How Many Mes Owners Here?

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Which One Do You Have?

  • 40'

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 40' with window

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 40' 800 watt

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I like it a lot

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Where did you buy it?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sams Club

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other please list where in a post

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2
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How  often do you have to fill the wood chip tray, also do you by chips or do just make you own?  Thank you. Planning on buying an electric smoker this week-end, looking at the 40" at Sam's for $299, and the Bradley. Thank You
I never use my wood chip tray.

I use my AMNPS all of the time.

Click the business card at the bottom of the page "A-MAZE-N-SMOKER".

Bear
 
Just got the 30. Seasoning it tonight. 20 degrees here and it has no issues running 272-275 degrees. Going to smoke my first rack on it tomorrow. I'm impressed with it so far but it is early.
 
Great, got mine in Nov and it's been great going ever since. Done chicken, standing rib roast, baby back ribs and boston butt, working on buckboard bacon next.

Larry
 
Just got the 30. Seasoning it tonight. 20 degrees here and it has no issues running 272-275 degrees. Going to smoke my first rack on it tomorrow. I'm impressed with it so far but it is early.
Great, got mine in Nov and it's been great going ever since. Done chicken, standing rib roast, baby back ribs and boston butt, working on buckboard bacon next.

Look at the threads from Bearcarver he has a world full of info on all aspects and recipes for smoking.
 
I've had mine for about 2 years now. It works very well, and the results have been exceptionally tasty. Actually, I'm about to put some ribs in it today, they are out of the fridge now from their overnight dry rub tempering.

to reply to earlier post about the wood tray, i fill it once an hour, and it works well.

it holds heat well, even when cold and windy. One thing though...the digital temp gauge is not very accurate. I run a digital remote temp gauge in it and I have calibrated that one. It is on +/- 1 degree. the one that comes on the unit has been off by as much as 32 degrees. Make sure you get a second reliable temp reading on it so your results are as expected.

Other than that, it works great. Good by for any who are thinking about it.
 
Hi grey wolf
I use the smoke tray and replace the chips about every hour.
I use alder,red oak, maple and fruit wood that I turn out myself .
I also buy hickory etc. in bags. That is still cheaper than Bradey pucks.
If you have a cabinet or furniture manufacturer near you,you could check them for sawdust.
Bradley's dump the pucks when the smoke goes clear, claiming the clear gas is bad for you. I have read it is just the opposite. That is a fine way to sell more pucks.
Good luck with the smoker.
Ted.
Ps. 1936 sounds familiar.
Tmk.
 
For anyone looking for cheap or free saw dust.

#1  The best dust would be from a Radial Saw, Chop Saw (miter saw), or Crosscuts from a Table saw. Most other dust is either too heavy or too light.

#2  I worked in Cabinet shops for many years, and had my own shop for 10 years. The only way you can get hardwood sawdust without any flake board, fiber core, or soft woods not good for smoking, like Pine, would be if your personal friend has a shop. Other shops are not going to bother to separate their sawdust for you. In most shops, all of the dust from all the machines gets sucked up into the same collection system, which mixes good smoking dust with dangerous to use dust.

#3   Chainsaw dust should not be used unless you drain your chain oil & replace it with cooking oil.

Bear
 
Bear makes a good point abut partical or chip board.
I have a sawdust box under the saw. I clean it out well if making sawdust for smoking I find the best way is to mount a multi blade dado set. Coniferous-wood has been used for various fish and is said to be very good. * Reference Smoking Salmon and Trout by Jack Whelan.
I have done planked salmon with cedar boards and it tasted great.
Jack's book is a great addition to yor smoking library.
Ted.
 
Smoking my first rack in my 30. Feel like im getting way too much smoke. Ugh. Maybe it's just because I can see it all through the window now. So it just looks like too much.
 
Smoking my first rack in my 30. Feel like im getting way too much smoke. Ugh. Maybe it's just because I can see it all through the window now. So it just looks like too much.
If you're using the chip burner that is built in, what usually happens is when you first put chips in, it takes awhile to start smoking. Then soon it's smoking too heavy. Then after awhile it will be just right, but not for long before it starts to taper off down to nothing. Then it's time to put more in to start the cycle over.

Or you can get an AMNPS and some pellets. Then learn to get it lit properly. Then it will smoke just right for up to 12 hours, without touching it.

Bear
 
Yeah I am using the chip burner. And I put two loads in like the directions stated. Just going to put a half cup in at a time instead of one cup going forward.
 
Filling up the loaded only once seems to work a lot better. Not sure why the directions tell you to use a full cup of chips. Unless they consider that loader a cup. Which it is not.
 
Took the ribs out after 2 hours of smoke and foiled them. Temp is having trouble getting back up to 235. Seems to be stuck at 216. Looks like shutting the vent almost all the way may have helped. At 222 now.
 
are you using the thermostat on the smoker? Mine is off by as much as 30 degrees sometimes. I never trust it anymore. Get a good digital one, calibrate it, and know what your temp is for sure. I have ribs in mine as I type. Its set at 200, but its running at 235. I've got a Maverick thermometer and love it.
 
Yeah just using the thermometer on the unit. Not sure why I spent money on this thing if I'm going to have to spend another 70 on a digital thermometer. So annoying.
 
Where do you clip the maverick probe?
I do that different than most MES owners:

I just run the cables through the top exhaust vent, and hang the smoker probe through the grill rack, close to the meat.

Then I tape the cables to the top of the smoker to keep the probes & cables from moving.

Works Great for me.

Bear
 
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