Question about MES Cold Smoker Attachment

bavarianchef · Jul 19, 2013

I have a Masterbuilt 30 Smoker and with a MES cold smoker attachment. What is fustrating is that in all the forums out there, nobody answers just basic questions:

1. I assume I can use the attachment for "cold" and hot smoking? All I'd have to do is plug in both units, load the wood chips in the cold smoker attachment and set the temperature of the MES 30 to the desired temperature. This essentially turns the MES 30 into an oven and the smoke is fed from the attachment. Correct????

2. I am aware that the "cold" smoker attachment from Masterbuilt is NOT providing "true cold smoke" because the minimum temerature with this setup is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold smoking for Lox, or Speck etc. is done at about of 78 Degrees Fahrenheit. So can anybody out there tell me if it is possible to get the temp. down to these levels ??? I would like to find a solution to this with the equipment I have, rather to go out and get other equipment. Any suugestions would be welcome. Thanks.

themule69 · Jul 19, 2013

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions Post it
and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is because their
are so many different ways to make great Q We all have our own taste.

When you get a chance will you drop by roll call so everyone can give you a proper SMF

welcome. Also will you add your location to your profile.

you are going to have to get a smoke generator inorder to cold smoke with your MES.

I use a AMNPS.

Happy smoken.

David

daveomak · Jul 19, 2013

Bavarianchef said:
I have a Masterbuilt 30 Smoker and with a MES cold smoker attachment. What is fustrating is that in all the forums out there, nobody answers just basic questions:

1. I assume I can use the attachment for "cold" and hot smoking? All I'd have to do is plug in both units, load the wood chips in the cold smoker attachment and set the temperature of the MES 30 to the desired temperature. This essentially turns the MES 30 into an oven and the smoke is fed from the attachment. Correct????

I've never seen the attachment you are speaking of, but, that sounds perfectly like a good idea to me... I use the AMNPS in a mailbox and use the MES as an oven......

2. I am aware that the "cold" smoker attachment from Masterbuilt is NOT providing "true cold smoke" because the minimum temerature with this setup is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold smoking for Lox, or Speck etc. is done at about of 78 Degrees Fahrenheit. So can anybody out there tell me if it is possible to get the temp. down to these levels ??? I would like to find a solution to this with the equipment I have, rather to go out and get other equipment. Any suugestions would be welcome. Thanks.

If the cold smoke could be ducted through a flex aluminum dryer vent pipe to the MES, the temps could be lowered by the duct cooling the "cold smoke" even more... DO NOT turn on the MES..... Let it run at ambient temps, no heat..... Add a few 2 liter pop bottles with frozen water to the smoker to lower the temps even more.... I prefer to cold smoke under 70 deg F....... I hope that is a complete answer.... If I have left something out, PM me and I will try to help you out more.....

Dave

bavarianchef · Jul 19, 2013

Thanks Dave,
This helps a lot. BTW, you can find the cold smoker attachment on the Masterbuilt website. What I like about it is the large hopper for chips which holds enough that you have to reload only after about every 6 hours.
Peter

daveomak · Jul 19, 2013

Here is what I found..... revues are not "sparkling"..... but folks have tried several mods..... Dave

photo.jpg

roddog
Nov 20, 2012

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/125607/masterbuilt-cold-smoker-kit

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/141410/update-on-masterbuilt-cold-smoker-kit

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140567/masterbuilt-discontinued-cold-smoker-kit

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/138696/masterbuilt-cold-smoker-kit

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/129890/mes-cold-smoker-kit

After all is said and done..... a proper "smoke" has adequate air supply to not create creosote.... not cause the fuel to burst into flame..... and smolder to provide a flavorful smoke profile..... Hopefully you will be more successful than others getting the device to work properly.... don't give up...

Dave

smokinhusker · Jul 19, 2013

Sounds like Dave has you headed in the right direction.

bavarianchef · Jul 20, 2013

Thanks! I will find a way. Keep you posted about my progress. Since I am in California, the ambient temp is too high for cold smoking anyways. So I'm just getting ready for winter.

sctdg35 · Jul 23, 2013

I have the Masterbuilt cold smoker kit . I use it all the time .You can use it with a mix of chips, broken up charcoal, pellets and split chunks ,gives you a nice well rounded smoke that way . I burned it in when I first got it and it elevated the temperature in the MES by 15 degrees . I believe you can offset that very easily with ice . Also you don't have to mess with the hook attachment to install it ,just push it up snug against the MES and it will stay there with little to no smoke leakage .Bass pro has them for $59 and shipping was something like $8 . I was using the AMNPS but switched to Masterbuilt cold smoker and love it . The flexibility of what you can burn is great .

bavarianchef · Jul 23, 2013

Thank you so much! Finally someone could tell me how much it elevates the temperature. I also like this attachment....
I only have to reload chips every three hours or so and it works awesome.
Peter

daveomak · Jul 23, 2013

bavarianchef · Jul 23, 2013

Sorry Dave,

I apologize. I really meant this jokingly and didn't want to offend anyone.

I do believe that the Amnps is a great product, but I just wanted to find a way to cold smoke with the equipment I have, rather than investing more.

Peter

jkc64 · Jul 23, 2013

I have both and they both work well once you know what needs to be done with them. The AMNPS requires some finess to get it running properly and the MES cold smoker I have to open the top and knock the chips down from time to time to keep it going. I have used the MES smoker hot and cold and have noticed very little temp increase,but I also have the 3" tube so that I can put some distance between the the 2 like the pics a few posts up.

bavarianchef · Jul 23, 2013

Thank you for this. I guess I am going out to get me the pipe to put some distance between the 2. How did you attach the pipe to the MES 30? Attaching it to the smoker should be no problem since it just wraps around it flange. Thanks, Peter

jkc64 · Jul 23, 2013

None of the parts really "fit" together but I just flaired the end going to the cold smoker and pressed the smaller end into the MES. Kind of hard to explain, the pipe just sort of rests sandwiched between the 2 parts and i had no real noticeable smoke leakage. The 3" is really the same diameter as the cold smoker.

bavarianchef · Jul 23, 2013

Great. Thanks. will try and keep you updated on my progress.

Peter

rider300 · Dec 31, 2015

I just used the masterbuilt cold smoker for the first time today. Outside temp is 30 f. I'm smoking cheese and hotest my mes 30 got was 82f. It's staying around the 70f most of the time.

cflbob · Jan 14, 2016

How did that work out?

As a newbie, the cold smoking setup seems necessary for some things I want to do, but it's not really clear which is the way to go.

The A-Maze-N smoker seems like it works for most folks, although there's a lot of reports of people having trouble with it. Mostly keeping it lit. The Masterbuilt doesn't seem to have as many complaints, but maybe there are fewer users here. The Masterbuilt costs more, but I can go to my local grocery store or BassPro and pick up wood chips rather than order them. Plus, I've never had to dry out the wood chips.

Bob

SmokinAl · Jan 15, 2016

I have both & either one will work. As you said the chips are easier to get and although they won't burn as long, they don't go out.

Al

bauchjw · Mar 29, 2016

rider300 said:
I just used the masterbuilt cold smoker for the first time today. Outside temp is 30 f. I'm smoking cheese and hotest my mes 30 got was 82f. It's staying around the 70f most of the time.

CFLBob said:
How did that work out?

As a newbie, the cold smoking setup seems necessary for some things I want to do, but it's not really clear which is the way to go.

The A-Maze-N smoker seems like it works for most folks, although there's a lot of reports of people having trouble with it. Mostly keeping it lit. The Masterbuilt doesn't seem to have as many complaints, but maybe there are fewer users here. The Masterbuilt costs more, but I can go to my local grocery store or BassPro and pick up wood chips rather than order them. Plus, I've never had to dry out the wood chips.

Bob

I've enjoyed my Masterbuilt cold smoker. It requires attention sometimes to tap down chips onto the heating element if there is a clog, but it produces a good amount of smoke for a long time with relatively little work.

As far as cold smoke temps Mr T helped me figure this setup to keep cold smoke box temp within a degree or so of ambient temps. It requires about 20 dollars worth of 3" stove pipe and a moving box:

image.jpeg

bauchjw
Mar 29, 2016

image.png

bauchjw
Mar 29, 2016

image.png

bauchjw
Mar 29, 2016

image.jpeg

bauchjw
Mar 29, 2016

The pipe cools the smoke removing creosote to make the cheese edible the same day. The smoke gets piped into my MES (not on!) to further cool and deposit creosote, then moves up into the box through the MES damper. I seal the cheese/nuts/etc in the box with a damper cut at top of the box on the opposite end of the MES damper. This process also cools smoke to the point that it is nearly at ambient temp by the time it gets to my product. Easy and cheap to setup! I recommend it. As a side note, when I use MES for butts/brisket I use the same pipe to smoke gen and it's also improved my smoked meat flavor.

Good luck!

Edit: don't be thrown off by the ammo can on the cold smoker. It's just weight to ensure a seal.

cflbob · Mar 29, 2016

That's an interesting setup! Can't say I've seen anything quite like it.

I never got around to getting the cold smoker because ever since I smoked our first fatty, that's what my wife wants to have the most. Of course, you smoke those hot, like a pork butt, and I do them with my MES set to 235.

Basically, in that setup your MES is doing nothing but allowing the smoke to expand and cool off a bit more, then diffuse into the upper box. You could replace the MES with another, bigger, cardboard box, or a galvanized trash can, or just about anything.

Bob

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