I have a 30" SS/window electric MES smoker. I bought it so I could continue to smoke even though it is too cold outside for my charcoal smoker. I have my MES in my garage with a chimney running out the window. I generally love it but the biggest problem I have is a difficulty getting good smoke at low temps. I bought a AMAZIN Smoker for cheese and bacon and it worked well if not a little a awkward. If all my racks were full I really didn't have a good place to put the smoker.
So I asked Santa for a MES Cold Smoker attachment. Last night I had a chance to use it for some salmon and I have a review of my experience.
The smoker came well boxed and in perfect condition. It seems to be well built with heavy gage steel with a powder coat finish. It attaches to the side of the smoker at the chip loader hole. It fastens to the smoker by means of a long hook bolt. It was very easy to secure the attachment. There are four adjustable legs that also simplify installation.
Inside there is a vertical chute that holds the chips. At the bottom of the chute is a wire mesh cover . The chute sits directly over the heating coil. Below the heater is a tray to catch the ashes.
After loading it with a large handful of chips I turned it on to let it "burn in". There was a lot of smoke escaping around the lid of the attachment until I removed the chip tray in the smoker. After that I had a smoker full of smoke that drew well out of the top of the smoker.
I set my smoker to 200 deg for my salmon and loaded up the attachment to about 1/4 full. In about 5 minutes I had good smoke. I smoked my salmon for about 2 hours and had good steady smoke the entire time.
My impression of this cold smoker is very good! It looks like a very well built machine that works very well. The only wear items I can see are the heating coil and the screen at the bottom of the chute. Both would be simple to replace but with the whole unit costing less than $70 I wouldn't feel abused if I just had to replace it every few years.
A few things that I really like about this unit. First, it uses regular chips that are available anywhere. Next, I like the way I get smoke without worrying about the temp of my smoker. I didn't see any temp effect at all from the attachment. Doing some cheese without any heat should be a snap! Next, I really like the idea that if I fill the chute I have 6 hours of reliable smoke. Lastly, I love the idea of how simple it is to use. There was no "getting used to it".
The only real down side that I have is the fact that it does leak smoke. Since I have my smoker in my garage I must use this with the overhead door open.
I will be doing a pork loin next and if my opinion needs modified I will report what I have found.
So I asked Santa for a MES Cold Smoker attachment. Last night I had a chance to use it for some salmon and I have a review of my experience.
The smoker came well boxed and in perfect condition. It seems to be well built with heavy gage steel with a powder coat finish. It attaches to the side of the smoker at the chip loader hole. It fastens to the smoker by means of a long hook bolt. It was very easy to secure the attachment. There are four adjustable legs that also simplify installation.
Inside there is a vertical chute that holds the chips. At the bottom of the chute is a wire mesh cover . The chute sits directly over the heating coil. Below the heater is a tray to catch the ashes.
After loading it with a large handful of chips I turned it on to let it "burn in". There was a lot of smoke escaping around the lid of the attachment until I removed the chip tray in the smoker. After that I had a smoker full of smoke that drew well out of the top of the smoker.
I set my smoker to 200 deg for my salmon and loaded up the attachment to about 1/4 full. In about 5 minutes I had good smoke. I smoked my salmon for about 2 hours and had good steady smoke the entire time.
My impression of this cold smoker is very good! It looks like a very well built machine that works very well. The only wear items I can see are the heating coil and the screen at the bottom of the chute. Both would be simple to replace but with the whole unit costing less than $70 I wouldn't feel abused if I just had to replace it every few years.
A few things that I really like about this unit. First, it uses regular chips that are available anywhere. Next, I like the way I get smoke without worrying about the temp of my smoker. I didn't see any temp effect at all from the attachment. Doing some cheese without any heat should be a snap! Next, I really like the idea that if I fill the chute I have 6 hours of reliable smoke. Lastly, I love the idea of how simple it is to use. There was no "getting used to it".
The only real down side that I have is the fact that it does leak smoke. Since I have my smoker in my garage I must use this with the overhead door open.
I will be doing a pork loin next and if my opinion needs modified I will report what I have found.
