# Pre season of the master built 30 electric smoker



## kurt910 (Oct 19, 2015)

When I went to do the pre seasoning of my master built electric smoker. I put water in the pan and went through the whole process. Should I go back through the process again, with no water in the pan?


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## brickguy221 (Oct 19, 2015)

Kurt910 said:


> When I went to do the pre seasoning of my master built electric smoker. I put water in the pan and went through the whole process. Should I go back through the process again, with no water in the pan?


If you heated it per instructions and used wood chips per instructions, then no, you don't need to do it again, water or not.


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## topfuel (Oct 28, 2015)

It says in the manual do NOT put water in the water tray, it has that oily film, I guess pull it out and look it over.


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## Bearcarver (Oct 28, 2015)

It doesn't matter.

You'll probably never put water in your pan once you use it awhile.

Bear


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 28, 2015)

Heating to burnoff manufacturing oils and getting rid of odd smells, is more important than the first addition of smoke. Just start smoking, you will be fine...JJ


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## daricksta (Oct 29, 2015)

Kurt910 said:


> When I went to do the pre seasoning of my master built electric smoker. I put water in the pan and went through the whole process. Should I go back through the process again, with no water in the pan?


You sound like me, concerned that I made a major mistake with something. I agree with the advice here but I think you really want to pre season it again without the water. If it gives you peace of mind go ahead and do it if you haven't already. In the long run how you pre-seasoned the smoker won't mean a thing.


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 29, 2015)

Unfortunately. the Seasoning of a smoker, that which gives the magical extra flavor, does not come with a couple hours of pre-seasoning smoke in a new smoker. It takes many many hours of smoke and buildup over weeks or months. Look at the top restaurants in Texas, KC and Carolina's. Fifty year old pits with inches of burnt on grease and smoke. I have 2 MES40's, mine in NJ is one season old and my Daughter has the 4 year old smoker in PA. Her meat just taste better, my recipes, my timing, but a well seasoned pit. 

If it makes you feel better, light it up and let the smoke flow. If you are Hungry, throw some meat in and let the magic begin...JJ


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## daricksta (Oct 30, 2015)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Unfortunately. the Seasoning of a smoker, that which gives the magical extra flavor, does not come with a couple hours of pre-seasoning smoke in a new smoker. It takes many many hours of smoke and buildup over weeks or months. Look at the top restaurants in Texas, KC and Carolina's. Fifty year old pits with inches of burnt on grease and smoke. I have 2 MES40's, mine in NJ is one season old and my Daughter has the 4 year old smoker in PA. Her meat just taste better, my recipes, my timing, but a well seasoned pit.
> 
> If it makes you feel better, light it up and let the smoke flow. If you are Hungry, throw some meat in and let the magic begin...JJ


You just remarked on something I've commented about for a while. If you look at pro smokers either in restaurants, competitions, on TV, the insides of all of them are black with all the stuff you described. I understand newbies wanting to keep their smokers liking as new as the day they opened the carton but--c'mon, guys! A smoker was meant to be used and to look used. I look with the same askance at people who strive to scrub their stainless steel cookware spotlessly clean! Look in any restaurant kitchen--you won't see spotless cookware unless they're brand new. And they won't look like that for long.

Now, I do clean carbon buildup and spots were grease has pooled and thickened but remains soft. But that's as far as I go.


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## travisty (Nov 27, 2015)

I just purchased an MES 30" myself, it is the sportsman elite one from Cabelas. They had is on sale for $150 plus including a free masterbuilt 30" cover! I couldn't pass it up. Currently I use a charcoal smoker, so im excited to have one around that I can set and forget, then ill use my chargriller duo for the "delicate" jobs. Ive worked up quite a nice season on that smoker! I had an old (slightly modified) Big Chief back in the day which I used a few times per week for salmon when I lived in AK and I had built up a very nice thick layer of goodness on that thing and it had an amazing smell to it right when you walked out side. I was trying to sell it when I was moving, but no one wanted it because they thought it was all dirty and said I should have been cleaning it, so I ended up just giving it to a friend who always envied the seasoning of the thing. Obviously not an amazing smoker out of the box, but I was able to turn out some awesome flavors with that thing, and my buddy who I gave it to had an MES 40 that he could never quite get the flavors I could. 

Anyway thank you for all of the info, ill run mine with various chips for a few hours, then throw some meat in while its still warm!


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