True North 11001 User manual

Instruction &
Maintenance Manual
MODEL 11001 ELECTRIC FOOD SMOKER
PRINTED IN CANADA
ELECTRIC FOOD SMOKER

TRUE NORTH SMOKER
• Your own lip smackin’, mouth
watering, smoked jerky . . .
fish . . . sausage . . . ham or
bacon.
• The True North Smoker is
portable, ruggedly built, and easy to
use, even for ‘first time’ smokers.
• Assembled and ready to use on
regular household current (110V).
• Starter bag of flavored wood bits
• Large aluminum cabinet with convenient
front load design
• 3 plated, easy loading racks and quality drip
pan to simplify clean up
• Heavy duty detachable cord . . . operates on
110V household current
• Chip pan and 250 watt element to
distribute heat and smoke quickly
and evenly
• Detailed, easy-to-follow instruction
manual and recipe book loaded
with traditional and contemporary
ideas
TRUE NORTH FLAVORED
WOOD BITS (for smoking)
AND CHIPS (for barbecuing)
are specially chipped and dried for the
finest in smoke flavoring.
Available in: hickory, mesquite, maple,
alder, apple, and cherry.
Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd.
5860 Len Thompson Drive
Lacombe, Alberta
Canada T4L 1E7
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
INCLUDES:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. SMOKER PARTS LIST 1
3. SPECIFICATIONS 1
4. OPERATING SAFEGUARDS 2
5. SMOKER SET UP 2
6. SEASONING 3
7. CARE OF YOUR SMOKER 3
8. TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 4
9. WARRANTY INFORMATION 5

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing a True North Electric Food Smoker. Your new
smoker is manufactured in Canada from quality components and has been
assembled with care and attention to detail.
Please take time to familiarize yourself with the instructions outlined in this
manual. Used properly, your new True North smoker will provide you with
years of trouble-free service.
After reading this manual thoroughly, tuck it away in a safe spot for future
reference.
SMOKER PARTS LIST
Your True North electric food smoker includes the following components:
• Smoker cabinet
• Smoker cabinet door plus handle
• Three locking nickel-plated wire food racks
• Drip pan
• Chip pan
• Heavy duty electrical cord
• One bag of True North flavored wood bits
• Instruction and Maintenance Manual
• Recipe Booklet
SPECIFICATIONS
ELECTRICAL
• 120 Volt, 250 Watt tubular element (replaceable if necessary).
• 1m (3ft) heavy duty electrical cord.
SMOKER CABINET
• The outer cabinet, door and drip pan are constructed of aluminum to provide
years of maintenance-free service.
• The floor of the smoker cabinet and the food rack guides are made of
galvanized steel for increased strength and to minimize heat warpage.
• The food racks are mild steel rods, resistance welded and nickel-plated to
provide a strong, light, stick-free surface.
• The flavor chip pan is manufactured from steel for durability and corrosion
resistance.
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OPERATING SAFEGUARDS
Before operating your True North food smoker please read the following
safeguards:
• A substantial amount of smoke is generated during the smoking
procedure. Operate your smoker only in well ventilated areas.
•Place smoker on a non-combustible surface with a minimum 2 feet
of clearance between smoker and any combustible material. A
concrete surface is ideal.
• Smoker components become hot when in use. Care is necessary
when checking smoking progress or when adding more True North
chips.
• Inspect drip pan regularly during operation to ensure it does not
overflow. Do not move smoker while in operation.
•Never leave the smoker unattended. Use particular care and caution
when operating smoker in the presence of children or pets. Place
smoker out of reach of small children.
•Plug smoker into a grounded outlet only. Restrict extension cord
(CSA/UL approved) length to 10 ft (3m) and ensure it is grounded.
Repair or replace damaged cords immediately. Keep the smoker out of
rain and never immerse the electrical components in water.
SMOKER SETUP
Your True North food smoker requires very little setup time. Unpack the
smoker and familiarize yourself with the components. Install the handle on
the cabinet door (the hole is pre-drilled), place the drip pan on the bottom
guides, and set the flavor chip pan on the electrical element. The electrical
cord plugs directly into the right side of the smoker cabinet. Push the plug
end straight into the inlet, taking care not to stress the internal part.
The three wire food racks sit on the three rack guides above the drip pan. The
down-turned prongs fit into the guide holes, or may be flipped over to easily
slide in and out along the rack guides. (See Smokin’ Recipes for additional
tips.)
Having followed these simple set-up steps, you’re now ready to season your
new smoker.
2

SEASONING
Seasoning of your smoker is a necessary step before any food is placed in the
smoker. Seasoning ensures that a level of flavor is built up inside the smoker
so your first batch of smoked food will be a success.
•Place the smoker in a good smoking location,
following the guidelines in the OPERATING
SAFEGUARDS section.
• Remove the flavor chip pan and fill level with the
flavored wood chips provided. Place the pan on the
element and close the door.
• Plug in the smoker. (The wood chips will begin to
smoke in 15-20 minutes). Heat until smoke is
no longer being produced (approximately 45
minutes).
• Repeat this procedure with two more panfuls of
chips.
Once the third pan of wood is done smoking, you are now ready to start
enjoying the potential of your True North electric food smoker.
CARE OF YOUR SMOKER
Very little maintenance is necessary to ensure trouble-free operation of your
smoker.
• It is normal for the interior of the smoker to become
discolored. If you wish to remove this, do so with a
scraper only. Detergents may add an unpleasant taste to
smoked foods and make it necessary to re-season your
smoker.
• A helpful clean-up hint is to spray the drip pan and the
wire racks with a non-stick cooking product. This will
help ensure that food does not stick to the racks and that
cleanup will be easier. It is important to clean the drip
pan and the food racks after each smoking.
• When not using your smoker, pack it up and store it in a
sheltered area.
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TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
If your smoker is not performing as you feel it should, consult the following:
• Check your electrical connections. Are any breakers tripped?If so, try
another outlet.
• Limit extension cord length and use only a heavy-duty extension cord
(CSA/UL approved). The temperature produced by the element decreases
as the length of the cord increases.
• Protect your smoker from direct winds, especially in cold weather.
• Avoid moist or damp wood chips. For best results use True North wood
bits. Chips that are too coarse will not smoke properly.
• The element is easily removed and replaced if there is a problem with its
performance. Wear protective gloves as the metal parts can be sharp.
Ensure that the smoker is unplugged and the element is cool. Bend back
the tabs that hold the element down to the floor. Grasp the element where
the two, straight ends enter the element box. Pull the element out of the
element box by wiggling and squeezing lightly. Remove the two wire
leads from the element terminals. Secure the leads so they don’t slip back
inside the box. To install the replacement element attach the leads to the
new element and reverse the process outlined above.
Notice to those consumers using this appliance with a GFI
(Ground Fault Interrupter) outlet. All True North electric food
smokers leave the factory manufactured and tested to CSA
standards. If you are having trouble with the smoker tripping
your GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) outlet, your smoker
is probably working properly. PLEASE READ THE
FOLLOWING.
GFI outlets are very sensitive to differences in electrical current and, as such,
are prone to nuisance tripping. Occasionally, our appliance can create enough
resistance (small leakage currents to ground) to trip a GFI outlet during
normal use. This has incorrectly been described in many ways, such as
“tripping breakers” and “shorting out.” It does not necessarily indicate that
the smoker is defective.
The element of a smoker is often exposed to moisture (humidity and conden-
sation) during the process of food smoking. Moisture increases the possibility
of producing enough leakage to trip a GFI. A moisture problem can be easily
countered by pre-heating the element. The heat will quickly dry up the
moisture. As a result, leakage to ground will dissipate and the likelihood of
the GFI tripping will diminish.
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The proper operation of a True North smoker can be determined by
plugging it into a non-GFI outlet and observing the element. The element
should glow to a dull red color around approximately two-thirds of the
circular portion. (The connection ends will not glow due to the cold plugs
designed to minimize heat transfer to the terminals and wiring inside the
element box.) If the element seems to be working properly, the source of
the trouble is the GFI outlet and it may be resolved by one of the
following solutions.
A. Reset the GFI as required until the element has produced enough heat to
combat moisture. The GFI outlet should work without interruption once the
element has been pre-heated.
B. As mentioned, some GFI outlets are very sensitive to leakage and will be
tripped so quickly that re-setting may not provide the time required to
adequately heat the element. In this case, try pre-heating the smoker at a non-
GFI outlet and then immediately move the smoker to the GFI outlet.
C. If possible, we recommend the use of a non-GFI outlet in a suitable
location. (Remember, one must ensure the smoking process takes place in a
safe area according to the operating safeguards listed on page two of the True
North Instruction and Maintenance Manual.) Unfortunately, GFI outlets are
tough to avoid and are becoming more common due to today’s building codes.
D. As GFI outlets age, they can weaken and trip at lower and lower loads. It
is possible that your GFI outlet may need replacing if you are having trouble
with one particular outlet.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Your new True North electric food smoker is manufactured from high-quality
components with great attention to detail.
The True North smoker is warranted for a period of one year from the date of
purchase against all defects due to materials and workmanship. If a
component fails within this period, return it to us prepaid along with a full
description of the nature of the problem. If the component is found to be
defective, a new component will promptly be shipped to you.
If you have any questions about your smoker, recipes, wood chips,
replacement parts, etc., please contact:
Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd.
5860 Len Thompson Drive
Lacombe, Alberta
Canada T4L 1E7
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
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