For those of you whom have looked at my previous posts on modifying the MES 30, this will be the finale to a journey that I knew should end in something good.
The numbers on the dimmer are display temp/actual temp in the smoker.
This was tested with an emply smoker.
Using the dimmer is like using a gas burner on your stove. You can set the heat applied and the temperature will slowly rise on the pot until the desired temperature is achieved.
With many hours of testing, the temperature fluctuations are eliminated and an even heat and cooking are achieved. Using the dimmer, the element never turns off.
Another benefit to the element not turning off, once you have "dried" the product, you can adjusting the heat to allow the chips or dust to "smolder".
In the picture below, I have the dial/burner set to apply a "very light" smoke while slowly raising the temperature of the smoker. (something I learned since joining this forum)
In this picture you can see the light blue smoke from the exhaust.
And you can see the dust on the top of the smoker. It showed up really well with the flash. I went back out and it is not that visible to my old eyes.
(Remind self to wipe down top of smoker before more pics are taken)
Here is the inside showing the smoke from an element that has been regulated using the dimmer. The chips are smoldering nicely. Perfect.
The money shot. Plump. Juicy. Perfect smoke. The wife said it was great.
IMNSHO the dimmer mod turned out better than I had hoped. Putting an end to the element turning on/off is a great improvement to cooking the food and its finished quality.
I liken it to your reverese flow or UDS cookers. Now the cooking heat is steady.
Imagine your RF/UDS with the temp fluctuating up/down 10-20 deg from desired set temp.
There is a learning curve to adjusting the dimmer like adjusting the dampers on any charcoal/stick burner.
Once you get the adjusting down to a science, it is worth the work in the quality of your food regardless of the type of smoker you are using.
Thanks for looking. Dave
The numbers on the dimmer are display temp/actual temp in the smoker.
This was tested with an emply smoker.
Using the dimmer is like using a gas burner on your stove. You can set the heat applied and the temperature will slowly rise on the pot until the desired temperature is achieved.
With many hours of testing, the temperature fluctuations are eliminated and an even heat and cooking are achieved. Using the dimmer, the element never turns off.
Another benefit to the element not turning off, once you have "dried" the product, you can adjusting the heat to allow the chips or dust to "smolder".
In the picture below, I have the dial/burner set to apply a "very light" smoke while slowly raising the temperature of the smoker. (something I learned since joining this forum)
In this picture you can see the light blue smoke from the exhaust.
And you can see the dust on the top of the smoker. It showed up really well with the flash. I went back out and it is not that visible to my old eyes.
(Remind self to wipe down top of smoker before more pics are taken)
Here is the inside showing the smoke from an element that has been regulated using the dimmer. The chips are smoldering nicely. Perfect.
The money shot. Plump. Juicy. Perfect smoke. The wife said it was great.
IMNSHO the dimmer mod turned out better than I had hoped. Putting an end to the element turning on/off is a great improvement to cooking the food and its finished quality.
I liken it to your reverese flow or UDS cookers. Now the cooking heat is steady.
Imagine your RF/UDS with the temp fluctuating up/down 10-20 deg from desired set temp.
There is a learning curve to adjusting the dimmer like adjusting the dampers on any charcoal/stick burner.
Once you get the adjusting down to a science, it is worth the work in the quality of your food regardless of the type of smoker you are using.
Thanks for looking. Dave
