How easily should pellets burn in AMNPS?

[tallbm]

I'm new to all this and just got my MES 40 BT and A-Maze-N tray today. The MES is seasoning right now.

Can't you just put the tray in the bottom of the MES workout doing the whole mailbox deal? I don't think it would produce much heat.

Hi there and welcome!

A number of guys do just that to smoke meat. They pull the chip loader out at various degrees (like half way out) to make sure there is plenty of airflow for the pellets to burn.

As for heat I have read mixed reports. If you are trying to do a cold smoke keeping temp under 65F then I think the AMNPS inside the MES may produce too much heat unless you take measures like loading frozen water jug gallons to keep temp down. As for 100F or so "cold" smokes (more like warm smokes) I think it may not be such an issue.

When doing Salmon Lox it is my understanding that you don't want to exceed 65-70F.

Also a good tip for you. Microwave your pellets for like a minute and 10-15 seconds and it will zap the unseen humidity that the pellets are holding onto and they should burn better in the AMNPS. I actually to two microwave rounds 2 minutes apart just to be sure :)

I hope this info helps.

 

[Jason Gindhart]

Thanks for the info.

I have 10 chicken leg quarters in the smoker right now with some apple chips set at 225*. Its 42* and raining out and this machine is staying 223-227* Pretty damn impressive!

 

[lovethemeats]

I have a MES30 gen1 and have about 9ft of pipe going from my cold smoke box to the smoker. I have the tubes for 2 reasons. One to cool down the smoke as much as possible doing cold smoking. 2 for cleaning the smoke some before reaching the smoker and food. I also use it for normal smoking during the summer months.
I store my pellets in 5 gallon buckets with twist off lids. Never had issues with my pellets going out. The main thing is the amount of draft I have going. My intake is nice size about 3in high by 4 inches long. Lots of fresh air going in. If you do the mod and you still see issus with the pellets going out. Increase the intake size. My AMNPS at a full load onlys burns about 10 1/2 to 11hrs now if only using pellets due to the intake.

 

[Jason Gindhart]

I just lit my A-Maze-N for the first time without issue. I used a Propane torch, the same one I use to solder plumbing, without issue. Now when I went too blow it out is another story. Took me 5 mins to blow the flame out and that was holding it at an angle so the flame wouldn't catch anymore pellets on fire, but it is smoking good now

 

[Clenko]

In an MES, water in the pan does more harm than good.
The box is so well sealed & insulated that it already holds too much moisture without adding any.
If you have a window in your door, you will see that when the condensation forms on the inside of the glass & runs down the door. Why add to that Mess. I haven't put water in my pan for over 7 years.

Bear

Thanks! No water for today's smoke.

 

[Bearcarver]

I just lit my A-Maze-N for the first time without issue. I used a Propane torch, the same one I use to solder plumbing, without issue. Now when I went too blow it out is another story. Took me 5 mins to blow the flame out and that was holding it at an angle so the flame wouldn't catch anymore pellets on fire, but it is smoking good now

Yup---Once you get it lit properly, not only will it not go out, but the only way to put it out is to separate the burned pellets from the unburned pellets. Then it will burn out on it's own.

I've been putting my AMNPS right in my MES (3 different ones) for 7 years, and never found need of a Mailbox.
If cold smoking, use Dust instead of Pellets, and a frozen jug of water or two will help.

So in my opinion, as long as you don't make a Heavy Smoke, you won't get any bad flavor. I've seen guys use such a Thick Smoke, you can't even see the Meat through it. That doesn't mean they need a Mailbox, it means their Smoke is too Heavy.

Bear

 

[lovethemeats]

I've filled my water pan full of ice and then covered it. Also used a cheap foil pan and filled it full then covered. The smoker will stay cold for hours.

 

[dr k]

Mr. T gave a great idea to those of us that use the mailbox mod when cold smoking: put a ziplock bag or two of ice on top of the mailbox/duct to suck out the heat before it gets to the product chamber.
-Kurt

 

[johnmeyer]

I had lots of problems with the taste of smoke in my MES 30. I started a post about it and chronicled my search for solutions to the problem (thinking of selling my MES). This led me to the AMNPS and, eventually, to building my own version of the mailbox mod using a popcorn can (popcorn mailbox mod).

So is the mailbox mod needed or useful when doing a hot smoke, rather than cold smoke? My answer is most definitely yes.

No matter whether you are smoking hot or cold, the externally-generated smoke is always going to give you the same smoke. The only difference is that a hot smoking chamber sucks a little more air, so you may need to adjust the airflow a little (using holes in the mod, not the vent in the MES, which should always be full open).

But the big reason for why I never put the AMNPS inside the MES any more is that the external smoking mod causes a lot of the creosote to condense on the inside of the can, on the filter I added, and on the inside of the conduit. As a result, the smoke which reaches the food is MUCH, much better tasting than if the smoke is generated inside the MES itself.

Simply put: the food tastes better.

There are lots of little reasons I like the AMNPS inside the mod. For instance, after I separate most of the unburned pellets so I can re-use them, I can let the remaining pellets burn out (which takes several hours until they are dead cold), while cleaning out the smoker to get it ready for the next use. I can't let the AMNPS burn outside because of our massive wildfire problem here in California, as you all have seen on the news the past week.

 

[Clenko]

In an MES, water in the pan does more harm than good.
The box is so well sealed & insulated that it already holds too much moisture without adding any.
If you have a window in your door, you will see that when the condensation forms on the inside of the glass & runs down the door. Why add to that Mess. I haven't put water in my pan for over 7 years.

Bear

Thanks for the tip...Made ribs today with no water in the pan. They came out amazing...

 

[Bearcarver]

That's Great, Clenko!!

I'm glad to hear that, as I try to never steer anybody wrong.

Bear