SO42N8
Well-known member
Hello Brethren,
This is my first post. Currently, I own a masterbuilt vertical pellet smoker but am going to be investing in a real stick burner soon (quarter inch steel at least). I've been obsessing for months now about styles, makes and other details.
One such detail is the all-important first seasoning. I've searched the forum for the following question but couldn't find an answer. My apologies if I just missed it and am rehashing an old topic.
My question is this: does the fuel matter when you season your pit for the first time?
I know one objective is to protect the untreated interior steel by annealing a layer of cooking oil. Another objective is to set the heat resistant paint used in manufacturing. Do either of these objectives benefit from the use of hardwood or can one simply use lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes? My supply of suburban hardwood is limited so I'm thinking about saving the good stuff for an actual cook.
It seems to me that heat is what you need when seasoning, rather than smoke. However, all the seasoning videos on YouTube demonstrate the use of wood for fuel. Do you think it makes that much of a difference to use hardwood over charcoal?
I suppose a corollary to that question is how much does the seasoning/character of a cooker change over time as the smoke of repeated cooks slowly accumulates on the it's interior?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.
This is my first post. Currently, I own a masterbuilt vertical pellet smoker but am going to be investing in a real stick burner soon (quarter inch steel at least). I've been obsessing for months now about styles, makes and other details.
One such detail is the all-important first seasoning. I've searched the forum for the following question but couldn't find an answer. My apologies if I just missed it and am rehashing an old topic.
My question is this: does the fuel matter when you season your pit for the first time?
I know one objective is to protect the untreated interior steel by annealing a layer of cooking oil. Another objective is to set the heat resistant paint used in manufacturing. Do either of these objectives benefit from the use of hardwood or can one simply use lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes? My supply of suburban hardwood is limited so I'm thinking about saving the good stuff for an actual cook.
It seems to me that heat is what you need when seasoning, rather than smoke. However, all the seasoning videos on YouTube demonstrate the use of wood for fuel. Do you think it makes that much of a difference to use hardwood over charcoal?
I suppose a corollary to that question is how much does the seasoning/character of a cooker change over time as the smoke of repeated cooks slowly accumulates on the it's interior?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.
