A-MAZE-IN-PELLET-SMOKERS

jted · Sep 12, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
I already know that as I investigated it after the first time I used the JD Pellets with poor results. To sum it up, the pellet are made from charcoal and not wood. Other pellets such as Hickory, Mesquite, etc are supposedly made from wood.

While here and talking about Mesquite & Hickory, I question about both of them being genuine wood pellets. The reason I say this is that I have used the Mesquite pellets twice with good results. However the Hickory is another story ... I have used the Hickory pellets twice now and have had a problem keeping them lit both times, but didn't the Mesquite nor the Pecan pellets. Even the JD pellets stayed lit, just didn't produce as much smoke as the Mesquite & Pecan because they are made from charcoal.

Twice now on the Hickory, I used my 5 x 8 Maze and wanting more smoke, I lit both ends and got the red hot rose bud before putting them in smoker. When I first put them in they smoked really great and heavy. Then the smoke started getting lighter and lighter and lighter. At the end of the 2 hrs of smoking the pork loins, I removed the pork loins and then removed the Maze and found that one end only burned less than 1/4 of the way before going out and the other end burned 1/3 of the way before going out. The Maze was placed in the same position/place as I place it when using other pellets. Something wrong with this bag of pellets. They are stored in the house in my closet in a controlled temp of 75* with the other 7 kinds of pellets I have, so it shouldn't be a case of moisture getting in them. I guess I will try nuking them the next time before I use them and see if that makes a difference.

Brickguy221 said:
Come on Rick, give me a bit of credit

... I was the one that asked Todd quite sometime back about this and posted all of the details here a number of times since then ..

Hi, I think that either microwaving them or putting several hours worth(1 row) in you smoker while you bring it up to temp will solve your problem with the Hickory pellets. You know as well as I do anything may have happened during the manufacturing process. Long term storage also. .All anyone can do is report on is there experiences and yours have not been good. The above are my experiences to dry out my suspect pellets. I tried storing them in Zip Lock baggies and that did not work. Now i use containers with screw on lids. I use Apple sauce bottles and the Bear carver uses large juice containers. To further help my pellets to burn I use the River Rat damper. It is adjustable and I can dial just the right amount of air depending on the wind circulating. Jted

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jted
Mar 4, 2015

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jted
Mar 4, 2015

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jted
Mar 4, 2015

chef jimmyj · Sep 12, 2015

I too never had an issue with Hickory pellets from Todd burning...Actually, the only problem was, the family thought the taste was too strong. I was a tester for the first round of Pitmasters Choice and no more compaints. Great taste from the Hickory/Maple and color from the Cherry...JJ

brickguy221 · Sep 12, 2015

Chef JimmyJ said:
I too never had an issue with Hickory pellets from Todd burning...Actually, the only problem was, the family thought the taste was too strong. I was a tester for the first round of Pitmasters Choice and no more compaints. Great taste from the Hickory/Maple and color from the Cherry...JJ

I have been talking to a local person the past couple of days and he nukes all of his pellets, regardless of blend. He nukes them 2 minutes at a time and more than once and has never had a problem in 3 years, so I am definitely going to start nuking mine and go from there. I will report my experience after I nuke the Hickory the next time I use them.

I am just wondering why some people never nuke theirs and have no problems while others have a problem unless they nuke them.

chef jimmyj · Sep 12, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
I have been talking to a local person the past couple of days and he nukes all of his pellets, regardless of blend. He nukes them 2 minutes at a time and more than once and has never had a problem in 3 years, so I am definitely going to start nuking mine and go from there. I will report my experience after I nuke the Hickory the next time I use them.

I am just wondering why some people never nuke theirs and have no problems while others have a problem unless they nuke them.

I have nuked on occasion, 2 or 3 times, since getting my first AMNPS in 2011. This was only because I loaded the Maze, lit by the same process I have been using, same MES drawer/loader configuration, and they went out in the first 15 minutes. The problem was solved.

I find it interesting that the exact same Pellets, stored in Zip top bags in a closet, will lite and burn perfectly fine on the next smoke...

If it makes a deference, I lived in Central PA the last several years and my last smokes, now in Central NJ since May, lit and burned fine although I only got 4 hours from two rows instead of my usual 6 to 7 hours. I am pretty sure it was from the close proximity of the foil tent to the maze...JJ

daricksta · Sep 12, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
Come on Rick, give me a bit of credit

... I was the one that asked Todd quite sometime back about this and posted all of the details here a number of times since then ..

Jim, you're not fully reading my posts. I asked Todd myself and have posted his response to me. You didn't start posting about your interaction with Todd until months after I had already PM'd him.

What is this deal about you feeling you're not getting enough credit? I asked Todd; you asked Todd, we both asked Todd and separately posted what he told us. I'm fine with that.

Besides, if this is about my comments about charcoal not imparting a smoke flavor because it's no longer in wood form, I was responding to someone else's post. I think JD Pellets being sold as smoker pellets is akin to the weight-loss products that don't actually help anyone lose weight.

dr k · Sep 12, 2015

acecase74 said:
I got my 5x8 last week and have used it twice so far my first smoke with it I filled the whole tray and had ten hours of great non stop smoke I really love this tray true game changer

I ran into a guy that builds/sells UDS's at the Pekin, IL Marigold Festival today. He has an AMNTS. I've got both. I usually fill the AMNTS up half way then shake to level the pellets. Consistent smoke is what it's all about. I do like to cold smoke chicken pieces and burgers for three hours with the AMNTS before grilling. They are great tools!

-Kurt

dr k · Sep 12, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
I have been talking to a local person the past couple of days and he nukes all of his pellets, regardless of blend. He nukes them 2 minutes at a time and more than once and has never had a problem in 3 years, so I am definitely going to start nuking mine and go from there. I will report my experience after I nuke the Hickory the next time I use them.

I am just wondering why some people never nuke theirs and have no problems while others have a problem unless they nuke them.

The 20 lb bag of Traeger Pecan pellets and Todd's 20lb Hickory pellets aren't resealable so I have them in open pales and nuke mine for 2 minutes. It's just part of the routine.

-Kurt

daveomak · Sep 12, 2015

Local humidity has a lot to do with moisture pick up in the pellets....

This ham is currently being smoked with dried Pitmasters Choice pellets....

6 hours into the smoke......

Picnic 6 hours of smoke 001.JPG

daveomak
Sep 12, 2015

brickguy221 · Sep 12, 2015

daRicksta said:
Jim, you're not fully reading my posts. I asked Todd myself and have posted his response to me. You didn't start posting about your interaction with Todd until months after I had already PM'd him.

What is this deal about you feeling you're not getting enough credit? I asked Todd; you asked Todd, we both asked Todd and separately posted what he told us. I'm fine with that.

Besides, if this is about my comments about charcoal not imparting a smoke flavor because it's no longer in wood form, I was responding to someone else's post. I think JD Pellets being sold as smoker pellets is akin to the weight-loss products that don't actually help anyone lose weight.

Rick, I am reading your posts. I joined on 5-27-2015 and you posted on 6-15-2015 saying you didn't know that about the problem with JD pellets. Here is the link where you said in post no 7.....

daRicksta said:
Wow, Brick, I didn't know that about the JD Pellets. Funny thing is that if they are made from charcoal you could possibly rock a smoke ring with them added to wood pellets. Charcoal burns hot enough and releases the carbon monoxide and nitric oxide to color the myoglobin in the meat pink.

Still, I won't be buying any JD pellets since I prefer different flavor profiles to what it would give me.

See your post #7 in the link below.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/205111/a-maze-in-pellet-smokers

daricksta · Sep 14, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
Rick, I am reading your posts. I joined on 5-27-2015 and you posted on 6-15-2015 saying you didn't know that about the problem with JD pellets. Here is the link where you said in post no 7.....

See your post #7 in the link below.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/205111/a-maze-in-pellet-smokers

Looks like I owe you an apology, Jim. I just read post #7 and I did say I hadn't known that about the JD pellets. Now, I was right in saying I did PM Todd about these pellets but it was just 4 days before you posted your comment that I PM'd him with a totally different question about them. So you get the credit. But, Jim, please admit this was a very silly thing to get worked up over.

brickguy221 · Sep 14, 2015

daRicksta said:
Looks like I owe you an apology, Jim. I just read post #7 and I did say I hadn't known that about the JD pellets. Now, I was right in saying I did PM Todd about these pellets but it was just 4 days before you posted your comment that I PM'd him with a totally different question about them. So you get the credit. But, Jim, please admit this was a very silly thing to get worked up over.

lol ... Rick, I wasn't the slightest bit worked up about what you said, I was only trying to be funny with my post where I said ... "Come on Rick, give me a bit of credit

" Had you ever met me in person, you would have known that I was only "B S ing" you about it and trying to be funny in doing so.

thomas phillips · Sep 14, 2015

daRicksta said:
I've never used these. I know they're popular and the claim by the manufacturer is that they produce sweet smoke. Is that possible with charcoal?

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I have used the charcoal JD pellets, long time ago and not in a tube or maze amnps. I did the foil pouch thing. The flavor was good IMO but I did it hot and fast with steaks. This was before I really knew about slow and low smoking.

daricksta · Sep 15, 2015

Brickguy221 said:
lol ... Rick, I wasn't the slightest bit worked up about what you said, I was only trying to be funny with my post where I said ... "Come on Rick, give me a bit of credit

" Had you ever met me in person, you would have known that I was only "B S ing" you about it and trying to be funny in doing so.

Thanks. I haven't had much time to spend here. Just mostly read, comment and run. But even when one has time for leisurely reading it's hard to tell humorous from serious comments. I frequently get misunderstood--and I'm a helluva funny guy. If I had any friends you could ask them...

daricksta · Sep 15, 2015

Thomas Phillips said:
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I have used the charcoal JD pellets, long time ago and not in a tube or maze amnps. I did the foil pouch thing. The flavor was good IMO but I did it hot and fast with steaks. This was before I really knew about slow and low smoking.

No problem. I haven't been on SMF much since before the weekend. So you were using it for grilling? That's where I'm with you. This isn't the same thing but for grilling I'll use lump charcoal just to get a different flavor imparted to the meat. It's not exactly smoke flavor; it's more like the taste of cooking beef out on the Texas range over an open fire where the wood has been reduced to small flames and red hot embers, if you know what I mean. To me the JD Pellets would give a similar grilled flavor but I don't see how it could be described as smoky.

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