Electric Smoker

01 · WHAT THE FAN DOES

And what it does not, which is what people ask most

The fan gives air, not fire. The fuel is lit as in any smoker — shavings, ink-free card, dry pine cones, jute, grass — and what the motor does is feed that ember and steady the smoke, with no dips and without squeezing the bellows every twenty seconds.

It is the question that reaches us most, so let us settle it: this is not a smoker that lights by electricity. It is an ordinary smoker with a motorised bellows.

02 · THE BATTERIES

Three 18650s, and they are not included

It runs on three rechargeable Li-Ion 18650 batteries, the cylindrical torch type: 18 mm across by 65 long. They are not included, nor is the cable.

And AA cells will not do, however alike they look: fitting AAs, adapters or the wrong batteries gives incorrect voltages and can finish the unit off. Use good-quality 18650s, preferably protected, and do not mix brands or capacities in the same set. Charging is by micro-USB, so a power bank in the van sees you through the season.

03 · BEFORE FIRST USE

Bend the inner can's tabs properly

It is the advice from those who have used it for years, and it heads off the one serious fault it is known for: bend the tabs of the inner can properly before you start. If the can does not seat as it should, the flame finds its way to the air inlet and melts the plastic piece the fan's air comes through. With the tabs bent right, the fire stays where it belongs.

And the usual upkeep: clear ash and tar now and then. A clean draw sends the smoke out cooler, which is what actually settles a colony.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a smoker with a motor, not a self-contained gadget: