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  1. sigmo

    I want to smoke my nuts....

    I know this isn't a new thread, but I thought I'd just toss in the method I've been using with success. I run a modified MES40. I use an AMNPS with, usually, Pitmaster's Choice pellets, which are a combination of different woods. I love to do pecans. I buy them at Sam's Club, 32 oz bags...
  2. sigmo

    Modifying a MASTERBUILT?

    Yep. I've had the same issues when using LED lamps with a typical dimmer. It's hard to get them adjusted to be on at low values to begin with, and then a power dip may switch them completely off, and they don't re-start until you manually increase the phase angle to be above the required...
  3. sigmo

    Modifying a MASTERBUILT?

    I couldn't see the item linked in your post, but viewing at subsequent post by Dave, I see he is using a phase control gadget. Basically, a high power dimmer, as we've been discussing. The advantage of his setup is that it's inexpensive, and gives efficient power control to his heating...
  4. sigmo

    Modifying a MASTERBUILT?

    I doubt that anyone is really using a true "rheostat" to control the power to their smoker heating element. People sometimes use the word "rheostat" (incorrectly) to mean a power controller of any type. Technically, a rheostat is simply a variable resistor. This is distinct from a...
  5. sigmo

    smoking in/with pans??

    Here's another trick I like: I really like making seasoned smoked pecans. Other nuts are good, too, but pecans are my favorite. There's a whole sub forum here dealing with this, but speaking of pans, here's something I use a lot. I tediously sat and poked a shitload (I love that expression...
  6. sigmo

    smoking in/with pans??

    Sam's Club here has disposable foil steam table trays in half and full size. They're cheap. I always use these 1/2 size trays when smoking pork butts. I can easily move the butts from place to place in the smoker to get even smoke. And I can put a foil tent over them once they've had enough...
  7. sigmo

    Sous Vide Rib eye

    That looks fantastic! Nothing I've found beats Sous Vide for cooking steaks. Every few months I buy three full cryovac tenderloins at the local Sam's Club. If they aren't out front, I ask the butcher, and they always seem to have them hiding in the back. I cut them into approximately 8 oz...
  8. sigmo

    I give up

    Exactly. Always compensate for the variation in boiling point for your elevation. Also, NIST has an interesting publication concerning the recalibration of mercury in glass thermometers, and among the interesting information it contains, is a section about how to prepare a proper ice slush...
  9. sigmo

    Home-built electric smoker (UPDATE)

    Well, as amazing as your first one turned out, I'm sure you can do well with a smaller one as well. The market for a good, well-made smoker should be pretty big these days. Having it already set up for (or with) a "mailbox" and Pellet Maze would be very attractive to people who are familiar...
  10. sigmo

    Home-built electric smoker (UPDATE)

    What wattage heating element did you end up going with? I felt like you were unfairly attacked for suggesting the use of a relatively high power element. That's a pretty big smoker, so with it fully-loaded with cool, wet meat, it will take a lot of power to get the air inside up to temperature...
  11. sigmo

    Is it still a MES

    No fair using an electrical enclosure and calling it a "mailbox" mod. ;) My MES has had its guts ripped out. So it's not really a true MES. But I rather like the enclosure, and for me, building such an enclosure would be a lot of work. The enclosure that has me salivating right now is a...
  12. sigmo

    PID done... finally.

    When building something new that has to be in a respectable enclosure, those stainless Hoffman boxes and the like are amazingly expensive. Even American-made project boxes can be a lot more expensive than people might imagine. Often, when a gadget is being scrapped, the main thing that makes...
  13. sigmo

    PID done... finally.

    I was wondering where you got the enclosure. As surprising as it is, often the most expensive single part in any electronic project can be the enclosure. Good use of the cord grips, too.
  14. sigmo

    High Altitude Cooking Information

    I live at 5300 feet elevation. For years, I worked at an environmental laboratory. An incident that is legendary happened when a group of regulatory agency personnel were at our lab doing an audit. One of the methods called for samples to be held for an acid digest in a heated water bath at...
  15. sigmo

    Smoked Coffee

    When I smoke cheese, butter, etc., it has to be done at a cold temperature. But I use a pellet burning gadget (An Amazin AMNPS) to generate the smoke. So the smoker doesn't even need to be turned on. The same cold smoking method is what I was suggesting for smoking coffee. That way, you...
  16. sigmo

    Pit Boss Hopper Question

    I think you guys need an automatic pellet hopper vibrator. No, they don't exist as far as I know, but it sounds like it should! Just get something like this: http://www.vibco.com/products/electric-vibrators/spr/product?productkey=SPR-10%20-%20Small%20Electric%20Vibrator Bolt it to the back...
  17. sigmo

    Pitboss or Masterbuilt

    I think you're right. As an individual without a big shipping contract with UPS or FedEx, it's very expensive to ship. Where I used to work, we had a contract with UPS, and I could have sent you an ARS label for that bad boy, and regardless of its weight and size, $4.50 is what we'd pay. We...
  18. sigmo

    Pitboss or Masterbuilt

    I'm still tempted to get one to use for its enclosure. I really like its size and rack setup. For me, building the cabinet would be the time-consuming part of a build. The control system is the part I'd actually enjoy. I guess I should try a complete build someday.
  19. sigmo

    Pitboss or Masterbuilt

    As you both say, I really do love how pork butts come out in my modified MES40 with the AMNPS pellet burner for smoke. The flavor and cook are excellent and it really is nice to be able to run it with very little intervention for long periods. Perfect, especially for those long long smokes...
  20. sigmo

    Pitboss or Masterbuilt

    You're a big fan of this smoker. I can tell! ;) OK. That's interesting information. The blower runs at a constant speed, and they try to control the temperature purely by the rate at which they feed pellets into the burn area. If you could feed the pellets very smoothly and slowly, it...
Great deal on LEM Grinders!
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