LP Gas Smoker

[Bama Ron]

Just finished my first butt on my new Masterbuilt LP Smoker. Overall the process was very simple, thanks to all the post and methodology I found here. The pig was tender, the bone pulled right out, and it had good bark.

But something is missing. The depth of flavor was not there. I knew the best Q comes from charcoal or sticks, but I didn't think it would be this flavorless.

Any suggestions or should I just punt and get a REAL smoker? :doh:

[captndan]

I have a gas smoker that I use for smaller cooks. If the rub is the same one as used in a stick burner you may have to rub, wrap and refrigerate over night. The wood pan, if it's the thin one that came with the smoker you need a heavy diffuser under it or a cast iron skillet works well. The top vent on a gasser is used to regulate the amount of smoke not the temp. The temp should be controlled with an adjustable regulator. You may have to move the thermometer to read at the cooking grate. Don't be afraid to add more small amounts of wood during the cook because it goes fast in a gasser. Experiment with the temp / smoke thing and you will be fine.

[Hub]

I had a Masterbuilt gas smoker several years ago. It was very touchy to keep temp constant and often wouldn't get hot enough on the wood pan to produce much smoke without overheating the dome. Even light breezes would blow it out if I didn't wrap the base in foil. High maintenance. I've moved on to much better and more capable equipment, both pellet and charcoal.

Hub

[fingerlickin']

How many times did you fill up the pan with wood chips?

[swamprb]

What does the chip box or burner plate look like? I had a GOSM that had a puny cast iron chip box and when I used a mix of sawdust and chips it would last about an hour. I had seen on another forum where people used a coffee can with holes drilled into the sides and would use wood chunks for longer smokes.
Personally, If I were to use another gas smoker I would smoke the meats, foil and finish in the oven.

[captndan]

Just like a stick burner you have heat and you have smoke. You don't want smoke all thru the cook just enough to taste. The heat all thru the cook. For a six hour cook I use about two handful of chips maybe three. If you are burning a lot of wood you are probably cooking too hot. Low and slow.

[che22879]

I have two LP smokers and I get the same results from it that I get from smoking with my drum grill. I season the meat the night before and let it sit in the fridge over night. When I start cooking I fill the wood chip tray and add chips as needed till the meat is over 120 degrees. Keep at it and you'll see the food will only get better.

[BDAABAT]

Hey Bama Ron. Welcome to the addiction!

Since this seems to be new, perhaps it's something in the way you're doing the pork??? I'm a relative rookie to smoking... just celebrated one year of smoking this month. So, take this advice with a large grain of salt.

I've also got a MasterBuilt gas smoker. What I can say after using it over the past year is that my cooking and the flavors I can get from pulled pork have improved a lot over time.. aided a great deal from the advice provided by folks at this site.

Some suggestions for more flavorful pulled pork (since you didn't mention specifics of your cooking methods, my apologies in advance it you're already doing these):
Find a commercial rub or mix of spices that you like. My current heavy rotation for commercial rubs is anything from Simply Marvelous. Use the rub judiciously.

Would try cooking til the pork is ~ 160, then placing the pork in a pan with some beef broth mixed with diced onion, garlic, Worsey sauce, and rub. The cover the meat/pan in foil, and place back on the cooker till you get to 200-205. Let the meat rest, covered, for an hour (or more). When you pull the meat, mix in the juices. Adds moisture and flavor.

That being said, I still WANT a WSM. I don't need one, I just really want one. I think using a gasser means constantly wondering if your food could be a bit better if it was cooked with wood. :D

Bruce

[Bama Ron]

Thanks for the replies. I did rub the pork and wrapped in plastic overnight. Now that I think about it I may not have had enough smoke. I put 3 handfulls of hickory chips in over the 6 hour cook. I did cook it to 160 then into foil with apple juice till 205, then in the cooler with a towel for 45 min. I think I will experiment with the chip pan and maybe try chunks next time.

I could just be looking for an excuse to get a WSM....:doh:

[jestridge]

I don't seeing any difference in using gas and wood chips or charcoal and wood chips it still using small pieces of wood. Techniaclly cooking with charcoal is not cooking with wood.

[stin187]

I found that using wood chunks in my Masterforge works better for me than the chips. Better flavor and they last a lot longer in the box than the chips.

[IamMadMan]

Just finished my first butt on my new Masterbuilt LP Smoker. Overall the process was very simple, thanks to all the post and methodology I found here. The pig was tender, the bone pulled right out, and it had good bark.

But something is missing. The depth of flavor was not there. I knew the best Q comes from charcoal or sticks, but I didn't think it would be this flavorless.

Any suggestions or should I just punt and get a REAL smoker? :doh:


I have a 24" gasser I use when I am not able to attend to long cooks in a regular fashion.

when I use this cooker, I use a heavy coating of rub and plastic wrap for 24 hours, unwrap coat any thin spots and let air dry in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

I use the water pan as convection tool in the cooking chamber, I also relocate the wood/smoke pan much higher than called for. I fill the wood pan with a mixture of chips and chunks and light one side with a torch and then close the door. This gives more smoke by letting the wood naturally smolder rather than using the heat from the cooker turn your wood to charcoal with limited smoke.

Keep in mind there are many cookers and they are totally different in design, the problem is in my opinion is that some manufacturers are concerned with producing cheap quick profit units without any thought for true functionality as a good smoker.

Also there are many variables, meats vary, spices vary, the weather and the cooker also can cause variances.

I don't know if any of this will help, but welcome to the BBQ addiction, and embrace your cooks as a trial and error session while keeping notes in a log book. This will help you find what worked and didn't work as you adjust your approach to each cook.

Best of luck....

[andy_christy]

I have a GOSM gas smoker & wanted more flavor. I bought a side smoker box for a Chargriller & mounted it to my GOSM. I run charcoal & wood until the meat temp is 140*, then finish with the gas.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv309/andy_christy/P8140561.jpg