First time turkey and chicken

[irionwill72]

Smoking turkey and chicken parts today. Noticed quite a few flare ups even though i had the water pan in. This is only the 3rd time using smoker. Should I be concerned about the flare ups?

 

[noboundaries]

What smoker are you using?

 

[noboundaries]

Got your PM.  Okay, a 30" MES.  I'm not an MES user but someone will be along shortly who is looking at new posts and will give you advice on the flare ups.  Chances are you're getting fat drippings on the heating element down the side of the smoker, but that's just a guess on my part. Let the MES experts guide you.    

 

[foamheart]

Howdee Howdee........

A suggestion from an MES30 user. Forget the water,  I started out using the pan as a drip pan. Then I lined it with foil, filled with sand, covered and sealed with foil. You now have a most excellent heat sink. This allows your temperature to be more easily compensated due to opening and it allows the need for less electricity. You must realize this will in fact slow your smoking because less heat means less smoldering. LOL... everything is interrelated. The electric and water are not really compatible any way you look at it. LOL

One of the great things about an electric, is accuracy of temperature without needing to do hourly fire tending. Another is the lack of need to baste, spritz, or add water to the smoker. As long as you allow the smoker to stay closed, dry meat will come from over cooking, not from a dry atmosphere.

Firebreathers needing tending must be opened, allowing the moisture, heat and smoke to escape thereby needing more of all to make good smoke. To compensate it regains heat really fast, thereby establishing more smoke in the process but requires a water pan or injection, mopping, spritzing, etc... to get some moisture back.

If you are seeing flashes, and I saw some two weeks ago for the first time. I realized I was using for the first time store bought chips. These chips were so dry and light they nearly floated away. Thereby causing and extreme combustion, it literally blew the charging tube out of the smoker! Three times, once I was surprised, the second time to see why it happened, and a third time just cause it was cool!

I then closed the top vent a bit more restricting the air flow and had no more problems. But then the next smoke I went back to my pecan shells vice chips.

Try closing your upper vent a bit more when you see flashes, LOL Me, I called the neighbor...."Come see this, its cool!!"

Just a suggestion, I recommend you look into a aux. smoke generator. One of our sponsors here has a good inexpensive tray pellet type, A-MAZN-IN. I have one. I also have on order the cool smoke attachment from Masterbuilt. If and when it comes in and gets tested, I will post about it although I am sacred it will only use chips and not shells.

You now know, I am long winded, if from years and years of being a peddler!

Cut your air flow using the vent. Fire = Fuel + Heat + Oxygen you have to choke back on one of the three.

I hope that solves your problem it did mine, course I lite off the AMPs just to make sure. PS sometimes it takes some thinking on your part too. Trying to use the chips and the Pellets, the pellets need more air hence a more open vent.

 

[foamheart]

Also might I suggest you drop by the "Roll Call" forum and say hi.

Good luck and remember to enjoy the smoke......