First time poster with three questions

[thonke]

2011 Christmas gift and love my smoking tex! After talking with other smoker's which are friends that have other brands with other features.

1) Why do other smoker brands ship a liquid tray that is used during smoking but not smokin tex? Do you get better results if you use a liquid tray while you smoke?

2) Several of the other smokers out there offer an easy way to add chips to the smoke box while smoking without opening the door. I haven't needed to do that yet but seems like it might be tricky with the smokin tex 1400. One thought is for longer smoking times I'll need to go over the one cup recommended chip limit.

3) Tell me where I've gone wrong in my thinking! My plan is to purchase a 20+ lb strip steak bag at the next bulk meat sale and have it cut into 1" steaks. Before freezing them I wanted to smoke them enough to add flavor so when I do eventually pull them out of the freezer I just grill & eat with the smoke taste already there.

ADDED AFTER ORIGINAL POST

4) I have only used my smoker 3 times since getting it (not counting seasoning blocks that came with the unit) so this could be seasoning thing but each use smoke continues to come out around the door. I have the door handle securely locked so I’m not expecting this result. Is there something wrong with smoker construction or is this normal behavior for the smoker? After reading Tampasteve’s reply I’m concerned the extra smoke loss out door could be losing moisture too. Newbie fear?

TIA

[bigwalleye]

Thonke,
Here are my thoughts on your questions:
1. Because other smokers need to. Their smokers do not seal as tightly, are not insulated as well, and require moiture to be added to keep the meat from drying out. As a young feller, I did some smoking with moisture, and don't think the results were better than the 1400 I'm running now. In fact, it seems like the results were worse, because heat control was difficult, the thing needed constant tending, and results were not predictable.
2. I have yet to smoke ANYTHING including a 10 lb pork butt that needed more than 2.5 to 3 oz of wood. If as you work with the smoker and feel the need to add more wood or want more smoke, open the door and add it. If you feel like you need it, toss in a little water to replace any lost moisture and close the door. I've done that and didn't care for the results myself.
3. Can't help on this one. Others will. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
ANSWER TO ADDITIONAL POST
4. Yup. A little smoke leak is normal. It'll "take up" over time, as the inside seasons.

Additional advice I'd offer:
Chunks are better than chips. Meat only absorbs the smoke for the first couple hours anyway. If you're going to want more smoke, start with more wood from the beginning. Keep a log of your efforts. Get a good dual probe thermometer and use it religiously. Start with a little wood and decide you need more. The food will still taste good. Oversmoked meat can't be fixed. Search the site and ask questions. There's lots of experience here. Take advantage of it, and finally,

Welome to the forum, and SMOKE ON!!

[applejack]

Hello Thonke,

You just received well stated and accurate advice based on solid experience from Bigwalleye. Amen and Amen - take it to the bank.

You will quickly prove to yourself that you have purchased a very efficient smoker/cooker with your SmokinTex.

As to smoking steaks and freezing them to be cooked later I have not tried to do that but my thinking is that it probably should be a process similar to cold smoking - like cheese - not in the smoker very long, seal and freeze. The smoke flavor should migrate through the meat while in the freezer.

Welcome to the Happy Smokin' group.

applejack

[BillyBob]

thonke....welcome...bigwalleye and applejack gave you great advise!!!!! I can't add anything to it!!!!!

BillyBob

[Tampasteve]

Think this subject is covered pretty well. If you've opened the door during any of your first cooks you would have seen all the moisture created by your ST. I believe that the ST gurus have planed and produced a perfect product. A sealed cabinet with a measured amount exhaust thru the top vent hole is all that is needed. Chunks are the way to go on your woods and as stated smoke is only needed for the first few hours. The steak trick I haven't tried but I believe there is a post about that subject in the archives. And Good Luck and keep god notes and let us know what you discover.Steve

[twobucks]

Answer to #4:
yes this is common, and additional smoking will seal it up. After a year of use, I still have a little escape out of the top corner, but the moisture is not an issue. Wild turkey spits juice out the hole when you pull the temp probe out of the breast meat. Just keep using it.