MES 40 not smoking

[tjohnson]

Cobble,

Sawdust is combustible at 300° and the cherry alone is right around 300°.

Your AMNS won't jump rows up to 180° or so.

If you keep the middle row empty, it can't jump rows.  The AMNS will burn faster because of the heat.

There still are some ways to make your MES smoke.  Some guys put a couple small chunks of charcoal in the chip pan and others use larger chunks.

TJ

 

[joeschmoker]

Thanks, TJohnson.  I wasn't aware that they took the heat shield out with the retrofit.  I'd read about people drilling holes as a modification, but I guess that was before the retrofit became available.  

 

[tjohnson]

Here are a couple pics

Heat Shield Under Chip Pan

Heat Shield After Removal

 

[djm3801]

So - if the smoker is reaching temps of 225 to 250 and holding them, why would the element be suspect?

 

[Bearcarver]

So - if the smoker is reaching temps of 225 to 250 and holding them, why would the element be suspect?

I wouldn't suspect it.

 

[cobble]

Cobble,

Sawdust is combustible at 300° and the cherry alone is right around 300°.

Your AMNS won't jump rows up to 180° or so.

If you keep the middle row empty, it can't jump rows.  The AMNS will burn faster because of the heat.

There still are some ways to make your MES smoke.  Some guys put a couple small chunks of charcoal in the chip pan and others use larger chunks.

TJ

Todd,

    When you say the "middle row", I'm assuming you mean row 3 of 5, and not every other row, right? I've only used my AMNS once so far and it jumped rows and I burned a full 6x8 in about 15 minutes without realizing it. Until I saw smoke billowing anyway. I've been meaning to do a few dry runs so I can figure out how to properly use it without ruining meat to practice, but it always slips my mind. I'll be doing some testing on Sunday.

 

[cobble]

Ok, so I did some testing yesterday. I used one Polder probe thermometer, one Redi check wireless probe thermometer, and a grill surface thermometer. I set the smoker temp to 230 and let it heat for an hour During that first hour, the temp that the smoker was reading was wildly off from what the probes were reading, and I'm talking about a 30+ degree difference. Once things were heated up though, the smoker thermostat read 231 and by probes were reading about 223. Now at least I know that if I set the temp about 5 or 10 degrees higher, I should get the temp desired. It looks like the chip tray is the culprit after all.

I also used the opportunity to test out my AMNS. I loaded up rows 1, 2, 4, and 5 and lit both sides. What I got was 2 or 3 hours of perfect smoke! There was no row jumping, and everything went flawlessly. Who the hell needs chips when you've got that bad boy? Great purchase!

 

[Bearcarver]

Ok, so I did some testing yesterday. I used one Polder probe thermometer, one Redi check wireless probe thermometer, and a grill surface thermometer. I set the smoker temp to 230 and let it heat for an hour During that first hour, the temp that the smoker was reading was wildly off from what the probes were reading, and I'm talking about a 30+ degree difference. Once things were heated up though, the smoker thermostat read 231 and by probes were reading about 223. Now at least I know that if I set the temp about 5 or 10 degrees higher, I should get the temp desired. It looks like the chip tray is the culprit after all.

I also used the opportunity to test out my AMNS. I loaded up rows 1, 2, 4, and 5 and lit both sides. What I got was 2 or 3 hours of perfect smoke! There was no row jumping, and everything went flawlessly. Who the hell needs chips when you've got that bad boy? Great purchase!

That's what I have found:

It seems the wireless probes are quicker to respond, and the fact that they are out in the open, makes them rise in temp quicker than the MES sensor tucked in the back, on the wall. Then if you don't change your setting for awhile, they all seem to get closer together, something like the same thing we do when we put cheese or bacon in the fridge after smoking it, before we slice it or eat it. It seems to "level the smoker temp out", just like the bacon & cheese flavors seem to "mellow out".

I also enjoy how everyone becomes a believer after trying an AMNS.

Bear

 

[tjohnson]

Cobble,

The AMNS was not designed for use during "Hot Smoking", but we've all found ways to make it work. 

You now have mastered the AMNS!

Welcome to the "A-MAZE-N-ARMY" My Friend!

ENJOY!

Todd