Making dust from pellets...

[Bearcarver]

Dust:
http://www.amazenproducts.com/category_s/63.htm

Bear

 

[zachd]

I just throw a couple handfuls in the blender enough to fill what I need. Then I just pulse them a couple times and its always worked out for me.
Except I only do it when my wife is not around. I don't think she would be too happy if she saw what I was doing.

 

[forgiven1]

Yep, it's there Dave:
https://www.sausagemaker.com/sawdust-woodchips-s/1940.htm

40# bag Hickory saw dust, $49. That's a lot of smokes!

Has anyone tried the dust from here in an AMNPS? The particle size looks pretty large.

 

[nanuk]

I used woodchips that came with my MES clone... they burned well in my home made tray and tube.

 

[cooker613]

Mr T told me he makes dust all the time for some of his smoking needs.. He ground the pellets in a food processor or something.. I tried it and it seemed a little tough on the machine.. Pellets are HARD !!!..
So I threw them in warm water.. in about 4 minutes they were falling apart... I stirred them.. not much help, so into the blender they went... water and all.... worked good....
Onto a sheet pan that was lined with paper towels... The towels help wick away water from the wood dust and keeps the dust from sticking to the sheet pan....

Wet dust....... the pictures suck...
View attachment 350390 ...View attachment 350391

Dust...
View attachment 350392 ...View attachment 350393

Burned slow and cool... another option when smoking stuff... I think this is good for cheese and salmon... I'm looking forward to trying it...
View attachment 350395 .. Totally burned up... I forgot to take a picture... That pile took about 1.5 hours ... I think.. just looked at my watch and didn't write anything down...
Dave...

Did you just let the dust dry on its own or did you help it? How long did it take to dry out and be useable?

 

[daveomak]

Evening... My last batch a few weeks ago, was made from about 1# of pellets... 200 + 200 + 100 grams... soaked for about 10 minutes in hot tap water.... stirred only with a big spoon... decanted the water... spread evenly on a 1/4 or 1/2 sheet pan and in the smoker or oven at 250-275 for a couple three hours... Do not put in a blender... makes too many fines...

 

[cooker613]

Thanks, that sounds like even I can do it ;)

 

[SonnyE]

Thanks, that sounds like even I can do it ;)

Of course you can. ;)
Take a handful or more, put them in a cup or can (plastic coffee 'can') and dribble in water. I used our RO Filtered water myself because of the "unknowns" in our tap water. (Algae, for one.)
I put enough in to where I could begin to see the water. Then in short order, the water vanished and the pellets started to swell, distort, and come apart. I added a bit more water and the decomposing of the pellets got faster.
Try a small amount and see.

Then, against my own advise, I used my hand to reach in and smush them up as I added smidgens more of water.
Very soon I had damp sawdust. Very fast!
I put mine in 2 - Steam Table 1/2 trays, which fit in my MES 30 smoker good, and set it for 275 degrees for 4 hours. That all but completely dried the sawdust out.
My experiment of 5 double handfuls yielded me a 2+ gallon pail full of Apple Wood sawdust from pellets.
I used a tray of it tonight to cold smoke my Bacon I'm Maken.
But I also plan to use the dust for Cheese, Almonds, and Salmon.

 

[nanuk]

I did kinda like SonnyE did.
I SOAKED mine... dumped the water when they started to swell, and then mashed them with a tatter masher.... TOO FINE!
they worked but ANY breeze blew them around.
next time, I'll soak them, then drain them, then just pour them on a cookie sheet, and kinda mash them down with my hands to break them up.... then when dry, if they need more, they should crush like popcorn.

 

[SonnyE]

I did kinda like SonnyE did.
I SOAKED mine... dumped the water when they started to swell, and then mashed them with a tatter masher.... TOO FINE!
they worked but ANY breeze blew them around.
next time, I'll soak them, then drain them, then just pour them on a cookie sheet, and kinda mash them down with my hands to break them up.... then when dry, if they need more, they should crush like popcorn.

If you do them with your fingers, you can gently reduce and lumps or partially dissolved pellets until mush.
After drying, I was able to smush up any lumpiness's.
Last night I filled my AMNPS and pressed the sawdust down to try and make it firmer. Mostly I wanted mine to look like Dave's does, so mine wouldn't jump rows. I did set my torch to a very small flame to light the dust. It worked great for me.
Albeit, mine went 4 hours on two of the 3 rows. So I pulled two of my slabs of Bacon I'm Makin and hung them to cool, while two left went the balance of the dust. The heat was Off at the 4 hour mark, and the meat was @ 90 degrees.
This is my first time 'Makin Bacon' from cure to plate. So I imagine I may make boo-boos.

Going to go check it. It is 'Aging' in the smoker. If any ants are sniffin around I'm gonna torch them!

 

[Winterrider]

About 3 handfuls of pellets in coffee can, fill water about 2/3 way up the pellets. Stir lightly by hand and spread out on a large bar pan. The more water that is soaked up, the smaller the dust particles will end up being. 275 F in oven for 1hr, press pellets with spatula or similar for desired size.
Or buy dust from Amazan.

 

[nanuk]

I dry outside. Stinks the house too much in the oven.

 

[wade]

Soaking and drying is WAYYYYYYY to much hard work when a 10 second press of a coffee/spice grinder button will make the dust as fine as you want. I (or more accurately, my wife) knows what the smell of simply microwaving the pellets for a couple of minutes is like and so there is no way I would be allowed to dry them for a couple of hours in the oven !

 

[zwiller]

I dry outside. Stinks the house too much in the oven.

Thanks for that. Only time I will make dust is when Todd does not offer it like for cob (I think beech too). I keep thinking there has to be a simpler way to do it like put pellets in an old stocking/cheesecloth/etc and soak overnight and hang to dry inside for a few days. Not the fastest tho but I am a patient guy.

 

[johnmeyer]

If you use a blender or food processor or spice grinder to pulverize the pellets, be very careful. Do a small batch first and only run the appliance for a few seconds. I tried to pulverize wood chips (yes, I know, quite different from pellets) and I ruined our 40-year-old wedding present food processor. Thanks to eBay I was able to replace the melted bowl and the broken blade. Wood pellets will probably pulverize much, much more easily, but it is still worthwhile to be careful.

 

[chopsaw]

I keep thinking there has to be a simpler way

This worked pretty good for what I wanted . To burn " dust " in a tube . The grinder made enough coarse pieces to keep the rest from falling thru . The wet method works great , just to fine for the tube .

 

[johnmeyer]

The grinder idea is very cool. I like that. It looks like you not only have more control over the conversion process, but the resulting "dust" looks a little coarser. It's also nice not to have to wait until the pellets dry, since you don't soak them with this approach.

I'd have to compare it to both the original pellets and the dust Todd sells, but this looks like it might have some of the burning properties of dust, without having the problems of compaction, fall-through, and slow burning that I've had when using Todd's dust in my AMNPS.

I'll be trying this one. Thansk!

 

[chopsaw]

more control over the conversion process,

Yes , and I'll add that the amount you put in affects the out come . Less pellets at a time equals a courser out put .

 

[nanuk]

This worked pretty good for what I wanted . To burn " dust " in a tube . The grinder made enough coarse pieces to keep the rest from falling thru . The wet method works great , just to fine for the tube .
View attachment 383093 View attachment 383094

I like this idea

and I can always find old grinders in the good will store

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

Saved for inbound A-Maze-N purchase! Thanks daveomak !

bump for visibility too

(took me a minute to find)