Advise: sawdust vs pellets

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dale5351

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jun 20, 2010
456
14
Columbia, MD
I have been using the original sawdust from AMazeN for a number of years (back when it was the only thing available).  I had a lot of sawdust of various kinds, but am close to running out.   Hence I am now considering options that were not available to me back when.

A. continue with my 6x8 tray with five rows and get new sawdust.

B. buy the 5x8 with three rows that can do pellets or sawdust.

C. get one of the tube devices.

My smoker is a newer model 30 inch Masterbuilt (my third MES, the other two burned out).

I am not too happy with the very small wood chip tray and thus use the AMAXN product to provide extra smoke even when hot smoking.   Of course, it is the only thing I use when doing cold smoking.

I would like to hear comments and suggestions on my options above.

I would also like to hear comments on the type of wood pellets to get if I go that route.

Here are links to two possible wood pellets that I am considering.  I'd especially like comments from folks here who have had experience with them.


(at 40 lbs for $35.75 these sound like a good buy, but I am skeptical).


or

http://tinyurl.com/amazn-pellets

(these are more expensive at 9.99 per 2 lb on amazon or 5.99 for 2 lb at AMAZN site).

Other links for pellets and/or sawdust will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Dale
 
I think you'll be happy with the amps tube I don't use my tube for nothing but cold smoking but it works great. The cookin pellets is all I use in mypellet smoker and love them... they will last you a life time if you're only using them in a tube.
 
I see your from Maryland there's a dealer near Upper Marlboro if they are stay an active dealer they might be cheaper to get pellets from them. I'm from Michigan and buy mine right from a dealer.
 
If your MES has anything but an Oval water pan, the Expandable Tube is the best option. They are more forgiving of the low oxygen environment in the Gen 2. The benefit of Dust is it generates very little heat for cheese smoking in warmer climates. Cookin' Pellets Perfect Mix taste great and burns fine in Todd's stuff...JJ
 
If you are useing the AMAZN inside the mes30 i would definitely stick with the tray. In my opinion the tubes put out too much smoke for the small cabinet size. I have the tray as well as the 12in tube and use the tray for most smokes. I use the tube for short smokes or in my gas grill. Also I use them in a mailbox mod not inside the cabinet. Lumberjack pellets are good. Reasonably priced and the pellets are made of 100% of the wood type you purchase.
 
If you have an old powerful blender, you can make dust from pellets...  Mr T has been doing that for some time...  
 
Dale,

With an MES 30 you definitely want the AMNPS "Tray", since you are not at a high altitude.

The Tube puts out too much smoke for an MES, especially an MES 30, unless you are at a high altitude.

Normally the only ones who can get less smoke from a Tube are the ones who have trouble keeping the AMNPS burning.

I can fill a tube up halfway & shake it down, or do any other goofy thing with it, and it still smokes too much, but my AMNPS is always Perfect.

The AMNPS will burn Pellets & Dust.

I Get my Pellets & Dust from Todd.

I don't grind my Pellets into dust & I don't glue my Dust back together to make Pellets.

Bear
 
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I ordered dust from Todd by accident a number of years ago. I burned it in my 5/8 tray anyway and never looked back! Easy to light. Stays lit even with the Texas humidity.
That being said my Expandable Oval tube likes to eat pellets better. Bear is spot on that it generates lots of smoke if you fill it. IMHO About 1/3 full is plenty of smoke in my .MES.
B
 
Any of the pellets that I have had, if they get wet, it turns them to sawdust and no blender is needed. Learned this by mistake and now keep my pellets in a 5 gallon bucket in the back of the truck when traveling.
 
I use the tray on my 30 and tube in.my 40XL for the same reasons mentioned...the tube imho puts out to much smoke for my 30. Pellets, chips, dust seem to work in the tray depending on what I'm doing and how much smoke I want. I use lumberjack competition blend hickory maple cherry (advertised as HMC) blend pellets almost exclusively in my expandable tube unless I'm doing brisket...then I mix about 50% mesquite chips with the HMC pellets for a little stronger smoke flavor.

Walt.
 
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