How to Season an Electric Smoker (6-Step Full Guide)

If you want to achieve the best taste sensation from any electric smoker, you must season it first.

Seasoning it will help destroy contaminants (from productions) through burning and it will prolong the smoker’s life. You will only need to do this once (when it’s brand new).

This is how to season an electric smoker:

Empty the smoker of anything that shouldn’t be in it
Open the vents all the way
Shut the door
Turn the smoker on 250 – 300 Fahrenheit degrees for 3 hours
During the last hour fill the tray with wood chips
Wait for it to cool down

As you can see, seasoning an electric smoker is as easy as one, two, three… (in this case) four, five, six. Doing so will give your food maximum flavor from the first cookout. Are you ready to take a look at these 6 steps in more detail? Then let’s get started!

Things You Will Need to Season an Electric Smoker

Many people are not sure how to season electric smokers. The nice thing about the instructions coming up, is that they will show you how to season Masterbuilt electric smoker, a Char-Broil smoker, or any other smoker for that matter.

Here’s everything you will need to get the job done.

An electric smoker and everything that comes with it
A bag of wood chips
A damp cleaning cloth

Watch the video here:

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1. Empty the Smoker

Before you start the seasoning process, you should empty your smoker of anything that shouldn’t be in it.

For the first part of the seasoning process, we want to burn off any chemicals or residue that may be on the inside of the smoker from manufacturing. But, you should leave any of the smoking accessories that belong to the smoker inside it.

This includes the following.

The water tray
The drip tray
The wood chip tray
The cooking grates
Any other internal part that comes with the grill

To speed up the process, wipe down every surface in your smoker before you continue to step 2. This will help you get rid of some of the residue lodging inside the smoker. You should use a damp, non-abrasive cleaning cloth to wipe it.

2. Open the Vents

Before turning the grill on, ensure that you open all of its vents all the way. Why is this important? So that any chemicals or residue that are burned off in the first stage of seasoning can be released out of the smoker.

3. Shut the Door

Shut the smoker door and lock it tightly.

4. Turn the Smoker on

Next, plug the smoker in. Then turn the temperature up to 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the first two hours of seasoning, you will keep the smoker on without any wood chips inside it.

This should give the smoker enough time to burn off any manufacturing chemicals and residue.

5. The Last Hour

For the last hour or 45 minutes of smoking, fill the wood chip tray with wood chips of any flavor. Add enough chips for the smoker to burn through in an hour or 45 minutes.

If you are not sure how many chips you should put in the smoker, consult your user manual. The manual should tell you roughly how many chips are needed for the smoker to burn for one hour.

6. Wait for It To Cool Down

Then wait for the smoker to cool down completely. You will now have a nice layer of seasoning on your smoker. It is ready for its first smoking session!

How Do I Make My Electric Smoker Smoke Better?

Do you feel like you are not getting the best results when using your electric smoker? Then here are a few things that you can do to take your smoking to the next level!

Season your grill. Seasoning it will give your food a richer, smokier flavor.
Use high-quality wood chips. The best wood chips will enhance the flavor of your meat.
Keep your electric smoker clean. It is good for your smoker to build layers of season as this enhances your food’s flavor. But you should still keep the smoker clean. When you have finished using it, be sure to clean the grates and wipe down the inside of the smoker to remove grease.
Cook as recommended in the recipe. Smoking your food for too long will cause the food to dry out. Make sure you follow your manufacturer’s recommendations when smoking.

Related: Tips for Using Electric Smoker

Conclusion

Seasoning an electric smoker may seem like a strange concept, especially if it is your first time owning one.

But as this article shows, learning how to season a smoker is a doddle! A well-seasoned smoker will put you on track to great-tasting food every time you fire it up.

6 Easy-to-Follow Steps – How to Season An Electric Smoker