When you buy an electric smoker for the very first time, you sometimes may not understand how to make the most of electric smokers. You want to make delicious smoked food but you feel that there is not enough taste. You cannot enjoy your new electric smoker properly and cook with it correctly.
Then you may ask a fair question: “How to season an electric smoker?”. Well, if you are asking this question, then this article is definitely written for you.
To season an electric smoker: what is it?
Before we go to the instructions on how to season electric smokers, we need to understand, what it means in the first place.
If you are a beginner, it is essential for you if you bought your smoker for the first time. And maybe, you should check it out then what can you cook with an electric smoker?
So, to season a new electric smoker: what does it mean? To put it simply, it means that you can give it a dry run.
It means that you heat the smoker up when there is nothing inside. You need to do it only before you start cooking with a smoker.
To cook with a new electric smoker properly, you need your smoker to have a black thin layer inside.
How can you get it? To get this, you need to leave a smoker without anything inside it for several hours.
Why should you ever do it?
Now you know what seasoning electric smokers means, but it is also important to know why you should even do it.
Many people, hearing about the necessity to leave the electric smoker for hours, especially when people are in a hurry, may not do it at all.
They may not realize why it is important.
That means that we absolutely need to figure it all out.
Removing the residue
You have to season a smoker because this helps to remove the residues. It is the kind of residue that the manufacturing process inevitably leaves because they use hazardous substances.
For instance, it is an oil with petroleum, dirt, adhesives, solvents, and cleaners, that the manufacturing process left. I bet you want to avoid tasting petroleum and all of these things in your meals.
It affects not only the taste but also your health because petroleum is certainly dangerous if you get it inside your body. Be careful with that.
Removing the rust and paint
The removal process during the seasoning also includes the paint which is inside the smoker and developing rust and moisture which can damage your smoker in a course of time.
All of these dangerous things can be simply removed because of the seasoning.
It is being removed thanks to a coating of carbon, which the smoke consists of. It will extend the life of your smoker.
You should keep in mind, that the seasoning of an electric smoker can provide you with proper and healthy food.
Making the taste better
And of course, seasoning a smoker affects the taste of the food that you cook there. This makes your meal better because it helps to infuse the smoky flavor into your food.
This is another important feature of seasoning an electric smoker that you have to keep in mind when you use your electric smoker.
Seasoning an electric smoker
Now you can learn how to season an electric smoker and how to get the best out of your smoker. So, it is time to read the detailed instructions and get to work. But before it, you also need to know everything essential about the seasoning process.
Seasoning an electric smoker: how long it takes
So, when you intend to season a new smoker, you definitely need to know how long it takes.
It may take a few hours to the entire day. The smoker seasoning process is essential for making food inside the smoker, it has to take a lot of time.
Three hours is a minimum. By the way, you must leave it on high heat all the time you are seasoning it.
It is strictly recommended to give the seasoning process of your electric smoker the entire day. And then you should cook the next day.
Seasoning an electric smoker: what you need to use
Seasoning an electric smoker doesn’t mean that you use nothing to do it. It requires several means to help you season the electric smoker properly.
So, there is a list of supplies that you need to use during the seasoning.
- Damp sponge.
- A special outlet.
- Mild dish detergent.
- Wood chips.
- Cooking oil.
You have to prepare the supplies beforehand. It will definitely help you with seasoning a new smoker.
How to season an electric smoker: detailed instruction
Now you can get prepared and follow all the instructions carefully. Remember, that the correct seasoning process will define the quality and the taste of your smoked means.
You need to assemble the smoker
You absolutely have to assemble your smoker to prepare it for the seasoning process. Furthermore, you also have to install the accessories there, for instance, you can install the grill grate there.
You need to get everything out of the box of the smoker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to assemble the smoker.
You have to ensure that you have all the details that are required, and you must ensure that they are not damaged.
If you have a smoker with a water bowl, then you have to pour water there for seasoning.
If you have a pre-assembled smoker, you must ensure that the screws are tight and that your smoker and the parts of your smoker are entirely in order.
When you have assembled the smoker, you definitely should clean it properly.
You should wipe down the entire smoker
The next step is removing from your smoker all removable pieces. You need to clean your smoker correctly so that there will be no dirt on the interior surfaces.
At this step, you have to use a damp sponge, a soft cloth, and mild detergent.
With these supplies, you absolutely need to wipe down the electric smoker from the inside.
When you are cleaning your smoker with a sponge, you should use the gentle side of it because otherwise, you can damage the smoker.
Then you have to get rid of any soapy residue from the smoker, and to do that, you need to add some water to your sponge.
Do not forget to clean the electric smoker from the outside.
After all of these actions, you need to let it dry out. You should leave it in the air.
You should use cooking oil
Now you absolutely have to spray the interior of the electric smoker. And now it is exactly the time when you can use the oil. You need to take cooking oil spray and then pour it on the walls of the electric smoker.
You should take the water pan and racks out of the smoker. Then, after you finished the coating, put them back there.
Caution: do not use too much oil. You only need the amount to coat with cooking oil the main compartment of the smoker and no more. Use no more than a thin coat of oil. You need to be careful at this step.
Another warning: before you start doing this, you strictly have to read the manufacturer’s instructions, since some manufacturers recommend you not to use the oil to coat the smoker.
You need to be careful if you would rather not damage your smoker.
You have to power on the smoker
After the first steps, you have to turn on your electric smoker. To do this, you have to plug it into the power outlet. After doing this, you need to open the top vent and not close it until the seasoning process is over.
You must turn on the heat
Now you need to set the highest temperature of your electrical smoker. Usually, the highest temperature of the smoker is 250 Fahrenheit degrees, but actually, it may depend on the brand of your smoker.
Then you should read the information about your electrical smoker beforehand.
Then you need to wait until the electrical smoker is started heating up. The heating element of the seasoning is significant. When it is done, you need to leave it approximately for three hours.
You have to add wood
It is time to use the wood chips to put into the wood chip tray. But before doing this, you need to ensure that there are no more than forty-five minutes left on the timer. Make sure that the heating element worked.
Be careful and pay attention at this step because you strictly have to put inside exactly the correct amount of wood chips. You may read the instructions from the manufacturer of your electrical smoker to know the correct recommendations on this step of seasoning.
To be absolutely correct, you should try to put there only twelve wood chips into the wood chip loader the first time. After that, you have to add an extra twenty minutes and add the same amount another time.
And when the first wood chips are ash now, add wood chips for the third and last time into the electrical smoker.
And when the timer for the three hours is over, then your job is done! The electrical smoker is seasoned successfully.
After seasoning
Do not forget to turn off the electrical smoker when all the steps are done. You also need to open the inner smoking chamber. After this, leave the smoker to cool down and when it is cooled down you need to clean the electrical smoker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you season an electric smoker for the first time?
You need to follow instructions. Shortly, you have to assemble the smoker, wipe it down, then turn on and heat it on, and after that add wood chips there. Then you have to turn it off and clean it from the ash. This is shortly about seasoning.
Do I need to season electric smoker?
Yes, you definitely need to season your new electric smoker. You can consider this as a requirement for using the smoker. It will provide you with healthy meals without any chemicals, and it will extend the life of the electric smoker.
Do I need to season my Masterbuilt electric smoker?
Yes, you absolutely need to season the new Masterbuilt electric smoker. You need to do it before you cook meals with it.
What should I season my smoker with?
There are several supplies that you should use when you season your smoker. And you should buy them before you get to the seasoning process. So, you have to use wood chips, mild dish detergent, an outlet, a damp sponge, and cooking oil. This will help you with seasoning.
How do you clean and season an electric smoker?
You need to use several supplies to clean your smoker and follow the instructions about the seasoning. Assemble your smoker, clean it, turn it on and heat it, and add some wood chips. Don’t forget to clean it after that.
In conclusion: seasoning is easy
As you can see now, seasoning electric smokers may sound not very easy but actually, the process is what a beginner can do. So, you only need to follow the instructions step by step and be careful. Use your new smoker and enjoy the smoked meats.
