AMAZN Question

[runway1]

Should the smoke be visible out of my 30" MES?  First smoke.  I have the AMAZN 1/2 full of apple pellets and it started nicely.  I saw some smoke initially but not sure if it died out and I'm reluctant to open the smoker until I get well passed the 140° mark.

Do you usually see visible smoke?  Guess I'll open it in a couple hours and find out.

 

[crankybuzzard]

You should see smoke. My 6' tall smoker shows it well, so the MES should have it very noticeable.

IMG_8056.JPG

• crankybuzzard
• Jan 14, 2017

 

[SmokinAl]

I'd open it up & make sure it's still burning.

Al

 

[runway1]

I did.  It was out so I relit it.  Using Bear Paw pellets just bought, just opened fresh.  It lite up nice.  I blew on it after a few minutes to get the glowing red effect for an inch or so.....then it peters out. 

Tray is on the bottom left, just under the rack holding the water tray.  Are these bad pellets?  It's in the 60s and gorgeous here in socal so it's not the weather

 

[timstalltaletav]

Try pulling the chip loader tube out a few inches to let more fresh air in. Depending on how finicky my MES is being I have gone from a few inches to pulling the tube all the way out.

 

[runway1]

Gave it a good scortchin this time.  Both channels lite (how do you spell "lit"?).  We'll see.

 

[runway1]

Guess that's what it needed.  Been smokin good for a few hours now.  It really took a torch though.

 

[joda]

I always use a torch and let it burn for 7-10 minutes before blowing it out. I haven't had a problem yet .I've only used the 6" tube and Todd's pellets. I'm not sure if that makes a difference.I get lots of smoke.

 

[parrot-head]

I also fill the tray with pellets then put the tray in the smoker while it's warming up to help take out any moisture there might be.

 

[crankybuzzard]

This is my tube, but I do the same with the trays. MAPP gas is great stuff. Let it burn for a few minutes then into the pit.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[daricksta]

 
Should the smoke be visible out of my 30" MES?  First smoke.  I have the AMAZN 1/2 full of apple pellets and it started nicely.  I saw some smoke initially but not sure if it died out and I'm reluctant to open the smoker until I get well passed the 140° mark.

Do you usually see visible smoke?  Guess I'll open it in a couple hours and find out.

I have a MES 30 Gen 1 in which I keep the top vent wide open. If I stop seeing smoke flowing out the top I open the door and look at the pellets in my AMNPS (or my AMNT if I'm using that). No visible smoke means the pellets have burnt out and there could be a variety of reasons why they did. When I see them burnt out I remove the tray from the smoker, relight the pellets and after about 5-10 minutes of them smoking I place the tray back in the smoker and continue to monitor it every 20-30 minutes. I've had times when I figured the pellets had stopped smoking for the past 30-60 minutes so I extend the cook time to offset that.

With the MES adequate oxygen circulation has always been a challenge which is why a number of owners employ the mailbox mod. I may try that this year. For cold smokes--where it's been my experience that pellets keep getting snuffed out at the low temps--I'm going to be using Dust since I've read that it performs better at lower temps than pellets.

 

[tallbm]

I'm a new AMNPS and MES40 smoker.  I use the mailbox mod and I in my first smoke I had the AMNPS go out on me.

In my short time I have learned you MUST let it really burn for 10 full minutes as the instructions say or maybe a little longer.

Also I just bought a propane torch to really get the pellets lit.  I was using a butane lighter but it just took too long and then while doing a 100% Cherry pellet smoke last week I learned the lesson of how hard it is to get cherry to burn on it's own.  The propane torch will solve the lighting and give me a good flame for the first 10 minutes for sure.

I hope this info helps :)

 

[btm723]

I have a couple of questions regarding the A-maze-n Pellet Smoker.

I have a MES 40 purchased in 2016, not sure which generation but I've attached a picture.

20170203_160122[1].jpg

• btm723
• Feb 3, 2017

My questions are where would I place it in the smoker and how long would the 2lb bag of pellets that come with it last?

Thanks for your help!

 

[brickguy221]

I think it is a Generation 1 smoker....I can't help you though on your question about the Pellets and the Amazen Pellet smoker as I don't use that type smoker and use a different one instead.

 

[daricksta]

 
I have a couple of questions regarding the A-maze-n Pellet Smoker.

I have a MES 40 purchased in 2016, not sure which generation but I've attached a picture.

20170203_160122[1].jpg

• btm723
• Feb 3, 2017

My questions are where would I place it in the smoker and how long would the 2lb bag of pellets that come with it last?

Thanks for your help!

You've got a Gen 1. You're fortunate because they're pretty rare online., See those two rails to the left of the wood chip holder? The AMNPS goes there.

500x1000px-LL-583d1492_MES302.jpg

• daricksta
• Feb 3, 2017

I kind of change off with the burning pellets facing the door or facing the wall, whichever direction seems to have better airflow. You got a 2 lb. bag of Pitmasters Choice, which is a great blend. How long the bag will last you depends on how often you smoke and what you smoke. If you smoke a lot then you'll go through 2 pounds quickly. As for me, I smoke about 5-6 times a year and I have so many different types of wood pellets (and now Dust), a 2 pound bag lasts me years. I typically will fill up no more than 2 rows in an AMNPS tray and often I won't even burn that much. That also depends on how high up you fill those rows.  A full tray can provide up to 11 hours or so of smoke. So if you're smoking baby backs or St. Louis ribs or turkey breast then 2 rows should be more than enough. Brisket, pork butt/shoulder and chuckys will take at least a full tray. I've bought 5 lb. bags of pellets from Todd for the woods I figure to use the most like hickory,apple, and I think mesquite. Otherwise I buy 2 lb. bags of other woods. .

 

[tallbm]

 
I have a couple of questions regarding the A-maze-n Pellet Smoker.

I have a MES 40 purchased in 2016, not sure which generation but I've attached a picture.

My questions are where would I place it in the smoker and how long would the 2lb bag of pellets that come with it last?

Thanks for your help!

As others have said you have a Gen 1.

I believe different woods will burn at different rates.  For instance 100% Cherry seems to burn much slower than my 100% Hickory.  And my Mesquite/Alder blend burns very fast.

In all though I think 1 row of the AMNPS plus turning the corner to start row 2 will give you 3 - 4.5 hours of smoke.  About half a pound of pellets fills 1 row and just slightly into the 2nd row to start a turn but not a full turn.  So 1 pound should give you roughly 2 rows and 5-7 hours of smoke.

You may want to look into the Mailbox mods as well so you can generate smoke from outside the smoker in case you need to add more pellets or you ever want to cold smoke without any heat from the within the smoker :)

I hope this info helps!