Disappointed with amount of smoke; bought a master built electric 40" added updated part sent by mas

[hoity toit]

 
A long while ago Bear suggested using Dust instead of pellets in an AMNPS for cold smokes. I ordered 4 pounds of Dust ( 2 each of hickory and oak) from Todd that were delivered last week. I hope to cold smoke some cheeses and beef jerky to hand out as Christmas presents which will be a great test for the Dust. I've had many problems with wood pellets in my AMNPS going out during cold smokes because oxygen circulation is a big problem with the MES 30 Gen 1 when cold smoking. Hopefully the Dust is the answer. If not, I'm thinking of going with a mailbox mod because even following Todd's suggestions for pulling out the wood chip tray and loader hasn't helped improve air flow. But on warm days, noting beats wood pellets in the AMNPS or AMNTS for generating long-lasting smoke when hot smoking in my MES 30.

Best thing I ever did was the mailbox mod. Still goes out once in a while but rarely. i put the tray in the warm smoker a couple hrs to get the moisture gone then light it and in to the mailbox.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Thanks for the info & yes I am low altitude down here... I just ordered my 5x8 AMNPS & will use it this weekend for the first time on a ham & some BB ribs... When you say turning the dumper excuse my ignorance but does this mean your leaving the open side down??? I assume so but just wanted to be sure???  And when lighting the pellets is it best to light inside the box or outside the box??? If there is a post on how to use or the best way to use this in a MES I will follow that link if you have one... 

Yes, turning the Chip Dumper 180° will position the open side down.

I do my lighting through the hole at the beginning point of the maze (There's one on each end).

Below is a good Thread on lighting the AMNPS. It has a good video, and Post #2 gives my Basic method. Getting it lit properly is 99% of the job, and putting it in the best place in your Smoker.

I have never used a Mailbox for anything other than Mail, and mine doesn't go out in any of my Smokers (Gen #1, Gen #2, or Gen #2.5).

Link to Lighting AMNPS:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140859/how-i-light-my-amnps-w-video-link

Bear

 

[jimmy1957]

Hey Jimmy1957,  I just bought a MSG XL44 and I was wondering if you could send me a pic or two of your cold smoker mod? And maybe an idiots guide on how you did it?



Thanks in advance.



JD

 too

I bought a piece of pipe at the hardware store to fit over the cold smoker, Then I took my dremel tool and cut the circle out on the bottom right side of the MGS where the air vent is then just run the pipe in there, And easier way to do it would probably be to run the pipe underneath the MGS and put it beside the burner or maybe between the burners.

 

[smoker21]

Cool. Thanks for the info jimmy1957. Sounds like a winter project for me.

 

[dcrosby007]

 
Yes, turning the Chip Dumper 180° will position the open side down.

I do my lighting through the hole at the beginning point of the maze (There's one on each end).

Below is a good Thread on lighting the AMNPS. It has a good video, and Post #2 gives my Basic method. Getting it lit properly is 99% of the job, and putting it in the best place in your Smoker.

I have never used a Mailbox for anything other than Mail, and mine doesn't go out in any of my Smokers (Gen #1, Gen #2, or Gen #2.5).

Link to Lighting AMNPS:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140859/how-i-light-my-amnps-w-video-link

Bear

Thanks as always Bear your knowledge is endless!!! Lighting or staying lit seems too be the biggest issue with these things so I will read up & stay ahead of the curve with it...I found some info too on the Amezn website so I will read it & go thru your info & figure it all out...  

 

[daricksta]

 
Best thing I ever did was the mailbox mod. Still goes out once in a while but rarely. i put the tray in the warm smoker a couple hrs to get the moisture gone then light it and in to the mailbox.

Until I can get the sucker built and working, I'm starting off with burning Dust in my AMNPS for a couple of cold smokes I hope to do before Christmas.

You're saying you place the tray with wood pellets in the smoker for a couple of hours and then you remove it, light the pellets, and place the tray in the mailbox? That's interesting. What temp do you set the smoker to?

A few guys use the microwave to dry out the pellets but I've never done that. I think in my MES 30 the problem is lack of oxygen at cold temps and not moisture-laden pellets.

 

[hoity toit]

 
Until I can get the sucker built and working, I'm starting off with burning Dust in my AMNPS for a couple of cold smokes I hope to do before Christmas.

You're saying you place the tray with wood pellets in the smoker for a couple of hours and then you remove it, light the pellets, and place the tray in the mailbox? That's interesting. What temp do you set the smoker to?

A few guys use the microwave to dry out the pellets but I've never done that. I think in my MES 30 the problem is lack of oxygen at cold temps and not moisture-laden pellets.

I set the temp at 120-140  degrees and leave the pellets in there an hour or 2, then light them and put in the mailbox mod. I have tried the microwave and that works too, just be care full as I have ignited pellets in the microwave and it sure stinks up the house and makes a mess. I left them in more than a minute and they caught fire. Also i havefound the pellets suck moisture like a sponge when damp weather is present. After I have "dried them thoroughly" I also vacuum seal them in packets while they are still warm with just enough to fill one of the Amazn trays. This way I can be assured of having dry pellets on hand when I need them.

 

[smoker21]

I've never tried the mailbox mod. I really haven't had a need. The Amnps never goes out on a cold smoke and rarely goes out on a hot smoke.

 

[robbsmokin]

I had similar issues with my 40" MES. A big part of the issue comes from the fact that there is just the one element for both controlling temperature and creating smoke.Researched it here and elsewhere to see various solutions, and got the Masterbuilt Cold Smoking Attachment.  I love it! I can completely control the heat in the smoker itself because the heating element in the smoker is no longer responsible for creating smoke. And I can create as much smoke as I want from the cold smoking attachment for any kind of smoking - hot or cold. I can get 6 hours of nice smoke from the attachment. I can control how much smoke by using the vent on the smoker. If I stll get too much smoke, I can shut off the attachment for awhile, and then turn it back on again when I need more smoke. It also uses wood chips, which are inexpensive, readily available, and with many varieties of wood available.

Pros: total control of the smoke, long smoking times without the need to keep reloading, total control of the temp in the smoker, and I can do hot cold smoking, uses wood chips, it lights easily and stays lit (electric element)

Cons: I have to have a poker (use wide metal skewer) to make sure chips are dropping into place, have to use same poker to scrape the creosote off the feeding tube so chips don't get stuck, have to pull out chips that are too large to drop down feeding tube.

Pics show the unit and the amount of smoke generated.

Smoke generated.jpg

• robbsmokin
• Dec 13, 2016

Cold Smoking Unit.jpg

• robbsmokin
• Dec 13, 2016

Hooked up.jpg

• robbsmokin
• Dec 13, 2016

12-09-16 Cheese & Chex-mix.jpg

• robbsmokin
• Dec 13, 2016

 

[daricksta]

 
I set the temp at 120-140  degrees and leave the pellets in there an hour or 2, then light them and put in the mailbox mod. I have tried the microwave and that works too, just be care full as I have ignited pellets in the microwave and it sure stinks up the house and makes a mess. I left them in more than a minute and they caught fire. Also i havefound the pellets suck moisture like a sponge when damp weather is present. After I have "dried them thoroughly" I also vacuum seal them in packets while they are still warm with just enough to fill one of the Amazn trays. This way I can be assured of having dry pellets on hand when I need them.

I've been using wood pellets for about 5 years and I haven't noticed them absorbling moisture, at least not from touch or in how they burn. I thought the lone exception was alder but I compared a new bag to an older one I have and they both had the same softness. I still think the problem with pellets going out during cold smokes (and some hot smokes) in my MES 30 is poor air circulation. However, it's been too cold here for me to wheel my smoker out of the garage and do some cold smoking although that same cold weather makes it ideal to do it. I can't handle cold weather (and we're talking highs in the low 30s) like I used to. Still and all, I'm running out of time to cold smoke Xmas gifts so I need to buck up this weekend get the job done. Putting together the mailbox mod will need to wait till at least the warmer spring weather.

 

[hoity toit]

 
I've been using wood pellets for about 5 years and I haven't noticed them absorbling moisture, at least not from touch or in how they burn. I thought the lone exception was alder but I compared a new bag to an older one I have and they both had the same softness. I still think the problem with pellets going out during cold smokes (and some hot smokes) in my MES 30 is poor air circulation. However, it's been too cold here for me to wheel my smoker out of the garage and do some cold smoking although that same cold weather makes it ideal to do it. I can't handle cold weather (and we're talking highs in the low 30s) like I used to. Still and all, I'm running out of time to cold smoke Xmas gifts so I need to buck up this weekend get the job done. Putting together the mailbox mod will need to wait till at least the warmer spring weather.

Here where I live we have fog at times and high humidity. If I leave pellets on my porch they dissolve into mush when its foggy or rainy so I store them in a sealed plastic container in my garage now

 

[daricksta]

I've never tried the mailbox mod. I really haven't had a need. The Amnps never goes out on a cold smoke and rarely goes out on a hot smoke.

What smoker are you using?

 

[daricksta]

 
Here where I live we have fog at times and high humidity. If I leave pellets on my porch they dissolve into mush when its foggy or rainy so I store them in a sealed plastic container in my garage now

You're in Texas? Here in the Puget Sound area high humidity isn't a problem even with all the rain. I'm sure that what we consider a humid day would be like a day in the Llano Estacado for you.

 

[smoker21]

What smoker are you using?

I have been using a gen 1 MES 40, for years!
Just got a Masterbuilt XL 44 gas, but I haven't needed extra smoke yet.

JD

 

[hoity toit]

 
You're in Texas? Here in the Puget Sound area high humidity isn't a problem even with all the rain. I'm sure that what we consider a humid day would be like a day in the Llano Estacado for you.

My sister actually lives in LLano, LLano Ranch, LLano Texas

 

[Motorguy]

I guess I am one of the minority here. I have tried using my AMNPS for a long time with zero success in keeping it going. I've built the "mailbox" attachment, vented the smoker, followed pretty much everyone's suggestions and after a year of trying, gave up. It now sits idle in my used gear box.

What I did find works perfectly, every time is the MES cold smoke attachment (about $60 on Amazon). Consistent smoke, goes for hours and I can use it for any kind of smoking I want to do from cheese to turkeys.

Originally I used it on my MES30 and just recently upgraded to a new MES40 with the same results.  I know I will be boo'ed for my anti AMNPS comment, but that has been my experience. Wish it were different, but at least I have a really good alternative that works for me.

 

[smoker21]

As they say, YRMV.
Glad you found something to work for you.

JD

 

[g man mo]

Someone does make one in the USA.  Cookshack.

 

[daricksta]

I have been using a gen 1 MES 40, for years!
Just got a Masterbuilt XL 44 gas, but I haven't needed extra smoke yet.

JD

Overall my MES 30 Gen 1 has worked great for almost 5 years but cold smokes have always been a hassle with wood pellets getting snuffed out. I'm hoping that Dust does the trick. But until I can find out I need the temp around here to hit at least 45°. Right now it's about 30° outside and I just about got frostbite while patching up some potholes in our gravel driveway.

 

[smoker21]

Cold smoking I never have problems keeping the pellets lit.

I did two loads of cheese on the first. Tonight there will be smoked mozzarella on our pizza! And Sunday toasted smoked cheddar and provolone samishs and Campbells tomato soup for lunch. [emoji]128539[/emoji]


JD