# I just smoked for the first time on my Smoke Hollow Smoke-tronix 40" smoker!



## TSR6 (Aug 25, 2018)

You may remember my previous post - and I'm back!

I was going back and forth between the Smoke Tronix and the MES40 - well, I thought the Smoke Tronix had some neat additional features.  Masterbuilt must have thought so too, as they apparently bought out Smoke Hollow.  Whatever - It's all good here.  So I had been watching the two smokers, and then someone on here was like "HEY WHAT'D YOU CHOOSE?!" - and that reminded me "oh hey, I should probably price check the two smokers again and see whats up.

SURPRISE!  The Smoke Tronix was on "end of season clearance" along with some Masterbuilt propane smokers, and the Masterbuilt Sportsman smoker.  All huge discounts.  While it seems the Smoke Tronix is normally around $399 - I picked that sucker up for $219 + tax + chips + a 30 minute driver because my local store was already sold out.  Hot Diggity dog, I have a smoker.

So I already smoked my first two chickens.  I bought two because, i mean, why only smoke one at a time?  

I probably should have started with chicken breasts.  I checked the included temp probe against my Weber temp probe and they were within 2 degrees of each other, so I was happy there.  However, I didnt push the temp probe in deep enough into the smallest of the two chickens, so when it was done, it was just close.  I finished it in the oven, but wow, great flavor.  The bluetooth does have extremely short range, but once i found that limit the app worked great too.

aaaand some video:


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 25, 2018)

Good looking birds.  Nice smoker by the way!


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## TSR6 (Aug 25, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> Good looking birds.  Nice smoker by the way!


Thanks!  It was a learning experience today!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 25, 2018)

I am sure it was. I pretty much baby sat my first couple of smokes.  After you have a few smokes with it under your belt, it becomes second nature. For what it's worth, I just use the app and don't even bother using the control panel anymore.  By the way, what wood chips did you use?


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## gmc2003 (Aug 26, 2018)

Congratulations on the new smoker, and the birds look great.


Chris


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## SmokinAl (Aug 26, 2018)

Congrats on the new smoker!
It's a beauty!
And the chicken looks pretty darn good too!
Al


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## TSR6 (Aug 26, 2018)

Thanks all!

I used a bunch of the shredded chicken from one of the birds today in loaded mac & cheese.  It added a nice hint of flavor (mind you, I had smoked these two birds to use the chicken in enchiladas this week, for lunch sandwiches, and more - so the smaller bird that undercooked just a hint will be used for enchiladas where it'll get re-cooked, and the 2nd bird is going to be used for lunch and also in the loaded mac n cheese.  I'm really excited for the next smoke - thinking i'll have to do maybe some pork tenderloins or ribs.  Trying to stay on the easy side of things to start while im learning the ins-and-outs of this smoker.


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## old sarge (Aug 27, 2018)

Good looking chickens. Nice smoke production. The heating element set-up in your smoker is pretty unique. If you are correct that Masterbuilt bought the company I hope they leave the smoker alone.


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## tallbm (Aug 27, 2018)

TSR6 said:


> Thanks all!
> 
> I used a bunch of the shredded chicken from one of the birds today in loaded mac & cheese.  It added a nice hint of flavor (mind you, I had smoked these two birds to use the chicken in enchiladas this week, for lunch sandwiches, and more - so the smaller bird that undercooked just a hint will be used for enchiladas where it'll get re-cooked, and the 2nd bird is going to be used for lunch and also in the loaded mac n cheese.  I'm really excited for the next smoke - thinking i'll have to do maybe some pork tenderloins or ribs.  Trying to stay on the easy side of things to start while im learning the ins-and-outs of this smoker.



Hi there and welcome!

Nice work!  If doing pork tenderloin or pork loin (bigger from the back of the pig) I highly recommend you brine the meat so it doesn't dry out and is instead very juicy.
For pork ribs I suggest you read SmokinAl's post.  It takes out the guess work and makes prefect ribs like it states :)
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/perfect-ribs-every-time-this-really-works.240916/

Just some tips to help ya out.  Best of luck with it! :)


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## old sarge (Aug 27, 2018)

Seems like MB acquired Smoke Hollow back in 2017 but SH will continue as before.


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## TSR6 (Sep 11, 2018)

So my third smoke was a struggle bus.  

I think the chickens I bought may not have been fully thawed.  I did brine them for an hour, and never felt like they were frozen, but instead of being done at around 5pm like they should have - I had to take them off the smoker at 6:30 and grill them on my gas grill to get them up to temp.

Looks like next time I'll have to plan ahead a little more and not buy the chickens the day of - but I really though it was going to be a good idea to have two chickens shredded for dinner that night this past weekend and then lunch all week this week.  Live and learn I guess..


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## old sarge (Sep 11, 2018)

Must be the bird.  I haven't read anything bad about the SmokeTronix.


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## TSR6 (Sep 11, 2018)

old sarge said:


> Must be the bird.  I haven't read anything bad about the SmokeTronix.



Oh it had to have been.  Other than when I opened the door to add corn and my Mac n cheese the temp stayed very constant.  Not sure what happened other than maybe the bird was frozen in deep still.


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## old sarge (Sep 11, 2018)

That can happen.  My son did 2 butts for last Sunday's game (Bengal's fanatic). Used my Cookshack.  Stuck the probe in and hit frozen meat toward the center.  So cold the controller registered no probe.  Told him to relax and just let it go. 13+ hours later, he and friends were enjoying pulled pork nachos. Next time he will make sure the meat is thoroughly thawed.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 12, 2018)

I am curious, what was the temp setting on the smoker?  I set my smoker at 225 degrees for whole chickens mainly so they spend more time in the smoke.  As for timing, it can take upward to 5 hours before the breast IT reaches 165 degrees on a +/- 5 pounder. Honestly, I do not go by breast temp.  I place the smoker's meat probe into the meat around the thigh joint and body and shoot for an IT of 170 degrees and then double check with the instant read thermo. But, I too would suspect they may not have been completely thawed. 
Oh, and try brining the hens 8 to 12 hours or overnight if your fridge has the extra room to spare. The extra flavor and juiciness will knock your socks off.

For a quick week night smoke, you could try leg quaters and save the whole birds for weekend smokes... just food for thought.


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## TSR6 (Sep 12, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> I am curious, what was the temp setting on the smoker?  I set my smoker at 225 degrees for whole chickens mainly so they spend more time in the smoke.  As for timing, it can take upward to 5 hours before the breast IT reaches 165 degrees on a +/- 5 pounder. Honestly, I do not go by breast temp.  I place the smoker's meat probe into the meat around the thigh joint and body and shoot for an IT of 170 degrees and then double check with the instant read thermo. But, I too would suspect they may not have been completely thawed.
> Oh, and try brining the hens 8 to 12 hours or overnight if your fridge has the extra room to spare. The extra flavor and juiciness will knock your socks off.
> 
> For a quick week night smoke, you could try leg quaters and save the whole birds for weekend smokes... just food for thought.



I had done some reading on here, and it was to keep the smoker at 255-275 for crispier skin, so thats what I had done.  I don't remember the exact setting, but I think I had it set to 265 to split the difference.  I did also have water in the pan since I knew I was going to be opening the door a couple times (to add corn & mac n cheese) and my understanding is that it helps with thermal loss/recovery to keep the pan full.

I don't have anywhere good to brine and keep the chicken out of the danger zone unless I re-bagged the chickens - I mean I just don't have a bowl that big or a place to put it and have the chicken covered.  I actually filled my sink with water, ice and salt which keeps the water temp right at or slightly under 40 degrees for about an hour.

I'm going to do my next smoke for something I don't plan on eating that night I think. lol

I did also have the probe in at the breast shoved in at an angle to the bone.  My Weber temp probe is actually within 2 degrees of my smoker, so I do trust the probe.


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## tallbm (Sep 12, 2018)

TSR6 said:


> I had done some reading on here, and it was to keep the smoker at 255-275 for crispier skin, so thats what I had done.  I don't remember the exact setting, but I think I had it set to 265 to split the difference.  I did also have water in the pan since I knew I was going to be opening the door a couple times (to add corn & mac n cheese) and my understanding is that it helps with thermal loss/recovery to keep the pan full.
> 
> I don't have anywhere good to brine and keep the chicken out of the danger zone unless I re-bagged the chickens - I mean I just don't have a bowl that big or a place to put it and have the chicken covered.  I actually filled my sink with water, ice and salt which keeps the water temp right at or slightly under 40 degrees for about an hour.
> 
> ...



My understanding is that it is not so good to touch the bone with the probes.  Things get all out of wack when hitting a bone and heat measurement.  

As for brining I am 100% on board with it.  It might be worth getting a tupperware container that is JUST large enough to fit the chicken in breast side down.  If the back of the chicken doesn't get fully submerged then no big deal.  The breast is the problem child when it comes to dryness and flavor of a chicken.

Chicken is cheap, keep at it and get your process/technique perfected for them whole birds!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 12, 2018)

TSR6 said:


> I had done some reading on here, and it was to keep the smoker at 255-275 for crispier skin, so thats what I had done.  I don't remember the exact setting, but I think I had it set to 265 to split the difference.  I did also have water in the pan since I knew I was going to be opening the door a couple times (to add corn & mac n cheese) and my understanding is that it helps with thermal loss/recovery to keep the pan full.
> 
> I don't have anywhere good to brine and keep the chicken out of the danger zone unless I re-bagged the chickens - I mean I just don't have a bowl that big or a place to put it and have the chicken covered.  I actually filled my sink with water, ice and salt which keeps the water temp right at or slightly under 40 degrees for about an hour.
> 
> ...



265 degrees is plenty hot.  Which rack position did you have the birds on?  For whole birds, turkey breasts, hams, etc I like to use the second postion from the very bottom. 

As for the water pan,  I have stopped using it for most smokes. Though I have noticed more temp swings when running dry.  No real biggy either way. Also, running a dry water pan helps to crispen poulty skin slightly. 

I totally agree with what tallbm said above about brining. You should purchase a large plastic bowl.  Or you could even use a new, never used for anything else, gallon plastic bucket for brining or a stainless steel stock pot.  Just make sure it is stainless steel and not aluminum etc you don't want to use anything that is reactive.  Make space in the fridge. I am lucky to have the second fridge in the garage that I use for brining in addition to cold storage for sudsy beverages, wine, etc.  :)  

Keep working on it and you will have it perfected in no time. 

Eitherway, we can still eat our mistakes or feed 'em to the dog. :D :D


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## dr k (Sep 12, 2018)

TSR6 said:


> I had done some reading on here, and it was to keep the smoker at 255-275 for crispier skin, so thats what I had done.  I don't remember the exact setting, but I think I had it set to 265 to split the difference.  I did also have water in the pan since I knew I was going to be opening the door a couple times (to add corn & mac n cheese) and my understanding is that it helps with thermal loss/recovery to keep the pan full.
> 
> I don't have anywhere good to brine and keep the chicken out of the danger zone unless I re-bagged the chickens - I mean I just don't have a bowl that big or a place to put it and have the chicken covered.  I actually filled my sink with water, ice and salt which keeps the water temp right at or slightly under 40 degrees for about an hour.
> 
> ...


Menards has 4 gallon square #5 plastic food grade buckets for $2.50 or so on sale.  They are green and say food grade on one side.  There are a few plastics that are food grade.  You may ask if deli departments have icing containers etc. you can have.  Look in the store at vinegar, alcohol and water bottles and they show #1 but are for single use.


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## old sarge (Sep 12, 2018)

I will use a small throw away aluminum mini loaf pan of water when doing a full packer brisket.  12 to 15 hours is a long time and a little extra moisture never hurts.


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## TSR6 (Sep 24, 2018)

I smoked a pork shoulder this weekend - turned out amazing!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 24, 2018)

Looks delicous.


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## old sarge (Sep 24, 2018)

That rivals any butt I have ever smoked.  Looks tasty.


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## TSR6 (Feb 11, 2019)

Smoked some cheese over the weekend.  I love that the Smoketronix has the cold smoke feature built in - and it's easy to run this right now especially with the current COLD Wisconsin weather!


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## old sarge (Feb 11, 2019)

The cheese looks like it turned out very nice. How old is your smoker now and have you experienced any serious issues with it?


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## TSR6 (Feb 11, 2019)

old sarge said:


> The cheese looks like it turned out very nice. How old is your smoker now and have you experienced any serious issues with it?



I got it this past summer - no issues so far.  I really like it.  I know the other brand you have to do all sorts of mods and what not to do everything this unit can do.   I'm happy.


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## old sarge (Feb 11, 2019)

Going electric is supposed to be easy and pretty much fool proof.  Sounds like you have a gem of a smoker.


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## TSR6 (Feb 11, 2019)

old sarge said:


> Going electric is supposed to be easy and pretty much fool proof.  Sounds like you have a gem of a smoker.



It’s been nice so far!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 12, 2019)

Looks good with that nice golden patina.
I like the cold smoke feature on the Smoke Tronix too.
Like you, I still find running with a tray of ice helps keeps the chamber temp down to an acceptable level for smoking cheese.

Good to hear your Smoke Tronix is workig well for you too.  No issues with mine whatsoever.
The Smoke Tronix has turned out to be a darn good smoker for its price point.


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 12, 2019)

Looks like you are getting the hang of that smoker. Suggestion stand cheese on its edge get more smoke a round the whole piece.

Warren


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## TSR6 (Feb 12, 2019)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> Looks good with that nice golden patina.
> I like the cold smoke feature on the Smoke Tronix too.
> Like you, I still find running with a tray of ice helps keeps the chamber temp down to an acceptable level for smoking cheese.
> 
> ...



Thanks.  I just hate waiting for it to age into the cheese. :)  

The ice helps - and so does our cold weather outside lol.

It's been a nice unit, and love that I don't need to do anything to it mod-wise to do everything I've done so far.  Full out of the box solution!


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## TSR6 (Feb 12, 2019)

HalfSmoked said:


> Looks like you are getting the hang of that smoker. Suggestion stand cheese on its edge get more smoke a round the whole piece.
> 
> Warren



I will try that next time too - the color on the cheese is pretty even though!


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## old sarge (Feb 12, 2019)

Sort of surprising more folks have not discovered the SmokeTronix.  But it is a tad expensive. Seems like a great value.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 14, 2019)

TSR6 said:


> Thanks.  I just hate waiting for it to age into the cheese. :)
> 
> The ice helps - and so does our cold weather outside lol.
> 
> It's been a nice unit, and love that I don't need to do anything to it mod-wise to do everything I've done so far.  Full out of the box solution!



Yeah, cold ambient temps really help.  The other day my wife and I picked up two blocks each of gouda, muenster, and swiss to add the cheese we have mellowing in the garage fridge.  Looks like I"ll need to wait until mid next week to do anymore cheese smoking.  
The weather should be clear and cooler by then. 

I have been very pleased with my Smoke Tronix.  Temps are accurate and solid.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 14, 2019)

old sarge said:


> Sort of surprising more folks have not discovered the SmokeTronix.  But it is a tad expensive. Seems like a great value.



When the Smoke Tronix first came out, a lot of online reviews by purported owners were not very favorable.  
In fact, I almost passed on the Smoke Tronix due to the bad reviews.
I am glad I read those reviews with a grain of salt.
This smoker has been a solid performer.


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## TSR6 (Feb 19, 2019)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> When the Smoke Tronix first came out, a lot of online reviews by purported owners were not very favorable.
> In fact, I almost passed on the Smoke Tronix due to the bad reviews.
> I am glad I read those reviews with a grain of salt.
> This smoker has been a solid performer.



agreed.  I really like it - and it's nice that there are no mods needed.  It seems to do everything out of the box that takes more money & time with the other popular option.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 20, 2019)

TSR6 said:


> agreed.  I really like it - and it's nice that there are no mods needed.  It seems to do everything out of the box that takes more money & time with the other popular option.



Yep.  
Just smoked more cheese this morning.

The other day, I was searching online to see who was still selling the Smoke Tronix.
it would appear that no one carries them except for a used one on ebay.  
The outfit you bought your from is still offering them online at a clearance price.
I was seriously considering buying another one just to have it. 
Unfortunately, I already blew thru my allowance for the month on an anitque grandfather clock movement service and rebuild.


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## old sarge (Feb 20, 2019)

Master built acquired Outdoor Leisure's Smoke Hollow in 2017.  That might explain why they are hard to find.  Competition! And then eliminate said competition.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 20, 2019)

old sarge said:


> Master built acquired Outdoor Leisure's Smoke Hollow in 2017.  That might explain why they are hard to find.  Competition! And then eliminate said competition.



That is exactly what I was thinking.

According to some online reviews from late 2018, folks were even mentioning that customer support was poor to nonexistent.


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