MES 430 tips? Chip flare ups

[TwichAlot]

I don't have the 430. Setting 1 is for chips and 2-5 for chunks. The chip/chunk door can be leaky so some have adjusted/altered the latch to get a tighter fit or you may have to make a gasket out of high temp RTV silicone in the automotive section of a big box store or auto parts store. Opening the smoker quickly can stoke a lot of chips to flame up with a leaky chip door. Count out ten chips with setting 1 and see how that smokes and how long.

Good idea, maybe the door is letting air in. The ash box doesn't seem to have a good seal on it either.

 

[bill1]

Keep the top vent open. Otherwise smoke is like water...if it's stagnant it tastes bad...you have to keep it moving.

You'll learn the level of smoke you like, the amount of wood, and other techniques. The "mailbox mod" (or breadbox, etc) separates your smoke generation from the temperature in the cooker so that's one less variable to worry about to prevent flame-up or burnout. Alternately you can always smoke at the same temp and then bring up your temp (to different levels for different meats and cuts) during the last third of your cook time and ignore the smoke. Most of the meat flavoring is done when the meat is furthest from final temperature anyway.