Pecan wood igniting in MES

[geerock]

Yeah, I agree with red dog.......... old wood chips are just kindling, with about the same flavor.  I use small chunks that have some moisture in them.  Burn a long time and have that nice flavor to them.  I've used pellets too, but don't use too many as they do produce a lot of smoke. 

 

[smoker21]

Wrap it in foil and poke a few holes in it.  Works every time!

JD

 

[big casino]

I don't know if it is a coincidence or not but I am using pecan chips I bought at cabelas to smoke a turkey breast today, I pulled out the chip loader in my mes30  to look to see if there was a nice bed of embers in the chip tray, and i heard  woof and flames started rolling out the chip loader hole,  I never saw this happen with any other chips b4 I have heard it make that noise and blow some smoke out of it ( burp ) but never the flames I kinda chuckled then I always keep a spray bottle of water by the smoker so I just squirted it in the hole and extinguished it.... this is not the first time I have used the pecan chips either never saw that happen b4

 

[doctordun]

This should not be hard.

It will flame if too much air flow is present.

Very little air flow means no flame.

I've own several smokers and the rule never changes.

I agree with the foil suggestion, if you can't contain the air flow.

 

[steve k]

Agreed, that's why I cover my chip pan with a perforated lid.  It works great.  No flames.  Wood chips are supposed to be dry, they won't burn, (or oxidize in drs language or Alton Brown speak) unless they dry out first.  Depriving them of an oxygen source keeps them from igniting or combusting, so they burn without igniting. Moist chips just take longer to dry out, but they burn just the same, eventually. 

 

[doctorvapor]

I am not familiar with that unit.  Does the wood tray have a cover?  If it doesn't, try using a small grate covered with Aluminum Foil.  Cut some holes in the foil to let some air get through and then cover the wood tray with it.  This will cut down on the air flow to the wood and allow it to smolder instead of catching fire.

 

[dewey51]

Big C, I have a hearth wood stove in my living room.  If I have it tweaked down to the point where the wood is just smoldering (no flames), gases build up, and eventually, it'll get to a point where they ignite, causing a fuffled explosion (BIG burp), sending a smoke cloud into the house.  Now, I don't how that can be prevented in the smoker, other than making sure the vents are open enough to get circulation.  I've not encounter that with my MES 30", yet.

 

[shamong9]

I have used many different kines of wood chips.  Keep them small.  I like some dry and some socked, doing a mix has given me a greater smoke time and no flar ups. 

 

[doctordun]

In my smoker, all the fuel just smolders. I always make sure I have a good air flow before closing down for smoking.

I can't conceive of getting gas buildup. You have a inlet for air in and a vent for air out. As long as you have a thin ribbon of smoke coming out of the smoke stack, you have air flow.

If I open the firebox door, the lump charcoal and split of wood will flare up after about 30 seconds of the rush of new air, but when I first look, it is just glowing coals and wood.