# Masterbuilt Propane Smoker questions "Temp control, Temp measurment"



## fast4drss

I am new to the forum. I purchased a Masterbuilt Two Door Propane Smoker.

1. I am having issues stabilizing the temps. The temp appears to drop and not recover after I add any meats (even If I preheat the unit).

    Any suggestions?

2. Where is the best place to measure the temps. The door temp meter does not appear to be accurate.

    a. The door will display ~150 deg F.

    b. I placed a probe type temp gauge in the back vent. It has about a 6" probe. It will read about 225 to 250 deg F.

    c. I used a Infrared Thermometer and the temp on the bottom rack is about 200 deg F.

 Are there inexpensive digital units (~$50) with a extended probe that could be placed in the unit and hang from the rack?

Any advice will be welcomed. I want to do a couple of chickens for TGiving.


----------



## no peek n

you always want to put your meat closest to the top of the smoker and read the temp at grate level of the Butt or Ribs, or Brisket,at the top also, do yourself a favor and get the Maverick ET-732, pull the temp probe in the back vents at the top and clip it on the top grate even with the meat, and that is where the meat is going to be in the right heat level













photo 3.JPG



__ no peek n
__ Feb 13, 2013


















IMG_0011.JPG



__ no peek n
__ Feb 12, 2013
__ 6


----------



## fast4drss

No Peek n - Thanks for the advice on the temp gauge.

How do you keep the temps stable?

The temp drops and it has a hard time recovering.


----------



## vmastros

Turn the knob and monitor. Eventually you will find the spot where the control wants to be.


----------



## no peek n

The temp is going to drop down to about 190* after you open the door and toss in another chunk, do it as fast as you can, and the temp will take about 10min to creep back up, if it takes too long just tap the knob up a little until it get to about 235*, then tap it back down a bit, I  put a little dab of green nail polish on the spot where mine stays at 225* on the nose, but if you have too much of a breeze, you might have to sheild the bottom around the legs to keep the temp stable


----------



## fast4drss

Thanks All.

I was fairly good with my Grill. I just have not got the knack of my smoker. I am a NUG after all.

I see some serious good looking birds on the forum....








I just need to get there.


----------



## smokeusum

My XLMB factory thermo is way off; I use a little oven thermo that sits on the rack, or can hang from an upper rack.


----------



## no peek n

For everybody out there, "Go get a Maverick ET-732, and you never have to look or worrie about the inside temp, or the gauge on the door of the MB, The Mav was the best investment I have ever made....













Picture 007.jpg



__ no peek n
__ Feb 27, 2012


















Picture 009.jpg



__ no peek n
__ Feb 27, 2012


















IMG_0018.JPG



__ no peek n
__ Feb 21, 2012


----------



## samntrllr

I am waiting on my MB 30 propane to arrive.   Trying to read about all the necessary mods.  Have the ET 732 on the way and have my cast iron skillet.   Was reading about the benefit of adding an in line needle valve and saw Bayou has one made up for 1-10 psi.  This is a replacement hose that already has the needle valve.   It seems like the way to go as it is only $10 more than the value by itself.   Want to have the nursery ready by the time the baby arrives.  How am I doing?


----------



## thatcho

No Peek n is right. Make sure to get you a A-maze-n smoker this unit works great for cold smoking. After a couple smokings you will get the hang of temp. control.


----------



## shusswap

I'm just breaking in my 2-door MSE gas smoker.  The lowest continuous temp I can get is 205F.  On another forum the regulars start their smoker at 130F for an hour to dry the sausage then start smoking and boosting temp a few degrees every half hour until at about 180F  over a 2-4 hr smoke.  Most finish in the oven or by poaching to get the IT of 145F.  I'd like to get my temp down - any suggestions?


----------



## ericwp3

Hi all,

I've been reading many threads here and there's lots of great information. Thank you all. That said, I still can't get the temperature to stabilize in my Masterbuilt 30" propane smoker and it seems like I have to babysit the beast every few minutes to keep the temps from getting too high or two low. I'm also not getting nearly enough smoke and not sure what I'm doing wrong.

In theory, I should be able to add room temperature meats to the smoker at ~225 and the smoker temperature should eventually get to 225 and stay there. Is this incorrect and is it normal to have to adjust the temperature every 15 minutes or so to maintain temperature? It seems like I should be able to get the temperature stabilized and go away for a couple of hours without having to be so neurotic about temperatures. I assume that as the meat temp rises, I will need less heat and will need to turn down the temps a bit--maybe once an hour--but I shouldn't have to do this every few minutes.

Also, at 225 the wood chips are not smoking nearly enough. The other day I cooked up a batch of chicken pieces for about 3 hours, which came out overcooked with hardly any smoke flavor. If I raise the temp any higher, I get smoke but then the temp's too high for "low and slow".

At this point I can't get consistent smoke or temperatures, which results in less than ideal results and much sadness.

Below is what I've done so far:

1.) Use an 8" cast iron pan on top of the provided chip tray to keep the wood chips from catching fire.

2.) Sealed the door with heat-resistant gaskets to keep smoke from leaking too much.

3.) Prayed

Next steps:

1.) Purchase a Maverick ET732 to measure meat and smoker temps

2.) Purchase A-Maze-n Pellet Smoker? Any problems using this with the MB 30 propane and does the unit set right on top of the burner? What do I do with the 10lbs of wood chips I have? :-/

Anyway, if all you experts out there could weigh in and tell me what I'm doing wrong, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks for your help.

Eric


----------



## travisitguy

Are you using a water tray or sand?

I have a 40" MB gas and found that I need to leave the damper half to full open to maintain temps. I haven't sealed the door yet since it doesn't leak to bad in my opinion. I use the skillet and wood chunks or wood chips that have soaked for about 30mins tops. I have to add wood every 1.5-2hrs.


----------

