Do you love to show your barbeque skills to your friends, family members, and visitors? You can upgrade your barbeque skills by investing in a new electric smoker. Do you want to know how to season an electric smoker? These are one of the best barbeque machines for indoor usage. You just need to plug into a power outlet, and you can start grilling steaks, chicken breasts, veggies, and hamburgers for your family.
Apart from that, electric smokers are portable, compact size, easy to use, and smoke-less. You are ready to start grilling meat on your new electric smoker, but you must know that it is essential to season or cure your smoker before the first grilling session.
So, how can you season your new electric smoker? Why is seasoning a new electric smoker important? How can you maintain your smoker? The answers to all your questions are below. Make sure to give a complete reading to the below article to avoid missing any important information.
Table of Contents
Why is Seasoning Important Before Smoking First Meal on Your New Electric Smoker?
Seasoning your electric smoker will evaporate the industrial oil, paint, dust, or any other residue left in the inner chamber during the manufacturing process. The portability, compact size, and smoke-less operation of electric smokers attract most indoor barbeque lovers. You just need to plug-in your electric smoker and start grilling steaks, chicken breasts, and veggies.
Therefore, the ease of use and its features have increased the demand for electric smokers. To fulfill the demand of electric smokers and make higher profits, the companies’ manufacturing units need to speed up the electric smokers’ manufacturing process.
This results in different features from various brands and good low-price competition. It helps end consumers a lot, but there is a drawback as well. This leaves the inner chamber of electric smoker filled with industrial oil and dust residue. Therefore, whenever a person buys an electric smoker, the seasoning or curing new electric smoker becomes a must follow step.
These significant amounts of industrial oil, paint, dust residue, and industrial waste in the inner chamber of your electric smoker will affect the quality of your food. Apart from that, these wastes are not suitable for your health as well. Therefore, it becomes important to season your new electric smoker before smoking a meal for the first time.
Apart from that, seasoning your electric smoker prevents it from rusting and curing any coatings inside your cooker. Moreover, the thin layer of black smoke will enhance the smokey flavor imparted to your meal. Over time this black coating will build up. It will help in bettering the flavor in your next meals.
Steps to Season an Electric Smoker
Now, you know how many seasons on your new electric smoker is essential. So, this is a must-follow procedure for all new electric smoker buyers. Below, we have discussed the detailed steps for seasoning your new electric smoker. We have organized the steps into three different sections.
There will be initial steps to follow before following the seasoning process, then preheating and setting your electric smoker at the right temperature and at the right time range. The last section will be how to add woodchips to chip loader tray correctly for better results.
It is important to note that some brands of smokers require you to fill the water bowl with water for seasoning. You must also refer to the manual of your electric smoker.
Initial Steps for Seasoning Your Electric Smoker
1. You have to start by assembling your electric smoker. If your smoker comes pre-assembled, then make sure that all screws are tight. It is the first step before starting seasoning your electric smoker.
2. The next step is to use a damp sponge or mild detergent to wipe down your electric smoker’s internal surface. While proceeding, make sure not to scratch any surfaces. Also, do the same wipe down the process with all racks or trays.
3. Next, take water to wash off the soapy residue.
4. Then, open up the smoker and let it dry completely.
5. Once your unit is completely dry, take a small amount of oil on a cloth and wipe down the cooker’s inside. You just need to apply the light coating of oil. There is no need for dripping the surface with oil. You can also use cooking oil spray from the procedure.
Note: Do not use cooking oil to coat the heating element, water tray, and grease tray.
6. After the oil coating part, you can place all trays and racks back inside the smoker.
Preheating your Electric Smoker
1. Now, you have to plug your smoker into a power outlet. In case if you are using an extension lead, then make sure that it has an earth pin, and the cord is heavy-duty.
2. The next step is to open up the top vent fully. The top vent must be opened fully when proceeding with seasoning your electric smoker.
3. The next step is to preheat your smoker to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Now, set the time to three hours. This temperature for three hours will be right for high heat to evaporate the oil, dust, and other residues from your electric smoker’s inner portions.
Adding Wood Chips to the Chip Loader Tray
1. This time, you have to return to your smoker one hour before remaining time. You will need to add some wood chips to your electric smoker.
Note: You can use any wood chips, mesquite, or maple whatever you have. For preheating, it doesn’t matter. These wood chips varieties will only help you add a specific flavor to your meat during a barbeque.
2. You can check the manual to find out how to open the chip tray. Still, this is very easy. You just have to look for knob or lever, then pull it, and the woodchip loader tray will be opened.
3. Begin with adding eight to twelve wood chips into the wood chip loader tray.
4. Wait for twenty minutes, and now, you will find some ashes building up in the ashtray. These ashes build-up will play a vital role in producing smoke and seasoning your electric smoker. Now, its time to add another eight to twelve chips in the woodchip loader tray.
5. Wait for another twenty minutes. Now, you have to add eight to twelve chips in the woodchip loader tray.
6. This will be the final woodchip load. Now, leave your smoker and let the ashes of the ashtray do the remaining job.
7. After the three hours gets completed, plug out and turn off your electric smoker.
8. The inner chamber will fill with smoke. Therefore, be careful while opening the inner chamber.
9. Now, take a clean cloth to wipe the bars inside, and you have successfully seasoned your electric smoker.
How Do You Know When Your Electric Smoker is Seasoned?
Once you have completed the initial steps before starting seasoning your smoker and set the right temperature and time for seasoning, then the next will be an essential part – adding woodchips. You just need to follow and execute steps the same way, as we discussed above. You can set high temperature in gas grills, which is not possible for electric smokers. Now, during the first two hours, you will smell all the dust residue and industrial waste burning away. It may be quite smelly, and you will not like the smell at all.
Now, the final hour that follows the execution of adding wood chips will begin to smell a more pleasing scent of burning woodchips. You will find the coating of carbon on your smoker’s interior walls when you open the door after cooling. It is important to note that this carbon coating enhances the flavor imbued to your food and will also protect the walls of your smoker. Here, you have successfully seasoned your electric smoker.
Which Brand Wood-Chips will be Good for the Seasoning Process?
During the seasoning process, we use woodchips just one hour before the remaining time. These woodchips play a vital role in seasoning your smoker. So, the question is which brand woodchips will be suitable for the seasoning process?
The answer is it doesn’t depend. You can use woodchips from any brand and any type. Even there will be not much difference whether you use a mesquite or maple wood chips. The results will be the same. Therefore, you can choose your favorite woodchips for seasoning your electric smoker.
How to Maintain Your Electric Smoker?
Above, we discussed the complete steps to follow to season or cure your new electric smoker. Simultaneously, it is also important to maintain your electric smoker. You don’t need to scrub the inside with a seasoned smoker. However, the loose ash will build up throughout use.
Hence, you can gently wipe down the inside of your electric smoker to remove any loose ash. Just make sure not to remove the black coating of smoke because this will help enhance the flavor imbued to your food.
It is important to note that you must never overload the woodchip loader tray with woodchips because it will not benefit you.
In case, if your smoker has a window to view the inside, then you can follow the below steps for cleaning while your electric smoker is still warm. The steps are mentioned below:
1. You have to start by dampening a few paper towels.
2. Now, scrunch the paper towels into balls.
3. Then dab the damp paper towel into the ash while the smoker is still warm.
4. The viewing window will become smudgy. Simply, use the paper towel to wipe the viewing window.
5. Now, clean away all the ash residue.
6. Here, use a fresh paper towel to dry off the window.
Tips for Season New Electric Smoker
Now, you know how easily you can season your new electric smoker. What are the benefits of seasoning your new smoker, and why is it so important? Below, we have discussed some tips for your seasoned new electric smoker.
1. Use the water pan that comes with your electric smoker. It will help you in maintaining the moisture level. Therefore, while smoking your meat, it will not dry out. You can also use a small cake tin filled with water if your electric smoker doesn’t come with a water pan.
2. Use the thermometer of your smoker. It will help you in reading and maintaining the inner temperature of the smoker. If you don’t find the built-in thermometer reliable, you can invest in a quality thermometer to enhance your cooking experience.
3. You can start with a whole chicken, a pork butt, cheaper cuts of meat on your seasoned new electric smoker.
4. Those who have also purchased a cold smoking attachment can also try smoking cheese. Cheese is delicious and inexpensive as well. You can also share some tips with the electric smoker and grilling community in the comments section below.
Seasoning Your New Smoker – Conclusion
Here, we discussed the complete and detailed steps to season or cured your new electric smoker. It is important to season your new electric smoker. The seasoning process will remove any industrial oil, paint, coatings, dust residue, and other waste from your electric smoker’s inner chamber.
Seasoning will also build up a carbon coating on the inner walls that will prevent your smoker’s walls. It also helps in enhancing the flavor imbued to your food. You can comment below your queries and valuable thoughts. Stay tuned with us for more regular updates on electric smokers and grilling tips.
