Low and long help needed for andoulille

[mawil1013]

I don't know if the smoker can safely make andulille sausage, i have all ingredients including pink salt, I want to cook several days to reduce moisture content as well as apply smoke. Just recently took possession of a Master built 30 inch no windows. Is there anyone here doing the same thing?

Plus, The cooker says it can run as low as 180F' but I need as low as 140F, is it possible with a better thermostat or a modification of some sort, it seems to me the best way is to get a better thermostat?

 

[forluvofsmoke]

For starters, I'd use a trusted, verified thermometer to check what the actual lowest temp is that the smoker will run at,. It may run cooler than the advertised low temp setting, and it would not surprise me if you reported back that it does in fact run at lower temps. Ambient temps can and do effect electric smoke chamber temps, too, so it may run cooler on cold days. If it doesn't run low enough, then it's time to devise a plan to make it do what you want.

Just a couple ideas I had rolling around in my noggin after reading your post. If the smoker has a digital controller, then it needs power all the time for the temp probes and readouts to function properly. If it is a older analog unit, then it has a thermostat which can be bypassed with an aftermarket modification by simply installing a thermostat to take over the OEM thermostat's job. Swap out thermostats, wire it in on the same terminals, install the control knob and wiring and you're there. You just need one that can be adjusted and runs within the temp range you'll smoke at, and, be capable of handling the power consumption of the heater element or be coupled with a relay to handle the power to the heater. You should be able to find these items online...probably Amazon, and possibly elsewhere.

If the smoker has a digital controller, then you would bypass the controller's output to the heater element, just the same as the analog. You may need to set the controller on a high temp so it has power to the thermostat at all times. Or, you'd run power from the main terminals to the thermostat you're installing to power the heater, as well as to the controller for temp probes, if you wanted to use them. By not bypassing the entire controller you will not loose the functionality of the OEM smoke chamber and meat probes, if they are installed and in working order. In the event that there was firmware installed in the digital controller which caused a fault to be displayed when the heater element was disconnected (as it would be if being bypassed by your mod), then you may not be able to use the probe temp readings after all...that part I'm not sure about with the digital MES.

OK, just read back, you said no windows so I'm assuming that is an older analog MES...that simplifies things a bit for the mod.

One side note: the MES may not provide sufficient smoke at low temps on it's own and a separate smoke generator may be needed. Seems that others have mentioned this in the past (I don't use one, so I'm just relying on memory here).

There are a multitude of ways to create an external or internal auxiliary source for smoke, and there are pre-manufactured smoke generators to be had...different types and models depending on what you want to do.

Hopefully other MES owners will weigh-in with their thoughts...take it from here guys.

Eric

 

[mawil1013]

Eric, it has a digital read out, a 30" masterbuilt. I have ordered an amazen 5x8, on its way. I was thinking of try an old electric skillet, a stainless farber with its own controller too. Lots of good ideas coming in,

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Yeah, there are lots of ways to generate smaller amounts of heat for cold/warm smoking. I used a small 600 watt hot plate in a gas smoker years ago, for smoke and heat. The only thing I needed to do to really get any heat was to add mass to the hot plate so heat would dissipate from it, other wise it would just cycle on for a few seconds and go off for a minute or two. The key was to draw the heat away from the hot plate so it could produce more heat when needed. An old style coil burner would work better than the flat-plate design as air can easily pass through the coils and generate convective heat on it's own.

Some guys have even used soldering irons for smoke...that trick has probably been around for 40-50 years.

The AMNPS is good for cold smoke. You may consider looking at the "mail-box mod" for electric smokers. It keeps the majority of the heat (which is very little) generated by the pellets from entering the smoke chamber, as well as allowing the smoke to condense and loose the heavier deposits before getting to the food...it's a sweeter smoke. This mod would work for a variety of external smoke generators, BTW.

I do think that if you can avoid mods to the OEM electrical components you'd have less headaches.

Eric

 

[mawil1013]

Thanks Eric, good advice

 

[tx0303]

A cheap temperature controller from Amazon and a 1000w hot plate. No need to modify the original controls or element.