Char-Broil 14202002 Digital Electric Smoker Grilling User Manual

: June 13, 2024
: Char-Broil

Table of Contents

Char-Broil 14202002 Digital Electric Smoker Grilling User Manual
Remote Control (Optional)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
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Char-Broil 14202002 Digital Electric Smoker Grilling User Manual

Char-Broil-14202002-Digital-Electric-Smoker-Grilling-
product

Congratulations and welcome to ownership of your Digital Electric Smoker. It is our sincere hope that by reading this guide, and with a little practice, you will come to fully enjoy the tender juiciness and delicious ﬂavor of food you prepare with your new smoker.
We suggest you take a few moments to read the Product Guide and ensure your cooker is assembled correctly and completely and that you are familiar with both its construction and operation before using it. There are no hard and fast rules for cooking – just some basic facts about how the Digital Electric Smoker works. The Smart Smoking cooking system will help you prepare wonderful meals. Use this cooking guide as an introduction to cooking with the Digital Electric Smoker. It’s ﬁlled with great tips, tricks, and recipes.
The most important thing you can do ﬁrst is register your cooker so that we can be more helpful when you need us. Please complete the warranty registration card found on the last page of your Product Guide or save a stamp and visit us at www.charbroil.com.
When you register, be sure to sign up for our free weekly E-mail newsletter. Each issue is packed with new tips, tricks, recipes, party ideas, and exclusive subscriber offers. We never sell or distribute your contact information! We want your Char-Broil experience to be a great one and this is one way we can stay in touch.

Smoker Controls
The Digital Smoker has intuitive, easy-to-use controls. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the buttons and their functions:

Remote Control (Optional)

The Digital Smoker comes equipped with a remote for monitoring and controlling your cook from a distance. Its buttons are identical to that of the control panel and it includes a status display that shows the following information:

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A Few Notes First

The control panel temperature reading may ﬂuctuate plus or minus 10-15°F (5-8°C) as the appliance cycles to maintain the correct cooking temperature setting. This is the normal operation of the smoker.
Press the Power Button once, and the appliance is now ready to receive input settings from the Temp Button, Time Button, and/or Meat Probe Button.
If the appliance is powered on and left unattended for 19 hours, the appliance will automatically turn off.
The controller reads and displays the internal cook temperature setting in °F, time in 00:00 (hours: minutes), and meat probe temperature in °F. Temperature readings can be changed from °F to °C by pressing the “UP” and “DOWN“ buttons simultaneously for a period of 3 seconds. The temperature readings can be changed back to °F from °C using the same method.
The heating element will not begin to heat up until you input
Cook time and cook temp or 2) Meat probe target temp and cook temp. NOTE: You must choose to cook by either time or meat probe target temp. These functions will not work simultaneously.
If the meat probe is not connected to the smoker the meat probe function is disabled.

Before your first cook…
Your new smoker needs to be seasoned before use. Seasoning prepares your smoker for cooking by burning off any residues left over from the manufacturing process.

Here’s how

Make sure the water pan is in place with NO WATER and the smoker box is in place with NO WOOD CHIPS.
Plug in the appliance. The display will immediately have power. A beep is sounded when the unit is plugged in.
Press the Power Button once, the control unit is now ready.
Press the Temp Button and set the temperature to 275°F (135°C), max. setting, using the “UP” or “DOWN” buttons.
Press the Time Button and set the time to 2 hours using the “UP” or “DOWN” buttons.
Once 2 hours have elapsed, turn off the smoker and allow it to cool.
After the seasoning process has been completed, your smoker is now ready for use.

CAUTION: The smoker is HOT during use. Wear protective gloves when working inside the smoker. Cooking with your Smoker
There are two methods of cooking with your new smoker:

By Time – Cook your meat for a designated amount of time (see “cooking with the timer”)
By Meat Temperature – Cook your meat until its internal temperature hits a designated temperature. (see “Cooking with meat probe”)

Here, we will explain how to use these functions as well as explain a few basics of setting up your cook.

Preheating
Preheating warms up the chamber and gets your wood chips smoking so that your meat starts getting that delicious smoke ﬂavor the second you put it in the smoker.
NOTE: Always preheat the smoker with a smoker box in place, including wood chips if being used.

Setting the Preheat Cycle

Press the Temp Button.
Press and hold the “UP” or “DOWN“ button to raise or lower until the letter “PH” is displayed. Release the button. “PH” is blinking.
Press the Temp Button again. The display will no longer blink indicating that the “PH” is set.
The display will show “PH”, no temperature will be shown during the Preheat cycle.
The appliance will automatically start the Preheating process.
The Preheat cycle will run for 40 minutes.
After the 40-minute preheat cycle ends:
The appliance will automatically reduce the interior temperature.
The display will blink “00:00” (no temp will be displayed). An audible beep will sound – 3 beeps initially and then 3 beeps once every 30 seconds thereafter.
You can then use the Temp Button, Meat Probe Button, or Time Button to start using the smoker.

NOTE: The appliance will automatically turn off if 60 minutes have passed after the initial 40-minute Preheat cycle has been completed (40-minute Preheat + 1 hour = 100 total minutes) and a cook has not been started.

IMPORTANT
Always cook with both the water pan and smoker box in place, whether or not they are ﬁlled.

Setting the Cooking Temperature
No matter how you want to cook you’re going to need to know how to set your cooking temperature.

Using the Temp Button

Display Range: 100°F – 275°F (38°C – 135°C)
Press the Temp Button. The default temperature setting of 200°F (93°C) is shown.
Press and hold the “UP” or “DOWN“ button to adjust the desired cooking temperature.
Press the Temp Button again after the desired temperature setting is entered.
After the Temp Button is pressed the display should no longer blink, indicating that the cooking temperature is set.

Cooking With The Timer
When cooking with a timer function, your smoker will run until the timer hits zero.

Here’s how to set it up
Display Range: 00:00 – 19:00 hours.
NOTE: The Meat Probe function will be disabled.

Press the Time Button, and a blinking “00:00” is shown.
Press the “UP” or “DOWN“ button to adjust the hour in 1-hour increments. (The display should still be blinking.)
Press the Time Button again after the desired hour portion of the cook time setting is entered. After the Time Button is pressed, the hour portion should no longer blink indicating that it is set.
The minute portion will remain blinking at this point as it has not yet been set.
Press the “UP” or “DOWN“ button to adjust the minutes. The display should still be blinking.
Press the Time Button again after the desired minute portion of the cook time setting is entered. After the Time Button is pressed the minute portion should no longer blink indicating that it is set.
After pressing the Time Button in the previous step the time should begin to count down.

When using the Time function, the display should show the Set Cooking Temperature and the actual elapsed Time (countdown). They should alternate throughout the length of the cooking cycle.

Once the desired set time has elapsed: The controller will automatically reduce the appliance temperature to 120°F (49°C).
The display will alternate between 00:00 and 120°F (49°C) showing the set time has elapsed.
An audible beep will sound 3 beeps and then 3 beeps once every 30 seconds thereafter until the Power Button is pressed, or has reached the maximum 19-hour automatic shut-off.

Cooking With The Meat Probe
When cooking with the meat probe function, your smoker will run until the meat hits a desired internal temperature.
Good Meat Probe Etiquette:

Insert the probe into the thickest part of the food – not touching bone, fat, or gristle before placing the meat in the smoker. Once the meat is in place you can connect the meat probe jack to the smoker.
After cooking, check the temperature in several places to make sure the food is evenly heated.
Make sure to clean your food thermometer with hot, soapy, water before and after each use. Do not immerse or wash in the dishwasher.
Compare your thermometer reading to the USDA guidelines on page 13 to determine if your food has reached a safe temperature and visit www.isitdoneyet.gov for more information on food safety.
Use only the included meat probe.

Here’s how to set it up
Display Range: 50°F to 225°F (10°C to 107°C)
NOTE : The Set Time function will be disabled.

Press the Meat Probe Button and the default desired meat probe temperature setting of 145°F (63°C) is displayed and will blink.
Press the “UP” or “DOWN“ button to adjust the desired meat probe target temperature setting.
Press the Meat Probe Button again after the desired meat probe target temperature setting is entered.
After the Meat Probe Button is pressed the display should no longer blink indicating that it is set.
When using the Meat Probe function, the display should show the Cooking Temperature and the actual Meat Probe Temperature. The display will alternate throughout the length of the cooking cycle.
Once the desired meat probe target temperature has been reached

The controller will automatically reduce the set temp to 120°F (49°C). The display will alternate between the actual Meat Probe temperature and 120°F (49°C). An audible beep will sound 3 beeps and then 3 beeps once every 30 seconds thereafter until the Power Button is pressed, or has reached the maximum 19-hour automatic shut-off.

Using the Smoker Box
The smoker box is what enables you to add delicious smoke flavor to your foods. Simply fill the smoker box with wood chips to the desired level and slide it into place prior to preheating the smoker.

How Much Wood Should I Use?
The smoker box can be filled to varied levels to accommodate short and long cooks. Use this chart to determine a rough estimate for what level you need to fill the smoke box. Please note: These numbers are just a guide. Many factors can influence your actual smoke time (flavor, size of chips, etc.), so please adjust your times based on your actual experiences

Smoke Box Fill Level	1/4	1/2	3/4	1
Smoke Time	2-4 Hours	3-5 Hours	4-6 Hours	6-8 Hours

What Flavor Should I Use?
There are many wood chip types that result in different flavors. Choosing a particular flavor may take some trial and error but the chart below explains which woods will provide a heavy, full flavor and which will provide a more mild, light flavor. This is a
good starting point on your way to choosing your favorite flavors.

| Wood Flavor
---|---

Heavier

| Hickory
Oak
Pecan
Mesquite

Lighter

| Alder
Maple
Apple
Cherry

NOTE

You do not need to soak the wood chips in water before use.
Soaking the wood chips will not extend the smoking time; only lengthen the time before they start to smoke. The smoker box is designed for wood chips or pellets only, do not use wood chunks.
Always operate the smoker with the smoker box in place regardless of whether or not you use wood chips. Never remove or refill the smoker box during cooking.

Using the Water Pan
Your Digital Smoker comes equipped with a water pan. The water pan can be used to keep the meat moist while cooking. To use, fill the water pan with warm water (cold water can bring down the temp of the cooker) to the Max Watermark and slide into place. Do not overfill the water pan.

NOTE

Using water is not required for smoking.
Always operate (including preheating) the smoker with a water pan in place regardless of whether or not you use water. Never remove the water pan during cooking.
If the water pan needs to be refilled during cooking, always fill through the hole in the drip pan assembly. Care should be taken when refilling the water pan to avoid having any liquid coming in contact with the heating element.
Serious damage to the heating of the element could result, including flare-ups and electrical failure

Cooking Info
Let’s get to the cooking! But first, here’s a quick guide to estimating cooking times so you can better plan out your cooking

Meat

|

Meat Cut

| Cooking Temp| Estimated Cook Time| Target Temp
---|---|---|---|---

Pork

Beef

Remember, these are just estimates to help you plan. Always make sure you cook to the internal temperature listed in this chart:

Meat

| USDA RECOMMENDED SAFE MINIMUM

INTERNAL TEMPERATURES

---|---
Beef, Veal, Lamb Steaks & Roast

(with a 3 minute rest)

|

145 °F

Fish| 145 °F
Pork

(with a 3 minute rest)

| 145 °F
Beef, Veal, Lamb Ground| 160 °F
Turkey, Chicken & Duck| 165 °F

For more info visit www.IsItDoneYet.gov
ENJOY YOUR SMOKER!

Pork Recipes

Easy BBQ
Set cooking temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:
3-7 lb pork roast or Boston Butt
Dry Rub Seasoning
BBQ Sauce

Directions
Season the entire cut of meat using your favorite BBQ dry rub. Place on to a smoking rack and cook until the internal temperature is 145˚ F for serving cubed or sliced. To serve ‘pulled pork’, cook until the internal temperature reaches 190˚-200˚F. Once the internal temperature reaches 145˚ F, you may choose to remove the pork, cover it with your favorite BBQ sauce, and wrap it with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, before returning it to the smoking rack for additional cook time. This additional cook time from 145˚ F to 190˚-200˚ F will require the same amount of time as the pork required to reach 145˚ F. When done, remove the basket from the cooking chamber and allow the BBQ to rest for 10-15 minutes while the aluminum foil cools. Place in a large tray, unwrap, and then shred with forks.

Pork Tenderloins
Set cooking temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:

2 Pork Tenderloins
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Directions
Season the tenderloins using kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place onto the smoking rack and cook until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 160˚F. Tenderloins will cook fast. Check internal temperature after 30 minutes. Allow the tenderloins to rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut tenderloins into ½ inch slices and serve with your favorite sauce and side dishes

Baby Back Ribs

Set cooking temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:

1 Rack of Baby Back Ribs
Dry Rub Seasoning
BBQ Sauce

Directions
Season ribs using your favorite BBQ dry rub. Smoke and check for doneness using the digital food thermometer. If you like them extra tender and tasty, remove, cover with your favorite BBQ sauce, and wrap them with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the aluminum-foil-wrapped ribs back onto the smoking rack and allow them to cook for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the basket and allow the ribs to rest for 10-15 minutes while the aluminum foil cools. Pro Tip: Want to cook more ribs? Purchase the optional Rib Hooks and hang them vertically in the smoker!

St. Louis-Style Ribs
Set cooking temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:

2 racks of St. Louis-style ribs
Salt
Your favorite rub
Your favorite BBQ sauce (optional)

Directions
Skin the membrane off the backs of the two slabs of St. Louis-style ribs. Season the bone side with salt and rub. Flip over and season the meat side with the salt and the rub. Place the ribs in the smoker preheated to 225 F. At 90 minutes, sauce the bone side and then flip over and sauce the meat side (optional as you could serve the sauce on the side). Re-sauce every 30 minutes until the rib meat pulls back from the bones 1/4 – 1/3 of an inch (about 2.5 – 3 hours). Remove from the smoker, slice, and serve.

Beef Recipes
Beef Roast
Set cooking temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:

3-5 lb beef roast
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Directions
Prepare a 3-5 lb beef roast for cooking. Season outside with salt and pepper or a Creole rub for added spice. Place beef roast on the bottom rack in the center of the smoking chamber. Cook beef until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145˚F.
Large cuts of meat can typically be removed a few degrees prior to the desired internal temperature. When the internal temp reaches your target temperature, remove and place on a plate or tray and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the roast to rest for 10-20 minutes while the internal temperature continues to rise. Always check the internal temperature before serving to ensure it has reached the desired temperature. Slice and enjoy!

Texas Style

Beef Brisket Set cooking temp to 225 °F Ingredients:

1 lb (5 to 7 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
½ cup prepared barbecue seasoning rub
2 Tbsp ground chili powder
1 cup hot sauce of your choice
1 cup beer or non-alcoholic malt beverage
1 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

Ask your butcher to prepare the brisket by removing some of the fat caps, not all.
Mix chile powder, hot sauce, and beer to make the marinade
Place the meat in a shallow, non-reactive pan and add your favorite beef marinade.
Cover and place in refrigerator for 4 – 8 hours.
Remove from fridge about an hour prior to placing in cooker
Rinse and pat dry.
Season with your favorite rub – that doesn’t conflict with the flavors of the marinade.
Fill the smoker box with desired wood chip flavor.
Cook meat, for 6 to 7 hours until meat is very tender (190 °F internal temperature).
Baste with mop sauce once an hour.
To make Smoke House Barbecue Butter Glaze, combine barbecue sauce, butter, and remaining 1/2 cup of beer. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Slice meat against the grain using a sharp knife and serve with sauce.

Char-Broil’s Favorite Prime Rib Roast

Set cook temp to 225 °F
Ingredients:

3-5 lb rib roast
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp of each: dried rosemary, thyme

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl – using a fork or whisk. Place rib roast in a bowl and use hands to work rub into all areas of meat (Note: rubber gloves can come in handy). Large cuts of meat can typically be removed a few degrees prior to the desired internal temperature. When the internal temp reaches your target temperature, remove and place on a plate or tray and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the roast to rest for 10-20 minutes while the internal temperature continues to rise. Always check the internal temperature before serving to ensure it has reached the desired temperature. Slice and enjoy!

Poultry Recipes

Cherry-Smoked Chicken Tacos
Set cook temp to 250 °F
Ingredients
For chicken

1 whole chicken (2-3 pounds)

2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper
Cherry wood chips for smoking

For tacos

1 Taco Kit (taco shells)
Shredded chicken
2 avocados, chopped
1 cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 small head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
1-2 cups of Queso Fresco, crumbled
Salsa
Sour cream (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions for chicken

Prep chicken for cooking. Remove the neck, giblets, and anything else inside the bird. Wash and rinse inside and out and pat dry.
Rub the bird with oil, then season inside and out with poultry seasoning, cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the cooking basket, breast side up.
Cook until the internal temperature has reached 165 °F – about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The outside of the bird should be a dark golden brown.
Allow the bird to cool for 10 minutes while in the basket for easy removal.
Let the chicken rest for an additional 15 minutes while you prepare your taco ingredients.
Remove the skin and cut the chicken up.
Shred meat using two forks.
Assemble tacos with chicken and other ingredients mentioned above.

Hickory Smoked Garlic Chicken
Set cook temp to 250 °F
Ingredients:

1 4 lb chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp of onion powder
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 small yellow onion
Coarse salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Hickory wood chips (pecan, apple, and cherry wood chips work well too)

indirections

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
Combine 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, and butter together.
Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken.
Place 1/3 of the butter mixture under the skin on one side of the breast. Press the top of the skin to evenly distribute the butter.
Place another 1/3 of the butter under the skin on the second side of the breast.
Place the onion and 2 cloves of garlic into the bird cavity.
Spread the remaining 1/3 of the butter mixture on the outside of the whole bird.
Season with coarse salt and cracked black pepper.
Place seasoned chicken into a smoker.
Smoke chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Let chicken rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Fish Recipes

CB’s EZ Smoked Salmon
Set cook temp to 250 °F
Ingredients:

1 ( 3-5 lb ) Salmon Filet ( 1” thick )
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup pickling salt
1 3 oz Bag of commercially prepared “crab boil”

Directions

Have the fishmonger remove pin bones from salmon and trim the thin parts of the filet (Cut off the last 3 inches of the tail and the belly area if you wish – use them in soup or scramble with eggs for breakfast).
Rinse the salmon filet under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Combine brown sugar, pickling salt, and about 80% of the contents of the crab boil bag into a bowl and dry mix together.
Add enough water to these dry ingredients to make them into a semi-dry wet slurry – just beyond the texture of the wet paste.
Place the salmon filet in a large 2-inch deep dish or the largest size sealable plastic food bag and coat the flesh with the slurry.
Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator overnight (8+ hours). 2 hours before you are ready to smoke the fish, remove it from the refrigerator.
Scrape off the slurry mixture and place into a wire sieve to drain… the desired outcome is to save all of the little pieces of crab boil.
Place salmon filet flesh side up on the baking sheet and pat dry. (Do not rinse).
Spread the remaining bits and pieces of crab boil on the fish flesh.
With great restraint carefully criss-cross a very thin line of black strap lasses on the salmon flesh over the top of the crab boil pieces.
At this point, you have two choices:
- Allow the toppings on the fish to dry naturally until ‘tacky’ to the touch – this takes quite a while and not recommended.
- Use a hair dryer or a fan on low setting to speed up the drying process until the toppings on the fish are ‘tacky to the touch.
Prepare your smoker to a temperature of approximately 250°F degrees. For this dish, I recommend alder, cherry, apple or other soft woods or a combination. This is a good dish to use the water pan in your smoker.
Use your hands placed in support under the fish filet to lift and place flesh-side down on the grates so the grates cross the fish sideways (not length-wise).
Smoke for between 1 – 2 hours depending upon the heat of your smoke, the number of filets you are smoking and the thickness of the fish – a a good target for the internal temperature of the fish is 130°F – 140°F degrees, this will ensure the meat is cooked and produce a soft (not gravlax!) yet firm texture.
Remove grate from a smoker (use gloves to protect from heat!) with fish still on it and place a baking pan on top of the fish then ‘flip’ the fish and grate so the baking sheet is on the bottom.
Remove the grates from fish the grates will have heated and ‘split’ the fish giving an appearance of having scored the flesh with a knife.
Place in refrigerator to hold until ready to serve with dark loaves of bread, sliced red onions, cream cheese, lemon wedges, capers, etc.