- Mar 26, 2017
- 5
- 10
Hello
My local Lowe's had a discounted MES 30" for $160 and my wife was nice enough to buy me for Valentine's day. I smoked a pork shoulder first, using a full load of chips every 45-60 mins. I wanted more smoke and less work. I dusted off the 12" AMNTS from a previous setup and loaded it with fresh pellets from A-Maze-N products. I have since tried my luck with a brisket flat, ribs, chicken, and another shoulder. With the tube and MES, I am just getting more tar and creosote buildup than any of my previous smokers. After four smokes burning five 12" tubes of pellets (Apple, Pitmaster's, and Mesquite) every inch of the walls is dripping in thick black tar. Ive read every thread I can find here, and elsewhere, about cleaning and creosote in a smoker. I fall more on the "clean the grates and drip-plates only" side of the spectrum than the "clean every smoke" crowd, but this seems excessive. I am wondering if this is due to the AMNTS or is this normal for this type of smoker? I absolutely love the MES 30 and the tube is a godsend, but the gunk is really starting to concern me for taste and fire safety reasons. With the exception of the chicken, which I haven't had much luck with in the past, the food didn't taste overly bitter. The ribs did seem a little more "spicy" than they should have, and I think creosote is to blame. For reference, I have been starting the MES ~1 hr before the meat goes in, with the lit tube and smoke being added ~30 mins prior to the meat. My smoker temp has been between 225 and 250 for all of the smokes up to this point. The tube has burned every time like a champ for 5-6 hrs fully loaded producing a moderate amount of smoke, but not billowing white smoke unless the door is opened for a long period. Would the AMNPS help with this problem? I don't want this dripping on my food. Any and all help would be appreciated. Below is a picture of the inside of the door, after a 30 minute scrub with a vinegar/water solution. Prior to this picture, the entire door had thick tarry streaks
.
My local Lowe's had a discounted MES 30" for $160 and my wife was nice enough to buy me for Valentine's day. I smoked a pork shoulder first, using a full load of chips every 45-60 mins. I wanted more smoke and less work. I dusted off the 12" AMNTS from a previous setup and loaded it with fresh pellets from A-Maze-N products. I have since tried my luck with a brisket flat, ribs, chicken, and another shoulder. With the tube and MES, I am just getting more tar and creosote buildup than any of my previous smokers. After four smokes burning five 12" tubes of pellets (Apple, Pitmaster's, and Mesquite) every inch of the walls is dripping in thick black tar. Ive read every thread I can find here, and elsewhere, about cleaning and creosote in a smoker. I fall more on the "clean the grates and drip-plates only" side of the spectrum than the "clean every smoke" crowd, but this seems excessive. I am wondering if this is due to the AMNTS or is this normal for this type of smoker? I absolutely love the MES 30 and the tube is a godsend, but the gunk is really starting to concern me for taste and fire safety reasons. With the exception of the chicken, which I haven't had much luck with in the past, the food didn't taste overly bitter. The ribs did seem a little more "spicy" than they should have, and I think creosote is to blame. For reference, I have been starting the MES ~1 hr before the meat goes in, with the lit tube and smoke being added ~30 mins prior to the meat. My smoker temp has been between 225 and 250 for all of the smokes up to this point. The tube has burned every time like a champ for 5-6 hrs fully loaded producing a moderate amount of smoke, but not billowing white smoke unless the door is opened for a long period. Would the AMNPS help with this problem? I don't want this dripping on my food. Any and all help would be appreciated. Below is a picture of the inside of the door, after a 30 minute scrub with a vinegar/water solution. Prior to this picture, the entire door had thick tarry streaks
.