AMNS made more "amazen" for MES 30

[Telemachus]

I got my amazn pellet smoker today and it seemed like there was no great place to put it in the MES 30 that I have.

I would rather not have it take up any of my racks so I decided to make a slight modification to have it sit down by the heating element.

Wouldn't be a bad option to sell them in this configuration IMO...

 

[hank2000]

That’s different. Waiting to see how it worked

 

[normanaj]

That's why I opted for the tube(s).I too am interested to see how it it worked out.

 

[HalfSmoked]

So if the hold unit is sitting on the element why doesn't it all burn at the same time and not just one row?

Warren

 

[Telemachus]

Its next to the element. Not right above it like the wood chip holder.

I think that the element probably won't ignite the pellets through the two layers of metal (AMNPS and metal around the element) but we shall see.

 

[THW]

Warren, the pellets tray is not setting on the element. The element is in somewhat of a metal tray by itself. It may get some heat from the proximity to the element but I would be interested in how it did.

Now I am completely new to smoking so have no experience but I have heard several times that meat being smoked, gets the smoky flavor in the first 4 or 5 hours. If that is correct, a two row tray would provide 7 or 8 hours of smoke and should be all the is needed. Are their any thoughts on this?

I tend to like the mailbox concept best because it provides a cooler smoke to the unit and any creosote produced would have a good chance to adhere to a length of metal tubing before it gets inside the smoker. Because of those attributes, a lengthy metal tube would have some advantages. Again, just a thought.

 

[Telemachus]

THW,

I have heard the same thing about the lack of need of smoke after the first several hours. My first thought was just to cut a row off. But when I saw how nicely it turned the corner I figured "why not?"

In the image below I took a metal cutting disk on my dremel and made the cuts shown. Swung it out and tacked it back together with my core flux welder.

I think being under the drip pan will help prevent meat juice dripping on the pellets and putting them out.

My main concern is amount of air flow down there. I may have to remove the wood chip cylinder entirely.

 

[dr k]

Cool! The two perforated walls that make the new inside corner are exposed to lateral air movement whereby before they opened up after pellets were burnt and got air from underneath through the triangular walls. The first two rows are more open to air, framing the chip housing.

 

[THW]

Sounds good Tele. Please post your results.

 

[dr k]

View attachment 350638 View attachment 350639 View attachment 350640

Warren, the pellets tray is not setting on the element. The element is in somewhat of a metal tray by itself. It may get some heat from the proximity to the element but I would be interested in how it did.

Now I am completely new to smoking so have no experience but I have heard several times that meat being smoked, gets the smoky flavor in the first 4 or 5 hours. If that is correct, a two row tray would provide 7 or 8 hours of smoke and should be all the is needed. Are their any thoughts on this?

I tend to like the mailbox concept best because it provides a cooler smoke to the unit and any creosote produced would have a good chance to adhere to a length of metal tubing before it gets inside the smoker. Because of those attributes, a lengthy metal tube would have some advantages. Again, just a thought.

I've never used more than two rows of pellets. I like the lighter piped in smoke with the mailbox mod. Smoke doesn't penetrate deeply into meat it's relatively shallow but humid environments with water in the water pan allows smoke to stick to the bark and even more so when spritzing from the thermophoresis of evaporative cooling. When liquids evaporate and cool the surface the hot smoke particulates migrate to a lower energy surface in this case the meat and being wet allows for smoke adhesion. So you can reactivate thermophoresis as long as you spritz to a point that the bark is inedible from too much smoke. I only spritz bourbon/apple juice for flavor very rarely. I keep the water pan empty.

 

[Telemachus]

So Dr K, do you think I'll have enough air flow down there for this to work?

 

[Bearcarver]

I would think it might be a little starving for air flow down that low in the Smoker.
I would also worry about it being too close to the heating element.
Pretty neat idea though!!!

As for Smoke time, it depends on how much smoke flavor you like, and what you're Smoking.
With one end lit in an AMNPS I like to keep mine going all the time, unless it's Preheating or in the "Foiled" stage.
My Bacon gets a Full Tray of about 11 hours of Hickory.

Bear

 

[Telemachus]

I read somewhere that the AMZPS was originally design to go down in the bottom of the first generation mes 30.

But that may have been made for sawdust and not pellets.

If the proximity to the heating element is a problem it would not be hard at all to rack on an extra heat shield.

Air flow is another matter all together...

I think my first test will be to heat up the smoker with no meat in there and without lighting the pellet tray.

If it can go 4 hours and not ignite any of the pellets at full heat then I think proximity will not be a problem.

 

[Bearcarver]

I read somewhere that the AMZPS was originally design to go down in the bottom of the first generation mes 30.

I've got to find something to smoke this weekend so I can report back.

Yes it was, In fact when Todd was designing the AMNPS, he asked me to measure the distance from my Chip burner to the left interior wall of my MES 30 (At the support rods). Then he made the AMNPS just slightly smaller, so that it would fit in Smokers that were slightly different than mine was.
However that place (on the support rods) is a few inches off the floor, allowing some air flow to ALL sides of the AMNPS.

Bear

 

[Telemachus]

Aw... Brilliant!

If air flow becomes a problem for me I could simply tack on legs to raise it up. there is plenty of room down there

 

[Bearcarver]

I read somewhere that the AMZPS was originally design to go down in the bottom of the first generation mes 30.

But that may have been made for sawdust and not pellets.

The below lines weren't in this post before:

If the proximity to the heating element is a problem it would not be hard at all to rack on an extra heat shield.

Air flow is another matter all together... Yes, and the shield would make it worse.

I think my first test will be to heat up the smoker with no meat in there and without lighting the pellet tray. Great Plan!

If it can go 4 hours and not ignite any of the pellets at full heat then I think proximity will not be a problem.

Absolutely.

Bear

 

[Bearcarver]

Aw... Brilliant!

If air flow becomes a problem for me I could simply tack on legs to raise it up. there is plenty of room down there

The full AMNPS wouldn't fit there in your MES 30 Generation, however your reconstructed AMNPS should. Raising it would definitely help, as long as you don't block too many of the bottom & side Perforations in the AMNPS.

Bear

 

[dr k]

So Dr K, do you think I'll have enough air flow down there for this to work?

I don't know what Gen Mes you have but the Gen 2 & 2.5 have center drip pan grease drains and a lot of air comes in through that hole but didn't do much for the AMNPS but may help your open design on the two rows that make the inside corner. The gen 2 & 2.5 have a more open design chip housing that has the roof angled up to the right wall, sending a lot of air straight up from the chip loader hole to the bottom rack before moving left throughout the smoker. So Bear's bottom shelf right side placement on these two smokers is the best. This was most evident when I saw a video of a guy that overloaded his chip tray so that there was so much smoke you couldn't see through the window. You could only see the turbulent smoke moving just under the bottom right side rack. Lighting the hole in the single row that is parallel to the door is closest to the chip loader hole. I'd start there and see what happens. Hopefully the heating element is high enough with the bottom reflector to keep pellets from burning too quickly.

 

[tallbm]

That is awesome!
Add some legs and I think you will be ready to rock.

Also when cold smoking I think the temp/time that is debated concerning meat's ability to absorb smoke would not really apply since there may be no heat or IT changes.

Finally, I OFTEN burn 2 rows a time on my smokes with my AMNPS.
I do a number of quicker smokes like Chicken, Turkey Drums, Meatloaf, etc. and 1 row is never enough smoke flavor for me. On these smokes I burn 2 rows of pellets. Understand though that I don't often go only Hickory or only Mesquite on these 2 row smokes. I usually blend my Hickory with Competition blend or Apple, and I blend my Mesquite with Alder.
A 2 row smoke is awesome for those 2-4.5 hour smokes or anytime you want more flavor :)

 

[zwiller]

Nice idea! I have been contemplating similar things but honestly sitting the AMNPS on lowest rack far left has worked so well I have decided to hold off for now. The lowest rack apparently gets too hot due to proximity to the element.