrees.) They said it should be reading around 190. They also wanted me to try a different thermometer to see if the one in the chimmney was off.  I ran it again, and the temp did the same thing and my thermometer read 280...slightly less than the chimmney.  I called back and the new rep I got said they had some problems with the gas valves resulting in high temps.  So I waited for them to send the new valve.  After I received it, I went to install it.

Thats when the fun began.  I spent 30 minutes disassembling the unit, and realized I had a whole lot more disassembly time ahead of me. (I am mechanically inclined) The gas valve is not easy to replace.  I figured since it was new, I should not have to battle with it.  So I called Sam's and they said to bring it back.  So I carried it back and got a refund.

Then bought the Big block.

I think the Members Mark smokers are neat, but they do not seem user friendly when it comes to maintenance.

My 2 cents worth....

c2500


----------



## bwsmith_2000

c2500,
     Thank you for the report. I know of two others who are/were seriously looking at the Members Mark Smoker. I'll certainly pass your comments on to them. It's through sharing experiences and knowledge with each other that we can help to make really good decisions. Thanks again!


----------



## sagcalif

I purchased this smoker at the end of July and had the same overheating problem.  They told me they would send a new part and it would get to me in 2 to 3 weeks.  Well the 3 weeks were up today so I called to see what the problem was and was told that the part was back-ordered and they would not get them until the end of September.  They also told me that I was on the bottom of the list because the person I talked to the first time did not put me on the list to receive the part.  

I don't think paying that kind of money for a smoker, I should have to wait over 2 months to use it.  I also don't like doing business with people that sell something they know is defective and do not keep replacement parts on hand (Was told the part comes from overseas by boat).  Needless to say, the smoker is going back to Sam's Club.


----------



## smokey the jer

Not to revive an old thread, but maybe I'll save some folks the troubles that I and others have gone through with the Members Mark Smoker.

The unit is a thing of beauty. I loved the stainless steel construction and thick insulated walls. And the size! I had plans of doing tons of 'Q for church picnics, get togethers - heck, just to keep the freezer stocked!Unfortunately, with the MM beauty is only skin deep. 

The first time I used mine, I could not get the temp below 300 degrees. The chips (and small chunks) in the trays burned - even after they'd been soaked. I had the newer type of chimney and temp gauge. I made sure the water pan was kept full. Couldn't get it cooled down.

An 18 month e-mail and telephone exchange with Grand Hall ensued. The finally sent me what was to be "THE" fix - a smaller gas jet. I installed it, excited that FINALLY I was going to be able to keep the temp down on this smoker! My excitement was short lived - still no go. I finally contacted the Sam's where I bought it, showed them the many e-mails that had gone back and forth and they agreed to let me return it for a full refund. Even though it was the right thing to do, after 18 months I was surprised and impressed with the customer service.

I just got my Cookshack Smokette today, and will be doing up my first bit of 'Q on Tuesday. Standby for success stories!

Jerry


----------



## up in smoke

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sorry all you guys have had so much trouble with your Memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Mark Smokers. I got mine late in November and had that same problem and I got my new brass jet in 3 days, and since then I have had no problem keeping my temps at 220Â°. I wonder what the problem is? I use mine every week, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve done ribs, turkey, canadian bacon, pork butt, chicken, salmon, brisket, in fact, I even used it at Christmas to bake cookies and nut rolls! But I still want a stick burner too!


----------



## troy1216

I have had luck with Jack Daniels wood chips soak them in water first and refile trays every hour and a half it will smoke and smoke it is a grate smoker I want to buy another if I can find one in good shape we use it fore turkey - pork buts and b back ribs it is grate keep the temp at 230 to 250 low and slow 5 hours fore b back ribs and 10 to 12 for pork sholder AKA pork but 5 hours for a 12lb turky we soak the turky in a brine over night you can look up brins on the net this makes the turkey mm good


----------



## tipigun

my smoker works great, after a small change.  poor smoke was caused by chips igniting. solved by making a drawer cover out of a couple pieces of stainless steel , cut and formed to cover drawers, then drilled to allow smoke only to escape. i refill drawers every 45 minutes. after meat reaches 140 degrees it will not except any more smoke, so you can stop filling the boxes. i always get a nice smoke ring. i also use a weber remote temp gauge., so i can hold cooking temp between 200 and 240 degrees. great ribs, pork loins, and beef briskit. you have to be patient, have a good book and plenty of cold adult beverage handy.  good cheer. tipigun


----------



## cajunpatriot

We own 3 of these smokers, all the same Members Mark stainless steel propane smokers.  We have used them extensively, replacing ignitors, screws, bobolts, etc. along the way.  We use:  pecan shells; pecan, cherry, oak, hickory, plum, kiwi, hickory, mesquite, peach, and other woods in the two trays. We have learned to soak the woods, chips, sawdust, shells, etc. much longer than recommended by the manufacturer.  When the smoker is running on high (during a snow or ice storm) as we are doing now, you do have to change refill the two trays in each about every 25 to 30 minutes.  Usually, we don't have to reve it up to high, but can easily smoke at 220 or so at medium to low, changing the trays about every hour.  We have installed additional smoking "cans" in the smoker when greater smoke at the beginning is needed by removing the water tray and inserting cans with many holes (we used a can opener) and the original lid bent back over (we used various size cans--Bush's beans, other cans from canned vegetables, etc.).  We use the smokers about once per week or more with all going all day and all night for several days during holidays and feast times (spring, fall, Thanksgiving, 4th, etc.).  Previously we used numerous charcoal and wood smokers and none have performed as well for as long as have these.  We purchased ours at auctions for much lower than normal price and would like more, if the price (and shipping) is right.  We brine all our meats (as instructed by World Champ Myron Mixon, inject them all (as instructed by Chef Williams of Cajun Injector) and season all with a marinade spray.  The results will be world class BBQ as we are enjoying now (at this very moment) with so many friends and true American heroes (returning wounded military from Afghanistan) and again when we have our Spring BBQ feast in a few more months.


----------



## up in smoke

Heck...I love this smoker!

I just by wood chunks and split them to the size of a deck of cards...they fit jest fine! As far as wrong temp reading...ya gotta keep the smoke build up off the thermometer probe, or use a better gauge. I have been using this smoker for several years and plan on using it till it's wheels fall off (and I don't see that happening for a good while yet)!


----------



## squatch

What do these smokers sell for new? Is $200 a fair price for a lightly used one? My bro-in-law is looking for a first smoker so I told him I would keep an eye open for deals... should I keep looking?

Ad say's "~~Members Mark Stainless professional series smoker, used only a few times, works great, looks great , $200 no trades


----------



## up in smoke

Seems to me when I bought mine...they were $780, then when Sam's couldn't move them they eventually came down to $450, at which time I bought one...still have it and use it a couple times a week...in fact I'm doing 20 lb. of canadian bacon tomorrow...I love mine!!

Had it now for probably 9-10 years...haven't had to replace anything so far...


----------

