Getting smoke from an electric smoker

[kbevill]

I have just bought an electric smoker and I simply do not get the "smoke" flavor I had from the wood burner. Any one have suggestions?
Thanks,

[Andy M.]

What kind of wood are you using?

[kbevill]

Hickory chips - soaked about an hour.

[Andy M.]

Do they burn/smolder? Do they not get hot enough? What happens?

[kbevill]

I have a Brinkman square smoker and the chips burn in the "chip tray" but I do not get much smoke. I thought about adding foil packs in the drip pan at the bottom, but that's below the heat? I also thought about making some foil packs and put them on the racks below the meat.

[Andy M.]

I think the chips have to be close to and above the heat. Higher up under the meat or under the heating element may not be a good idea. You'll have to experiment with more or fewer chips, more or less soaking, foil wrapping, different wood and possibly different locations.

One of our members has an electric smoker and may check in later with some advice.

[slowpoke59ds]

I have a gas smoker. It wasnt getting the smoke up fast enough. i modified the rack that the chip tray sits on to make it closer to the heat. the next step was using a iron fry pan for the chip box.

Try to put the chips in before you put the food in to get them burning. If you are using chunks, use chips to get them smoldering while heating up the smoker.
I asume that you bring the smoker up to temp before putting food in.

[Michael in FtW]

Originally Posted by kbevill

I have just bought an electric smoker and I simply do not get the "smoke" flavor I had from the wood burner. Any one have suggestions?

Originally Posted by kbevill

Hickory chips - soaked about an hour.

Yep - your problem is that the wood burner and the electric smoker do not heat the same. While you need to soak your chips before adding to the wood burner - you need to add them dry to the electric smoker so they will heat, smolder and smoke.

That should have been mentioned in your instruction manual somewhere.

Anyway, try that and let us know how it works.

[jminion]

Originally Posted by kbevill

I have just bought an electric smoker and I simply do not get the "smoke" flavor I had from the wood burner. Any one have suggestions?
Thanks,

Electric smokers will not produce smoke like a wood burner would. Don't soak the wood and place beside or as close as you can to heating element. Also add one charcoal briquette along with the wood.

Jim

[Bacardi]

The problem with almost all electric smokers is the element is either on or off, there's no on halfway...Therefore sometimes the chips will smolder some times they won't...The brinkman electric smoker is difficult to maintain a stable temp because it's not insulated...Not sure where you bought it, but if lowes I believe they have a 90 return policy, I'd return it if it were me...