# My first Smoke on my Masterbuilt Modified XL



## schmitzmoke (Apr 9, 2012)

This is my first smoke on my Modified Masterbuilt XL, I added the wheels on the bottom, it makes it sooo easy to move


----------



## tjohnson (Apr 9, 2012)

Great Idea!

Todd


----------



## schmitzmoke (Apr 9, 2012)

I decided to sell the Brinkmen offset in a yardsale, to much work! I wanted to smoke inside my pool area so I got the Masterbuilt. I though that it would finish off the outdoor kitchen. It was a real pain going out to the back yard to tend to the fire.







Now I can float in the pool and watch things







I did a few mods to it, I put a 8" cast pan in for wood, and ran a nice bead of 100% silicone (heat rated) on the door opening to seal the door. It worked great! I think I'll add a few bricks inside to temper the heat gain/loss. that should do it!

The Butts turned out great!


----------



## glocksrock (Apr 10, 2012)

Looks great, I did the same mods, except for sealing the door. The dolly does make all the difference in moving in around, and the cast iron skillet is much better than the stock chip tray. I used a 10" skillet and drilled holes to add long bolts so I can adjust the height of the pan.


----------



## ahakohda (Apr 10, 2012)

Can AMNPS be used in this smoker? Just asking........


----------



## s2k9k (Apr 10, 2012)

That's a great looking setup you have there! But what did you smoke?


----------



## schmitzmoke (Apr 10, 2012)

I did 2 Butts after seasoning the smoker a few days ago, They turned out great! I did a simple rub, let them sit over night. I used Pecan and Hickory chunks for smoke. Wrapped at 160 degrees and finished up at 195. Let them sit for about and hour in my warming drawer. I was surprised how much juice was in the foil after opening. They did however have a great bark on them prior to wrapping in foil though. I didn't take any pics,,,, I was ready to eat em up by then!

The door seal worked out great! All I did was bought some 100% silicone and laid a nice even 3/8 inch bead all along the door frame. when the door closes, it seals up perfect. I did get a bit of grease build up on the door that leaked out when opening the door. The small throw rug did a nice job of catching any drips.

One note that will help anyone that uses the 8" cast pan for wood is that this pan is seriously HOT when you need to refill it. I used heavy leather gloves and a old piece of tile on top of the unit to set it on when refilling. I also used foil to seal it and poked a few holes in it to let the smoke out. Not a singe flare up.


----------



## schmitzmoke (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm not sure, I've never seen one or used one to be honest. I like the design,,, If you need to custom build one,,, Here's the place for all your perforated steel products that you would ever need! I used them for the stainless steal behind my Gas Grill **See pic**.

www.mcnichols.com

 


AHAKOHDA said:


> Can AMNPS be used in this smoker? Just asking........


----------



## couger78 (Apr 11, 2012)

AHAKOHDA said:


> Can AMNPS be used in this smoker? Just asking........


Yep. I use my amazens—both the pellets & the dust— in my XL all the time with sausage smokes.

Kevin


----------



## ahakohda (Apr 11, 2012)

Dont want to hijack this thread but Kevin can you please tell me how low can you go on temperature? Like for kielbasa can I go as low as 120F and so on up to 165F? I am thinking about getting XL for summer use with amnps in it.


----------



## couger78 (Apr 11, 2012)

AHAKOHDA said:


> Dont want to hijack this thread but Kevin can you please tell me how low can you go on temperature? Like for kielbasa can I go as low as 120F and so on up to 165F? I am thinking about getting XL for summer use with amnps in it.


I use a combination of items to maintain the low temps. The XL wants to climb over 200°—so in order to keep it in the range of 150-160, I set the XL on its lowest output and reduce the flow even further with the additional ball valve I added.  For kielbasa, I prewarm the smoker to 110-120° & hang the sausage to dry. This requires careful monitoring of the gas/flame/temp as it still wants to climb. Thats actually almost too low for this gasser. sometimes I'm insert an electric kitchen hot plate and let that do the preliminary warming. This will heat the box in the 120-140 range without the hassle of gas-regulation. After an hour, I add smoke (amnps) & let it cruise from 130-140° for the next couple of hours. The last hour or so, I kick the temps up with gas to 150-160°—but I always finish my sausages in a hot water bath, not in the smoker.

IMO, the XL is better suited for hot smokes, but if you've the time & energy, it'll do a nice job on sausages as well. It just requires a good deal of your attention. No "Set & Forget" here, I'm afraid.

Kevin


----------



## smokinhusker (Apr 12, 2012)

Great set up!


----------



## schmitzmoke (Apr 12, 2012)

I've never smoked sausage with the lower temps, I have thrown a few links in during other smokes and was happy with what I got. My primary goal is to do big a$$ chunks of meat. I'm all about Pork, Ribs and Brisket. This XL will fit the bill for me.

I do love the Western NY Chiavetta's Chicken BBQ that I grew up with but the grease overwhelms my grill and smoke hood on my gas grill. I think I'll do a very light smoke on the chicken leg 1/4'rs in the XL and finish on the grill to crisp them up. A healthy dose of Chiavetta's Marinade mopped will do the trick!

My next goal is to fine tune the smoke that I get from the cast pan, it seemed a bit heavy as it was first taking off, the chunks turned into coal after the smoke stopped but IMO was too heavy when it first started to smoke.


----------

