I think I'm disappointed

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mawil1013

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 18, 2016
94
11
Carolina's.
I think I'm disappointed and didn't research the MasterBuild smoker I bought. I assumed that it would go low enough to actually perform smoking at less then 150F.  I really wanted something that would be great at making solid cured smoked sausage. That being said, I got it, I used it, it can't go back. So I was wondering if there was another option to create low heat, perhaps add a small electric fry pan or electric burner? Can anyone suggest something that they have used? The basic box is there, just need to be able to create and maintain low temperatures.
 
I think I'm disappointed and didn't research the MasterBuild smoker I bought. I assumed that it would go low enough to actually perform smoking at less then 150F.  I really wanted something that would be great at making solid cured smoked sausage. That being said, I got it, I used it, it can't go back. So I was wondering if there was another option to create low heat, perhaps add a small electric fry pan or electric burner? Can anyone suggest something that they have used? The basic box is there, just need to be able to create and maintain low temperatures.

AMAZEN products is what you want!

Do a search on here for AMAZEN, you'll be amazed at how well it works.
 
The MES will go down to 100 but will not make smoke below 180-200. The A-MAZE-N Tube or AMNPS Maze will give all the smoke you want at any temp...JJ
 
The MES will go down to 100 but will not make smoke below 180-200. The A-MAZE-N Tube or AMNPS Maze will give all the smoke you want at any temp...JJ
I'm hoping that between the amazen and another suggestion to put a half gallon jug with frozen water inside the cooker, it can do 145F.
 
SmokinAl, I'll be running temp tests this week, it's finally cold outside so that should help. My concern of course is holding temp. With little variation.
 
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another suggestion when using the amazen, research the mail box mod   on this site, i have a mes 30 and use this set up, works great at keeping low temps and pellets burn better without going out.
 
i can usually get 9-11 hours out of 1 smoke with amazen 5x8, unless i want extra smoke then i will light two ends which will cut time in half, then i just refill and light again
 
I had many MES POJ. Went thru them like crazy. Years ago i went with Bradleys, Decent smokers but only had a 500w element, i used my amazen all the time instead of the wood pucks, pid hooked up and had that rebuilt 4 times. Got tired of the hassle so i broke into the wallet and bought a TSM 3Olb digital. This is the best electric smoker i have use and i have used them all. Coockshack, smokinit, after mkt electrics and propane.

Yeah this is a high priced smoker but well worth it. My amazen has 0 issues smoking in it.

 
 
i can usually get 9-11 hours out of 1 smoke with amazen 5x8, unless i want extra smoke then i will light two ends which will cut time in half, then i just refill and light again
Anxious to get mine delivered, nothing but good is written about them!
 
There are tons of threads established regarding the mailbox mod.  If you look up my fish smoking threads, you will find some.  Here are a couple of them:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/253832/smoked-lox

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/253346/yes-more-salmon-bellys-collars
Simple yet effective!
 
Which MES do you have ??  Analog or digital....   Got a picture of it...
it's the 30 Inch digital, no window, bought it last month online through kohl's of all places. Digital panel is above door.
 
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That model, I think, is a generation #2 MES 30 digital....    It should control at 100 deg...  may not make smoke at that temp but you can add  your AMNPS to make smoke....
 
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That model, I think, is a generation #2 MES 30 digital....    It should control at 100 deg...  may not make smoke at that temp but you can add  your AMNPS to make smoke....

Dave, my focus with this new beast is decent Andouille. Which I've read in different places is heavily smoked but with pecan or substitute any fruit wood so I'm using apple pellets. I hope to 'sneak' up on it, I want to apply light smoke for as long as possible, one fellow was saying he would light the smoke then let sausage sit then next day apply light smoke again for a total of three days, using cure 1. Does that sound safe and doable if ambient air temp is below 70F?
 
[h1]If the temp gets too cold, turn the MES on periodically to warm it up...[/h1][h1]  [/h1][h1]Cold Smoking[/h1]
Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods. We cannot produce cold smoke if the outside temperature is 90° F (32° C), unless we can cool it down, which is what some industrial smokers do. Cold smoking is a drying process whose purpose is to remove moisture thus preserving a product.

You will find that different sources provide different temperatures for cold smoking. In European countries where most of the cold smoking is done, the upper temperature is accepted as 86° F (30° C). The majority of Russian, Polish and German meat technology books call for 71° F (22° C), some books ask for 77° F (25° C). Fish starts to cook at 85° F (29.4° C) and if you want to make delicious cold smoked salmon that is smoked for a long time, obviously you can not exceed 86° F (30° C). Cold smoking assures us of total smoke penetration inside of the meat. The loss of moisture also is uniform in all areas and the total weight loss falls within 5-20% depending largely on the smoking time. Cold smoking is not a continuous process, it is stopped (no smoke) a few times to allow fresh air into the smoker.
 
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