# new model master forge vertical two dr smoker ?



## jwgsmoking (Jan 30, 2014)

Hi,

 so this is my first thread please bare with me.I have read about a lot of mods done on the two dr master forge. some say they cant keep temp up/I cant keep it down 325 easy even on low. I have used the wood box on the water pan rack and put a foil water pan on the lowest rack in the top. It did keep the wood from burning and the only prob is it took a hr for it to start smoking. From what I can see my master forge is some what of a update, has a tank holder and wheels for easy moving.So any ideas on temp control and let me just say first pork butt was great and done in 10 hr because of higher heat (wrapped after 3 hrs)  thanks













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a little blurry but you get the idea/


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## davidhef88 (Jan 30, 2014)

Are you going by the factory thermometer mounted on the door?
How many pounds was the butt?


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## jwgsmoking (Feb 3, 2014)

9lb butt and after reading all the post on the master forge I got a oven thermometer and also a wireless food thermometer just hanging plus a long shaft fryer thermometer to compare.The funny thing is that the door is only off by 15 degrees none of them matched but where within 3 degrees of each other .Also have not added a needle to the propane tank so the flow should not be to much.


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 6, 2014)

If you are going to run the a needle valve or turn the factory knob " the other way" you need to be sure you have good wind protection or the flame can easily be blown out.

To forgo a needle valve, once the smoker is ignited, you can turn the knob past the detent back towards the off position (just a little) to lower your flame. Just be sure the flame is high enough as to not blow out while it is left unattended.

Not sure if this will help. But,  below is a thread that has some mods that I did to mine:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/157216/master-forge


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## jwgsmoking (Feb 8, 2014)

Shrimp your mods are great will try them. I found that the door thermometer hole was small and a little drill bit and its fine by the way there is a little screw slot on the back to adjust the thermometer used my new maverick et 732 to get it right on. what do you think of drilling small holes for the probes to go into. Also I took out the water pan and im using a foil bake pan about 3 inch deep it worked really well never had to fill it during a 12 hr pork butt smoke. I saw on your youtube vid that you still use your smoke box any tricks on getting it to smoke faster? took 1 hr to get going last time for me. Last I see your on the treasure coast where do you get your meats? Sam's is my go to so far but cant get a real nice brisket and the ribs are not great either. would like to say thanks for your help.


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi there... Thanks! Yea they really are effective mods (all of them). Good tip on the thermometer! I will keep that in mind if it ever becomes an issue. As it is right  now, it is "spot on". Just a little slow. One thing... If you do decide to build the "wind skirt". Consider whether or not use use it out in the yard or on concrete. I use mine out in the yard, so I made the skirt 1 inch off the ground. If you are using it on concrete, you will want to make the skirt go all the way to the bottom.

I don't see any problem with drilling some holes for your probes? The holes would be really small. So, not a significant loss of heat or smoke. Plus you could use little bits of paper towel to plug them if you needed. Are they not long enough to run through the chimney? That is where I run mine.

After I cut my water pan I never had any problems in the bottom of the smoker ever again.  There are some of the pics of  my mods in this thread: 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/157216/master-forge

Yes! You would be correct! I still use the factory wood chip tray for "hot smoking". I only use the Cold Smoke Generator for "cold smoking" Cheese and Veggies. I have never had any issues with getting the wood chip tray hot. I run the thing on high for the first 15 minutes before loading, to warm everything up. This gets those wood chips going. I also do not use chips. I buy the  big bags of "chunks" and split them into 1/2 inch slivers. I also only smoke for the first 1 to 1.5 hours ans that is all. I think most people tend to "over smoke". Even after the chunks have turned black and visibly quit smoking.... They are still smoking, you just cannot see it, the smell is definitely there. I have read where some folks have drilled new holes to lower the chip tray rack up to 1 inch, to get the tray closer to the flame. Maybe that is an option for you? If you do that, I would start at 1/2 inch and move down from there.

I can measure my distance from the top of the burner to the bottom of the chip tray. Maybe yours has a discrepancy there? These things are made in China, so I imagine things like this are a little different on all of them....

Lastly I live near Sebastian, so I make a trip to Petty's in Melbourne for meats. It is an awesome meat market. Lots of stuff in there! Very interesting place. I have seen one in Ft. Pierce up on U.S. 1 just South of that huge Marine Liquidators place. I plan to drop in there this week and have a look. Cant think of the name. It looks like a "real meat market" from the road. We are selling our house and moving down to Stuart sometime this year. So, I need to find a good one down there!


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 9, 2014)

Here you go... Not sure if this will help you or not. It is about 3 inches from the floor to the bottom of the chip pan, 13/16 " from the top of the burner to the floor and it looks like holes could be drilled to lower the chip pan brackets up to 1 inch. Maybe drill one hole 1/2 inch down and another towards the bottom to drop it 1 full inch.

When I unboxed my smoker, the chip pan was/is warped and I never took the time to straighten it. So, I took that measurement from the left side, just inside that handle.

Floor to chip pan:













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Top of burner to floor:













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Room to move brackets down and drill here:













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## jwgsmoking (Feb 10, 2014)

Hey Shrimp

 Thanks again for the suggestions.  I will try the water pan mod soon.  As far as the skirt, I usually cook on a cement slap so we will leave it at the level you suggested.  It occurred to me that I have been placing the wood chip box on the water tray shelf as per a lot of suggestions I have read about the wood chips catching fire instead of smoking on the lower level. 

Do you soak your wood chips or burn them dry?

After speaking with a few co-workers the have suggested some meat markets Best Choice in Ft. Pierce at 11950 Orange Ave or Papa's Meat Market at 823 Orange Ave.  I am going to check them out this week so I will keep you posted. 

Born in Stuart, great town, If I remember anything else I will get back to you.  Thanks for the pics.


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 11, 2014)

Oh.... OK.... Yea.... Try lowering the chip pan before you drill anything. 

Using the factory water pan will help keep your temps down if you are having high heat issues. Putting a little sand in the bottom and covering with foil will help even more. I never do... But, I see where some people have.

Yes, I soak my slivers in water and cider when I pull the meats out of the fridge. Usually about an hour or two before the cook. I only smoke for about the first 1.5 hrs. That always seems to be plenty. I think most folks tend to "over smoke".

Let me know what you find out about those markets. Thanks! I'm driving by that one up by Marine Liquidators today. I'll check it out on the way home.

Were shopping for a smaller older house up around Manatee Pocket, Pirates Cove area. We like it over there as we fish, dive, etc... Lots of boat repair places and easy access to water.



Edit: 

We could not make it by there on the way back home today. We went home another way. We are staying out at Ft. Pierce Inlet Friday night. So, I will pop up there on Friday. This one is only a couple miles from the Inlet. It is called "Guys Quality Meats".


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## jwgsmoking (Feb 13, 2014)

Hey Shrimp,

    I have heard good things about guys but have not been myself so let me know if the prices are reasonable. My issue with the smoke taking so long is probable due to the fire box not on its racks but I was trying to avoid the wood from burning instead of smoking. Did I miss on your post of your mods about how you cut your water pan? Seems a little strong for snips. Work has been really busy so will be Monday before I  get to the market going to try and get some ribs and brisket will let you know what I find out about them. Oh I did use the chimney for my thermometer last time so will just stick with that for my maverick  et732. Thanks again


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 13, 2014)

I have never had an issue with them actually burning. They just smolder in there. I started a small 4 pound "pastrami brisket" this morning around 8am. I put about 7 slivers of wood in there and I am still getting nice thin blue smoke. I will probably "smoke" this one about 3 hrs. I'll post a few pics here to include the water pan. I used the "yellow handled" tin snips to cut the pan. Then just rolled back the long pieces by hand. If you are careful it is pretty easy. Just go slow. It does take some strength to bend that metal by hand. It takes a little bit of work to make it look nice. I also snipped every sharp corner at a tiny 45 degree angle so all of those corners don't cut your hands.

Cut up Apple and Cherry chunks:













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Water pan mod Top View:













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Water pan mod Angle View:













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4lb. Pastrami Brisket today:













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Windy as hell today. Blowing 25 to 35! Wind skirt is working perfectly!













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## theshrimppimp (Feb 13, 2014)

Oh... Almost forgot... This is something else you can do without modding anything. For longer cooks, like the Brisket I'm doing today, I move the chip box and water pan up on top of the racks instead of in the middle of the slot. This gets both pieces up about another inch without drilling any holes. The chunks in this picture have been in there about 45 minutes. They are wet with cider and water. Barely smoking...













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## jwgsmoking (Feb 13, 2014)

Hey shrimp Just got home and have to say your not joking about the wind. Hope your smoke turns out great. Will see about getting a pair of yellow snips for the pan thanks. So does the ale go into the chips? It has made me hungry already. luckily the wife is doing her crock pot pork roast. Let us know how things turned out ,good eating!


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 13, 2014)

Ha! Good lord no! The Angry Orchard is for the humans... I soaked the wood in a little cider and water. It turned out really good. I'm a little surprised at how good it turned out. Took 10 hours start to finish. I will do this again in the summer. Great for sandwiches while out in the boat!













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## theshrimppimp (Feb 15, 2014)

jwgsmoking said:


> Hey Shrimp,
> 
> I have heard good things about guys but have not been myself so let me know if the prices are reasonable.


We stayed at Ft. Pierce Inlet Friday and today.... Kind of weird out there. Not too bad. We are "feeling the area out"... We are definitely pushing down towards Port Salerno, Stuart area now. Ft. Pierce is just a little too "dumpy".... We went into "Guys Meat Market" today on the way home. Nice little place! Kind of small, but good selection and pretty good prices. Great prices on big containers of spices! Meat prices were better than average. Probably due to location (if you know what I mean). They carry a VERY wide variety of "stuff", so there is a bit of a "smell" in there... But, that is only because they are dealing in just about everything.

I liked it! I plan to try some of there Ribs and maybe a couple chuck roasts over then next few weeks "just to see".

I got home late this evening and it was cool out, so I Cold Smoked some Cheese! Gotta do it now while it is still cool out...

Not sure about the "protocol" for posing pics from inside stores on this forum? I took a couple pics in the store and they were asking questions as to why! LOL! I just told them, I liked their store...

Anyway... Smoked some Cheese tonight in the MFPS! Turned out great.... Now the waiting...

The inlet yesterday evening...













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Cheese to smoke













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Lined up













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Starting Generator













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Smoky













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Smoked













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## jwgsmoking (Feb 17, 2014)

Shrimp the pics look great made me hungry! hope your stay was fun,yes ft pierce is unique to say the least lol! I am going up to guys soon to get some meats sounds like you got some good deals. Been under the weather so looking forward to starting the mods this up coming weekend. will get back to you with some good pics. Hopefully!


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## backyardboss (Feb 17, 2014)

How long did you smoke the cheese? looks pretty great. I'm waiting on my AMTS from Amazen, and have been hoarding various cheeses on sale for about 2 months now. Wife it getting _really_ worked up about the garage fridge being "full" all the time. lol

anxious to give it a go while the temps are still down. Did the cheese go over the apple and cherry chunks also?


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 19, 2014)

Backyardboss said:


> How long did you smoke the cheese? looks pretty great. I'm waiting on my AMTS from Amazen, and have been hoarding various cheeses on sale for about 2 months now. Wife it getting _really_ worked up about the garage fridge being "full" all the time. lol
> 
> anxious to give it a go while the temps are still down. Did the cheese go over the apple and cherry chunks also?


Right about 3.5 hrs. I used Hickory for these 2 but was running low by the end. So, I used a couple pieces of Apple at the end. I also had a large stainless bowl of ice in there just in case. Temps outside that night were right around 50 degrees. It never got over 50 inside the smoker.

I know what you mean about the "garage fridge"! Ours is packed too. We need to start eating some of that stuff...


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## jwgsmoking (Feb 24, 2014)

Hey shrimp just wanted to say thanks for the mods ideas got the water pan and wind skirt done then smoked 3 racks of ribs. only prob i had was the smoke chips caught fire again. got the smoker to temp and put the chips in and right before the ribs where put on the box was flaming so added more chips wet this time and at very low heat waited 30 min for the temp to get to 225 and the smoke to flow but in the long run great eats sorry no pics was trying to do 15 things at once and my 2yo was not having it. Lol!


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## theshrimppimp (Feb 24, 2014)

Ha, Ha! Right on man.... Those kids will "wear you out"!

Sounds good. Can't go wrong with ribs and they are so easy! Where did you get them from? Post some pics next time!

I did some Teriyaki Skirt steak and some more Loin Back ribs this past weekend! God they were good! May have to do it again this week! LOL!

You know, I was thinking too.... Maybe your "regulator" is bad if you are having out of control temp issues? If you got a turkey frier or another grill, you should try swapping them out and see if you get the same result?

Were you able to keep it around 225 fairly easy? I am assuming you were having some spikes if your chips were catching fire.


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## jwgsmoking (Feb 25, 2014)

Hey Shrimp had no prob with temp staying between 215-240 but the fire issue was prob due to me wanting the temp up quick and not just letting it take its own time. How long does it usually take for you to get up to temp and smoking? used alot less gas this time as well.Be leave it or not got  the ribs from sams club. They where really good cuts as well just had to do the trimming then half them as they would not fit in the smoker other wise.lol! Still looking for a good brisket but sam's also had good pork butts got two 8lb butts in one pack have to look them over but they do have great meat just dont go on a Saturday its all for the mass shoppers. will work on pics next time hopefully the 2yo will be cooperative. Going to try one more smoke before switching out to my fryer's burner hose and regulator.


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## theshrimppimp (Mar 7, 2014)

Hey man.... I was in "Guys" again today on the way home. They had some of the thickest, juiciest loin backs I have ever seen! They were not on sale, but I could not pass them up. I'll see if I can get a pic up later. I got the last 2 racks! Also, got some spices and bacon. Good prices on bulk spice.

I'll check out those other 2 markets next time I'm up that way. I totally forgot about them.

Still looking for houses. I think were going to wait a few months and start looking again. Every time we call about one "it is already under contract"... Tired of being let down.


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