MES40 and charcoal ?

[mike johnson]

 Have any of you MES owners experimented with some lit charcoal in you electric smoker to help with the smoke ring? I was thinking of adding a few pieces inside but want to know if anyone has done this before. I am ordering the charcoal pellets for my AMNPS but I am putting my brisket on at 2am tonight so thats a no go.

 

[daveomak]

Mike, evening....  MES does not recommend doing that... Don't know why ???   If you do, put your briquettes in the chip pan.... Do not put your briquettes on the floor of the smoker in anything... There are electronics hidden under the floor on the lower left side of the smoker... at least in the MES 30, that is where they are hidden....  You will burn up the hidden stuff.....  

On a side note, the smoke ring is for show only.... does not add any flavor to meat is my understanding....  In judging contests, the smoke ring is not to be evaluated....  To get the pink ring, soak the meat in a liquid solution of cure #1 at 100 Ppm for an hour... rinse well and dry...  That was a trick some were using at comps to get the "pink" smoke ring and why it was taken out of judging....  Dave

 

[mike johnson]

Thanks Dave, I had some extra lump charcoal so what I just got done doing was intermixing the small pieces of coal and my Pitmaster pellets that way I can light my AMNPS up at 2am and then go back to bed

 I so love that thing. I'll Q-view my brisket through out the day tommorow. Hopefully that will work.

P.S. how much cure#1 to a gal. of water or there abouts? I may have to try that.

 

[frosty]

I've got a MES 40 and never considered using briquettes in it!  Good luck with it, but I will stick to the normal procedures. 

 

[daveomak]

Mike, morning.... This cure #1 mix calculated below, is how to calculate for 100 Ppm, based on weight, in a liquid....   

1 gal = 8.3 #'s

1 # = 454 grams

cure #1 = 6.25 % nitrite

3768 grams in 1gallon water  X  0.000100 Ppm =  0.3768 grams nitrite / 0.0625  = 6 grams cure #1 in 8.3 #'s water.... = 100 Ppm Nitrite mix cure #1

If you do not have a grams scale, or powder scale in your reloading room, I highly recommend getting one...  They can be had for about $20....   The safety considerations, when curing meat, make the $20, a very worthwhile investment....   Volume measurements are not always the same between tsp. or Tbs. or even salt manufacturers....  When talking food safety, err on the side of caution...   Dave