Anyone use wood pellets in their MES?

[daricksta]

I always microwave my pellets before AMNPS. Like maybe 30 seconds for a big handful. I have not had them go out since doing this, leaving the chip loading tube out a couple inches for a better draft per Todd's instructions for my MES30. That gives a continuous source of smoke. I find that my MES only produces fairly ateady smoke on higher temps, like around 180 and up.

I never nuke my wood pellets. Like Gary S I just take them out of the bag and place them in the AMNPS.

Also, the MES produces steady smoke during cold smokes. I don't even plug it in; I just use the AMNPS.

 

[torp3t3d0]

I've given up on the Ama-z-en products....can't keep them lighted....more work than they are worth....I know everyone else loves them...

Microwave the pellets for 30 secs....light them with a torch for 1 minute....use the heat gun....then smoke...i put them in the mailbox and they go out in about 30 minutes....Drilled holes in the mailbox so it looks like swiss cheese...NOTHING works for me.

Ttried let them smolder on my work bench...and they still go out/

 

[tjwheels]

 
I've given up on the Ama-z-en products....can't keep them lighted....more work than they are worth....I know everyone else loves them...

Microwave the pellets for 30 secs....light them with a torch for 1 minute....use the heat gun....then smoke...i put them in the mailbox and they go out in about 30 minutes....Drilled holes in the mailbox so it looks like swiss cheese...NOTHING works for me.

Ttried let them smolder on my work bench...and they still go out/

Sorry about your experience, it sounds like it's a love it or hate it product. Mine came on Thursday and will give it a dry run today. I'm hoping I become one of the many that preach how well it works.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I've given up on the Ama-z-en products....can't keep them lighted....more work than they are worth....I know everyone else loves them...

Microwave the pellets for 30 secs....light them with a torch for 1 minute....use the heat gun....then smoke...i put them in the mailbox and they go out in about 30 minutes....Drilled holes in the mailbox so it looks like swiss cheese...NOTHING works for me.

Ttried let them smolder on my work bench...and they still go out/

I don't know what to tell you.

This is the first I've heard about one going out without even putting it in the smoker or mailbox. That eliminates the "bad airflow" problem.

The only other main things would be either your pellets are damp, or you're still not getting a big enough red hot cherry going.

Believe me---The extra work is definitely worth it.

Before you give up, try this:

Here's probably the problem. Everyone I've taught how to get them lit properly has swore up & down they were lighting them fine. Many of them have recanted that statement since. I light mine deep with the Propane torch. Then I blow on it down & in toward the bottom of the unburned pellets. Then I let the flame burn awhile. When the flame goes out, I blow on it down & in until the glowing red goes deeper. Then I let it flame awhile. Then a few minutes later I do the same thing again. Then a few minutes I do the same thing again. I do this until I get about a 2" or better long, full row width glowing cherry in the bottom of the pellets. Then after about a total of 20 minutes of coming back & blowing that cherry deeper & deeper, I put it on the little bars to the left of my chip burner assembly. The only time mine ever goes out is if I use straight Cherry pellets. If you use a heat gun, you can cut the time & energy down from my method. This all sounds like a PITA, but I feel it is worth it to get up to 11 hours of perfect smoke.
 

Bear

 

[63willys]

I have a Traeger Texan 07 and they say only use Traeger pellets , I bought some pellets from Q-Pellets you can google them they are outstanding pellets all wood no fillers give them a try there's nothing better and they come in 30lb bags for just a little more than I was paying for a 20lb bag of Traeger .

 

[jted]

 
I've given up on the Ama-z-en products....can't keep them lighted....more work than they are worth....I know everyone else loves them...

Microwave the pellets for 30 secs....light them with a torch for 1 minute....use the heat gun....then smoke...i put them in the mailbox and they go out in about 30 minutes....Drilled holes in the mailbox so it looks like swiss cheese...NOTHING works for me.

Ttried let them smolder on my work bench...and they still go out/

Hi, I was not a microwaver until last summer. I always put them in the smoker at 275 during the warm up. I was running late one morning so I thought I would try it. I put a large hand full in a microwave safe plastic dish and ran it for a minute or so. When I opened the door I was surprised at the amount of condensation I had. I wiped the bowl down and gave it 2 more Minn./ They burned well. Todd told me to also heat the bottom of the row. This is in line with Bears advice. The row burners from the bottom. If you microwave them 30 seconds it may not be enough. Also I no longer store mine in Zip lock baggies. I use containers that have  screw on lids. I have lots of Large Apple sauce bottles. Help this helps Jted

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Hi, I was not a microwaver until last summer. I always put them in the smoker at 275 during the warm up. I was running late one morning so I thought I would try it. I put a large hand full in a microwave safe plastic dish and ran it for a minute or so. When I opened the door I was surprised at the amount of condensation I had. I wiped the bowl down and gave it 2 more Minn./ They burned well. Todd told me to also heat the bottom of the row. This is in line with Bears advice. The row burners from the bottom. If you microwave them 30 seconds it may not be enough. Also I no longer store mine in Zip lock baggies. I use containers that have  screw on lids. I have lots of Large Apple sauce bottles. Help this helps Jted

Yup---That's why I have never had to nuke my dust or pellets:

For those of you who have an "A-MAZE-N-SMOKER", or any other dust burning smoke generator, This is how I keep my powder (Dust) & pellets dry.

Humidity will effect how the dust burns.

View media item 68424

 

[torp3t3d0]

You Guys are good...and helpful...will start to store mine that way....we don;t drink in this containers so I guess I'll have to go out and buy some...thinking large glass jars with screw lids.

 

[rschwartz]

I do, I use the amns, just make sure to keep your pellets dry. I was having some issues with mine, but with all the great reviews I knew it was operator error. I put my pellets in the microwave for a few minutes and it worked like the reviews I had read. Now my pellets are kept in the house.

 

[rfjoinery]

Agree it's important to get your pellets dry. Mine have never failed to burn well when they're dry. AMNPS or tube shape.

First, no matter how dry they are when you buy them, they can absorb moisture pretty quickly if your climate is more humid then where they came from. (Speaking from experience with hardwood moisture and drying.) I use plastic peanut butter jars for storage, they seal pretty well, pellets will stay dry for a few months. Ziploc bags aren't durable enough, they'll get small holes pretty easily.

Do the microwave thing; a cup or so of pellets for a minute, and you'll see water vapor rising and the inside of the cup will probably be damp. Give it a couple minutes to "steam off", then run it another minute. (I used to do this in plastic drink cups, and they start to melt in spots. Pyrex works better.) Expose them to air for another minute or two, then into the jar with screw-on lid for storage.

No doubt you can dry out a load of pellets just as well by putting a load in your smoker and heating it for an hour before lighting the pellets. I don't plan in advance that well so I try to keep a selection of dry pellets ready to go.

 

[daricksta]

 
Hi, I was not a microwaver until last summer. I always put them in the smoker at 275 during the warm up. I was running late one morning so I thought I would try it. I put a large hand full in a microwave safe plastic dish and ran it for a minute or so. When I opened the door I was surprised at the amount of condensation I had. I wiped the bowl down and gave it 2 more Minn./ They burned well. Todd told me to also heat the bottom of the row. This is in line with Bears advice. The row burners from the bottom. If you microwave them 30 seconds it may not be enough. Also I no longer store mine in Zip lock baggies. I use containers that have  screw on lids. I have lots of Large Apple sauce bottles. Help this helps Jted

I always heat the AMNPS from underneath going about 1/4 back from the front of it. I always start out using a propane blowtorch to heat the pellets through the hole and getting that really bright cherry, then I heat from underneath with the blowtorch, back up front and then along the tops of the pellets about 1/4 from the front as well. I keep this up for about 60 seconds even if there's a flame burning and then I blow on the burning end to get that cherry again. I then set the AMNPS on the ground and let it burn for about 20 minutes. If the flame goes out I blow on it to get the cherry which re-ignites the flame. 

After it's been going for 20 minutes, I blow out the flame and again blow on the smouldering end of the pellets to get that red-hot cherry which sometimes re-ignites the flame. Just before I place the AMNPS in my MES 30 I blow out the flame, blow on the pellets to get the cherry glowing, and then place the AMNPS on the two rails next to the wood chip tray cover with the smouldering end facing the back of my MES.

This summer I'm going to try pouring a little alcohol gel on the wood pellets and then ignite them with a butane lighter instead of the propane blowtorch to see if that works better. Even though Todd has said nuking the wood pellets can help I've never had to do that.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I always heat the AMNPS from underneath going about 1/4 back from the front of it. I always start out using a propane blowtorch to heat the pellets through the hole and getting that really bright cherry, then I heat from underneath with the blowtorch, back up front and then along the tops of the pellets about 1/4 from the front as well. I keep this up for about 60 seconds even if there's a flame burning and then I blow on the burning end to get that cherry again. I then set the AMNPS on the ground and let it burn for about 20 minutes. If the flame goes out I blow on it to get the cherry which re-ignites the flame. 

After it's been going for 20 minutes, I blow out the flame and again blow on the smouldering end of the pellets to get that red-hot cherry which sometimes re-ignites the flame. Just before I place the AMNPS in my MES 30 I blow out the flame, blow on the pellets to get the cherry glowing, and then place the AMNPS on the two rails next to the wood chip tray cover with the smouldering end facing the back of my MES.

This summer I'm going to try pouring a little alcohol gel on the wood pellets and then ignite them with a butane lighter instead of the propane blowtorch to see if that works better. Even though Todd has said nuking the wood pellets can help I've never had to do that.

Dang Rick----I could have posted that exact same post----Exactly how I do it, and I've even been thinking about trying the Gel I got for my pellet stove!!

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
Dang Rick----I could have posted that exact same post----Exactly how I do it, and I've even been thinking about trying the Gel I got for my pellet stove!!

Bear

Bear,

Who do you think I learned this method from? I credit you and Todd for showing me the "light", so to speak. It takes a bit more effort in the beginning but then no effort throughout the smoke.

Love your idea of putting dust in old plastic bottles. As I've said, I haven't seen where my wood pellets have absorbed moisture so I haven't worried about taking them out of their original plastic bags.

Darn--I've got to set a reminder for myself to buy some gel next time I go to Lowes.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Bear,

Who do you think I learned this method from? I credit you and Todd for showing me the "light", so to speak. It takes a bit more effort in the beginning but then no effort throughout the smoke.

Love your idea of putting dust in old plastic bottles. As I've said, I haven't seen where my wood pellets have absorbed moisture so I haven't worried about taking them out of their original plastic bags.

Darn--I've got to set a reminder for myself to buy some gel next time I go to Lowes.

You were a Great Student. You can take over on telling that method, because you can type a lot faster than I can.

And if you get to use that Gel before I do, let me know how you did it & how good it works.

Thanks Buddy!

Bear

 

[rfjoinery]

This sounds like all the overall flaming from below and from above, is an alternate way to get them to really dry out before showtime. Should work even if they're damp at the start of the process.

Whichever way works easiest for you.

 

[daricksta]

 
You were a Great Student. You can take over on telling that method, because you can type a lot faster than I can.

And if you get to use that Gel before I do, let me know how you did it & how good it works.

Thanks Buddy!

Bear

Thanks for the nice praise.

You got it, my friend!

 

[daricksta]

 
I don't know what to tell you.

This is the first I've heard about one going out without even putting it in the smoker or mailbox. That eliminates the "bad airflow" problem.

The only other main things would be either your pellets are damp, or you're still not getting a big enough red hot cherry going.

Believe me---The extra work is definitely worth it.

Before you give up, try this:

Here's probably the problem. Everyone I've taught how to get them lit properly has swore up & down they were lighting them fine. Many of them have recanted that statement since. I light mine deep with the Propane torch. Then I blow on it down & in toward the bottom of the unburned pellets. Then I let the flame burn awhile. When the flame goes out, I blow on it down & in until the glowing red goes deeper. Then I let it flame awhile. Then a few minutes later I do the same thing again. Then a few minutes I do the same thing again. I do this until I get about a 2" or better long, full row width glowing cherry in the bottom of the pellets. Then after about a total of 20 minutes of coming back & blowing that cherry deeper & deeper, I put it on the little bars to the left of my chip burner assembly. The only time mine ever goes out is if I use straight Cherry pellets. If you use a heat gun, you can cut the time & energy down from my method. This all sounds like a PITA, but I feel it is worth it to get up to 11 hours of perfect smoke.
 

Bear

Hey, Bear--didn't I steal this from you? No wonder I sounded so eloquent--I plagiarized you, buddy!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Hey, Bear--didn't I steal this from you? No wonder I sounded so eloquent--I plagiarized you, buddy!

LOL----No you didn't steal it----I gave it to you, free & clear.

And the more you use it, the less I have to.

Bear

 

[bmaddox]

 
I don't anything but dump them in my AMNPS light with a torch let it get going for about 10 min and I'm good  No problems staying lit

Gary

Me to. I guess we are the lucky ones.

 

[gary s]

So far,  I guess !

gary