Laughing my stupidity...

[timstalltaletav]

I've had the AMPNS for years now. It's been hit or miss on the performance. Usually when I got it to work, I stood around and scratched my head and admired my success

My advice to all the new BBQ "masters" reading this forum and thinking you know everything is this....

Follow the directions. 15 minutes of burning outside your MES means 15 minutes! Not 14... 8... 3 minutes!

Also, if you have time available, put the tray in the MES with the dust/pellets while you heat up the cooker. It makes a world of difference.

Since I've slowed down and embraced the pace that this thing works at, it's been all better.

If you're a newbie or an old timer fighting with the AMPNS. Stop. Re-read the directions.

It works perfectly!

I'm smoking 22# of deer bologna (in batches) this weekend and the AMPNS hasn't missed a beat in 40 hours (reloaded 2x so far).

Great product!

 

[mike243]

glad its working well, my tube wont keep burning unless I nuke my pellets, 2x 90 seconds and im good, 2x 2 min and they catch fire right in the middle of plate lol

 

[SmokinAl]

Yea mine works good too, but I also nuke the pellets & as Mike said they can catch fire in the microwave. I do 2 x 1 minute on a paper plate & mix them up after the first minute.
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

My AMNPS works Great for 9 years, but as soon as I get the pellets I put them in air tight screw top jugs. That keeps them plenty Dry, even in a place that's been getting rain darn near every day for a long time. The only thing I can't burn without mixing is straight Cherry Pellets. I believe it's the Pitch Oil in the Cherry wood itself.

Bear

 

[paul nj shore]

I put the pellets on a plate for 2 min take it out and mix them up the plate is nice and hot let it sit then doit again. the same with sawdust . I bought a little fan looks like a iPhone with a little hole at the top I use to help when burning sawdust . I have a Smoking- it #4 Which I enlarged the drain hole as soon as i got it and I also have problems when don't follow the AMPS directions

Paul

 

[Sir_McGyver]

New to the smoking world...I got my AMNPS in the mail Saturday, and of course it rained Sunday so I couldn't break in the new MES140S...So I have one project: To build a small 3 sided shed to house the smoker in while it is working...Nothing fancy just something to protect the electronics and the smoker itself from the elements while in use. I am looking at buying legs for it to raise it up a bit, so the shelter will have to take that into account.

Second, I have a question...Bear, you said you take your pellets and store them in a jar to protect them. My question is, since it seems everyone nukes their pellets before use, could you say put the pellets on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 250 or so for an hour or so, and then store them in said jar? As they would be dry(er) when they went in the jar after heating, would you still need to nuke them or could you just go with it?

Take Care and See you Through the Smoke,

McGyver

 

[Bearcarver]

New to the smoking world...I got my AMNPS in the mail Saturday, and of course it rained Sunday so I couldn't break in the new MES140S...So I have one project: To build a small 3 sided shed to house the smoker in while it is working...Nothing fancy just something to protect the electronics and the smoker itself from the elements while in use. I am looking at buying legs for it to raise it up a bit, so the shelter will have to take that into account.

Second, I have a question...Bear, you said you take your pellets and store them in a jar to protect them. My question is, since it seems everyone nukes their pellets before use, could you say put the pellets on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 250 or so for an hour or so, and then store them in said jar? As they would be dry(er) when they went in the jar after heating, would you still need to nuke them or could you just go with it?

Take Care and See you Through the Smoke,

McGyver

I never Nuked any of mine, but I get them from Todd, at Amazing Smoker, and they come in sealed plastic bags, so they're already dry, before I put them in the Jars, like below:

Bear

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Follow the directions. 15 minutes of burning outside your MES means 15 minutes! Not 14... 8... 3 minutes!
....

Good advice. Learned the hard way myself.
When using cherry, I only fill the tube half and spread it out except for a pile at the open end. Light with torch and wait, wait, wait, then wait some more. Once ready, I jab some pellets in the end and tube goes in smoker. A half tube of pure cherry pellets burns for more hours than I have smoked.