Old Smokey Electric Smoker Assembly, Use & Care
The Old Smokey Electric Smoker is unlike any product you've used before. If you take a little time to get to know it and what makes it so different, you're guaranteed good results! The Old Smokey Electric Smoker responds well to experimentation, so don't be afraid to try something new. Your skills will become well known with family and friends, and who knows who else??
What's in the Box?
When you get your Old Smokey Electric Smoker, make sure it has all these parts:
- top grill
- bottom grill
- drip pan
- chip tray
- 2 side handles
- 1 top handle
- lid hanging clip
- grease absorbent granules
- wood chips
- cord and heat control
- lid
- owner's manual, or download a copy here
Break-in and initial use
Take everything out of the box, and take everything out of the Electric Smoker. Install the side handles on the upper rung of screws and install the top handle and the lid clip on the lid.
Don't install the cord & heat control just yet.
Put the chip tray squarely on the heating element. Put the drip pan on the lower rung of screws, then put the bottom grill (the smaller diameter one with the taller handles) on the top of the drip pan.
Put the top grill on the upper rung of screws (the ones that hold the handle in place). Leave the lid off.
Now install the cord & heat control onto the Electric Smoker by pushing it onto the prongs. Plug the cord into the wall. Turn the heat control to high. After 10 minutes, put the lid on. Wait 10 - 15 minutes, the open the lid to let the smoke out. Repeat this cycle 2 or 3 more times until the oil left on the metal from the mill and manufacturing processes has burned off.
Let everything cool down.
Take out the grills and drip pan. Put 3 wood chips on the chip tray.
Next, put a chicken leg, a tough piece of beef, or some bacon strips on the top grill, close the lid and let it cook for 30 minutes. The smoke from what you are cooking will coat the inside of the Electric Smoker and begin the break-in process. The first thing you cook may not be that good, so start with something you wouldn't mind giving to the dog.
Your Electric Smoker is ready to use. Unplug it, let it cool down and take the grills and drip pan out. Put some more wood chips on the chip tray, load the Electric Smoker up with your favorite recipe, and have at it!
You really, really, really don't have to put water in the pan
Yes, there's a pan. Yes, the pan is inside a smoker. But no, you don't put water in the pan.
Don't put water in the pan.
Leave the water out of the pan.
Water the flowers, fill up the fish tank, wash your car, or have a nice cool drink, but don't put water in the pan.
Here's why: The Electric Smoker is a sealed unit. All the moisture in the meat stays in the smoker. The meat doesn't dry out. The drip pan in the Electric Smoker will fill with water & drippings as it cooks.
Other smokers have a fire. Fires require air flow in & smoke flow out. This air is drawn past the meat, drying it out. Water smokers were developed as an imperfect attempt to fix the problem. A lot of the energy from the fire is used to boil away the water to make steam to cook the meat in a humid environment. It doesn't always work, sometimes the water boils away and just think of how much energy is wasted heating the water.
Caring for the Old Smokey Electric Smoker
Store the Old Smokey Electric Smoker with lid off, or slightly open. Air needs to circulate inside, and leaving the tight-fitting lid on is a bad idea. If things should get a little unsightly inside, set the heat control to high for a while and take the lid off occasionally.
Keep it out of the rain or sprinkler system as you would with any electric appliance. Store it in the garage or tool shed, somewhere with a roof on it. We offer a cover (see it in the accessories menu) that is a great option, but even still keep it out of the rain. Make sure you leave the lid slightly off before putting the cover on.
Old Smokey Electric Smoker Size & Specifications
